One day in... Nihonbashi

A café teeming with robot staff would usually prompt nervous jokes about the planet being overtaken by androids, but the visionary tech company Ory Lab begged to differ. While recent technology has given us everything from unmanned convenience stores to an 18-metre-tall moving Gundam, Ory Lab’s latest venture is one that goes beyond harnessing robotics for the sake of efficiency or novelty – they’re here to make a difference. 

Named the DAWN Avatar Robot Café – DAWN being an acronym for Diverse Avatar Working Network – Ory Lab’s new Nihonbashi venue features robot workers piloted by humans from remote locations. It’s a revolutionary model for people with disabilities, childcare obligations or other constraints that make it difficult to take up conventional jobs.

The team at Caveman would prefer not to have their cuisine classified, but if it must be summed up, they suggest – with a grin – calling it ‘progressive Japanese’. This charm and confidence shine through at Caveman: innovative dishes and drinks, friendly staff, and a more relaxed atmosphere. Produced by the team behind Kabi, Caveman is helmed by owner-chef Atsuki Kuroda, who brings his own experience living and cooking in Italy and Norway.

Dessert lovers rejoice! Ease is a new patisserie and bakery with counter seats where you can watch sweets being made by hand. Owner-chef Keisuke Oyama, whose hands you’ll be watching, is an award-winning pastry chef who has studied in France and worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants, including Sincere and Ristorante Aso. At Ease, he combines tradition with a modern twist, such as Amazon cacao choux cream, mango and shiso mousse cake, and matcha-cassis financiers.

Tucked into an unassuming backstreet in Nihonbashi, this bakery may be small, but its selection is abundant and of excellent quality. Before opening Beaver Bread, Kenichi Warita worked as the in-house baker at an upmarket French restaurant in Ginza. There, he had to produce impeccable goods; at Beaver Bread, he says his approach is more homely and rustic. That said, everything here still has a polished look, from the perfectly flaky pastries to the sandwiches and sourdough.

This super slick food hall is home to five venues: Pizza Slice, Kitade Tacos, Chigaya Bakery, the Our Craft microbrewery and Mind Spa Coffee. Each vendor has a counter on one side of the room, while on the other side is banquette seating along large, street-facing windows. The entire space is a mix of concrete, white tiles and chrome finishings, making it feel part diner and part renovated warehouse.

After training in France and at Michelin-starred French restaurants in Japan, chef Kyohei Nishi has opened his debut restaurant, Neki, in Nihonbashi. The casual bistro is a showcase of his influences, with a menu that blends Japanese and French flavours and techniques. The lunch menu is terrific value and the warm, modern interior has a mix of small tables and counter spots looking over the open kitchen.

The reason this tempura specialist inspires almost holy devotion in diners is clear once your tendon (tempura on rice) arrives. It’s tempura perfection: light batter, golden and crisp, encases precisely and perfectly cooked seafood. Two shrimp, diced squid, a remarkably large white fish and a square of nori, all dressed with a moreish tentsuyu sauce just before serving.

Kaisendon is pretty much the only dish on the menu at this Nihonbashi restaurant. Tsujihan isn’t exactly a well-kept secret anymore, so expect to queue – sometimes up to two hours – for a bowl. But the wait is worth it when you can dig into a bowl of fluffy rice topped with tuna, shellfish, salmon roe, leek, cucumber, and more. Before finishing the rice, be sure to pour in some of Tsujihan’s dashi stock to turn it into an ochazuke.

Conger eels can grow up to three metres long in the wild, but you'll only find them cut up and cooked at Tamai, a venerable eatery that also sells eel-themed Hello Kitty figurines. This classic restaurant is housed in a handsome wooden building that dates back to 1953 and is perhaps the city's finest purveyor of traditional eel rice bowls.

Sukiyaki is often eaten at home in Japan, but tasting this simmered cuisine at a specialty restaurant is another experience altogether. Established 120 years ago, Ningyocho Imahan is a butchery and restaurant in one, so you know you’ll be getting only the finest quality meat here. Staff will pour a small amount of a sweet soy-based soup into the heated iron pot on your table before simmering the beautifully marbled beef in the sauce.