H.A.L. cafe — Restaurant in Tokyo

Did you ever wonder what happened to the H.A.L. computer after 2001 a Space Odyssey?

Perhaps H.A.L. returned to earth and opened a delightful café in Tokyo.

Nestled on a very quiet, narrow street just 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) southwest of Shibuya, the residential area feels secluded and remote from the huge crowds that surge each minute through the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing.

It’s so unassuming and secluded, in fact, that I doubt it could have existed before GPS. Be forewarned: Even with the exact coordinates, the place is so low-profile and nondescript that it can be difficult to find.

Their specialty is bagels, made on-site in a tiny, miniature bagel factory at street level. The bagels here are delicious enough on their own, but a tiny triangular A-frame sign out front offers a subtle hint of further delights up a narrow set of stairs.

Upstairs one first sees a lovely rooftop patio with tables and chairs on the flat roof of the bagel shop below. A few paces further, an unassuming door opens to the main cafe, a delightfully eclectic space with seating in various configurations for two, three, four, or even ten people to sit comfortably.

Befitting a 21st century Tokyo cafe, the menu is accessible online, only, using a handy QR code to access first the WiFi and then the menu.

The food menu is limited to three different bagel sandwiches: Lox with cream cheese, a BLT with extra thick bacon, and a Spicy Shrimp bagel, each served with a perfectly balanced green salad and a small side of scrambled eggs. The choice among several different bagel types adds some diversity to this otherwise brief offering but:

The extremely limited food menu means that each bagel sandwich achieves a level of culinary perfection that is difficult if not impossible to find anywhere else. The result is absolutely heavenly, and even more amazing, the cost is extremely reasonable.

The small food menu is offset by a large selection of beverages, especially coffees.

In similar fashion to the sandwich menu, the dessert menu is intensely focused on a small handful of cakes that are, each one, to die for.

This is a rare find, even in a city that is full of delicious and delightful places to enjoy. If you can find it, you’re in for a treat!

Oh, and despite the H.A.L. name with its deliberate period between the letters, the restaurant has no relation whatsoever to the science fiction movie of the late 1960s. I asked, and was told that the name Hal was a nickname of the owner. As I don’t speak Japanese, I couldn’t engage the server to learn more, or to make her aware of the fascinating bit of trivia about the famous computer’s name. H.A.L. is one letter away from another famous three letter name, IBM.

In this day of AI, I still wonder who is behind the mysterious owner who goes by the name of H.A.L. Which is entirely normal for me, since my name is Dave, as fans of the movie will...

To get the limited 10 bagels, I got up early and arrived 30 minutes before opening, and was the first one there. However, when the bagel arrived, I was very disappointed. It didn't look like the ones you see on Instagram, there was no cream in between. I told the waitress about it, but she said the bagel was so hot that the cream melted. Furthermore, I was told that the photo on the official Instagram account was a prototype, and that this is how it is actually served, but the bagel served to other people was at least better than mine. I think they could have just re-arranged the food. I was sad that they didn't even...

This place is quite cute, and the food is really good! The bagel sandwich was generously-sized, with small sides of eggs and salad. The drinks and cheesecake were also delicious. They have lots of books, including a SF collection from one of my favorite authors!

We came on a (cold) weekend at 11:00 and there was plenty of room and no wait.

However, beware that the clientele is ~100% women. I don't know if I would have been brave enough to go without my wife......