Rice Curry Manten — Restaurant in Tokyo

Probably the best Japanese curry in Tokyo. Highly recommended.

This little shop down a hidden Jinbocho alleyway changed my taste buds forever.

Manten Curry, meaning “full marks” or “perfect score” in Japanese, lives up to its name as one of the best places in Tokyo for curry. The rankings and reviews speak for themselves (just turn on that translator first). Which makes me wonder why this place is still a big secret in the restaurant scene.

Take a seat around the counter surrounding the kitchen and when the cook asks, just shout out the order. The cooks may not know much English, but they are extremely kind and might even try to strike up a conversation. While waiting for your food, feel free to sip on the water and coffee in front of you, and watch as your dish is being prepared.

Seven minutes later, Enjoy!

One of the reasons why I love this spot is because of it’s homey atmosphere. The cooks are right there in front of you, taking orders, making food, and receiving payments. They are extremely polite in their mannerisms but casual with their language (which is extremely rare in the Japanese food service industry). The cooks are on a first name basis with regulars as well, another rarity in Japan.

Whether you’re a curry connoisseur or just want to try something new, I’d strongly suggest checking out Manten Curry...

MUST TRY! We got to the restaurant at 1045-1050AM and there were 8 people ahead of us and the line kept growing. Restaurant opened on time and we were seated. Theres 14 seats inside and we were instantly handed water and iced coffee. I don’t speak Japanese so when the Chef was taking orders from everyone, I just showed him a picture of what I wanted and asked for 2 for me and my girlfriend. Food came out in 5 minutes. We were amazed how good it was. We got the Katsu with Shamui. This is a spot where you eat and get out quickly. We paid 850 yen each for our meal. By the time we left, there were 30-40 people lined up outside. We were the only foreigners so you know it was good. Line apparently moves quickly but make sure you’re early. Theres no AC inside only a fan. We went on August 19, 2024 when it was 33 degrees Celsius. Don’t miss out and skip this spot especially...

A curry restaurant that is really hard for foreigners to visit. There is no linguistic or cultural consideration for foreigners, and the people sitting there look like they have been regulars for at least a few years.

However, as always, this like restaurant is delicious. In the case of Donkatsu Curry, which only costs 800 yen, the tonkatsu is delicious, but the taste of the solid curry (not watery) with lots of meat is impressive.

As soon as you sit down, they serve you a dishcloth, a cup of water, a spoon, and an espresso cup with Americano. After eating the curry, you just have a light Americano, wipe the table with the dishcloth, and leave.

The process and culture are optimized for two people to run.

This place...