Village Vanguard Diner Shimokitazawa — Restaurant in Tokyo

We were visiting ShimoKitazawa and wanted to grab something like a burger. After a quick search, we came across Village Vanguard Diner. It was located down a set of stairs.

I must say that I dig the vibe of the diner. It definitely has a personality that is somewhere between a dive bar and tgi fridays. Lots of americana on the walls and other decor with older cartoons on the tvs.

The burger was quite good. Alot of flavor and very satisfying. By default, the sets came with a type of homestyle fried potato. I opted to get shoestring fries. I found them interesting as they had an almost funnel cake texture and flavor.

I also got a chocolate shake, but rather than a milkshake, it was more of a frozen chocolate drink. So, a little less smooth and richer chocolate flavor. Not bad but definitely not the type of milkshake you expect at a diner like this.

Overall, it was a great stop if you are feeling a more american far with...

About a 10-minute walk from Shimokita Station. Note: you must walk down a long flight of stairs in case you have mobility issues. They can accommodate certain allergies.

It’s an “American style” burger joint full of novelty decor starting from the ground floor entrance. We walked in with no reservations for lunch on a weekday. Restaurant was full of people but not packed.

Menu consists of a handful of different burgers and salads with an option to make it a set with a drink and potatoes for about ¥500 more.

Expect each set to be around ¥1,500-¥2,200. Ok prices for Tokyo.

The pineapple burger was pretty good - flavours were mild as expected from a Japanese restaurant. Hard to eat as it was tall and skinny, but they have burger sleeves ..lol.

The separate order of string fries was the best part of the meal, probably.

The California “cobb salad” was disappointingly and egregiously small for about...

Has a very “Old American Diner” Style Interior and vibe which is quite fitting for Shimokitazawa as it is the centre for all things Vintage.

Their burgers are massive, again inspired by American serving sizes, they may be hard to eat but very delicious. Their matcha shake was quite thick but still good, pricing was decent as they include meal combos with fries and drinks.

Service was good and staff were very nice and welcoming, not surprising as Japan is known for their hospitality. Forgot to mention that we did not have to line up (probably because it was raining, and there were not many people in Shimokitazawa), which is always a plus as lining up for food or anything is also quite common here.

Overall, a great place to stop by to refuel and relax after a long day of shopping in...