Hashigo

I visited this restaurant on two occasions while in Tokyo back in 2017. I regret not going there a third or fourth time, ha. It was something that has stuck with me for so long and I was disappointed to see I never wrote a review for a place that really holds a spot in my heart.

FOOD AND ORDERING - They are English friendly. Could you converse with the staff in English? Possibly not. Could you order whatever your heart desires off the menu? For sure! I didn't feel limited ordering off the menu with my (regrettable) lack of knowledge of Japanese. The English menu was great. This place felt very accessible to a tourist especially considering the doors stay open until late at night.

Their broth and noodles were great. Their steamed buns were excellent! NOTE - I do recall their steamed buns only being available between certain times. As a result the second time I went I order the gyoza, which was great.

ATMOSPHERE - This is the reason I fell in love with this place and feel so compelled to write a review. Don't get me wrong, the food alone is worth coming back for, but to put it differently, if I need a 'happy place' to go to in my head, this is one of them. It's charmingly located right near a crosswalk. If you walk up to the place at night, especially while coming up from the train station, the welcoming glow of the lights coax you in to take a closer look. The place is really cozy without being tight. If you choose to sit at the bar like I did, it's a cool place to sit back and observe.

Something to note about this place - It was never too busy like other ramen places I visited late at night. There were a handful of other restaurants I went to late into the night with 40 minute waits.

I will be visiting Tokyo again at some point and returning to this restaurant is definitely on the list of places to visit.