Tegamisha Tsutsujigaoka Honten

Unilocal 100 Challenge 2015 — ²⁶⁄₁₀₀
This is the original and first location for a group of four businesses in the area of Shibasaki station on the Keio line in west Tokyo. The restaurant is about a 20 minute walk (if you know where you’re going or use the GPS-​guided map inside the Unilocal app). Please note it’s only open on Friday — Sunday, so plan your timing accordingly.
Short story:
+ Atmosphere: ⁵⁄₅ stars (Very warm and cozy, while having a retro country kitchen feel to it)
+ Interior Features: ⁵⁄₅ (Lots of wood, rustic tables, books galore to browse. Seating at tables or along a wall counter 1 (2 pers))
+ Service: ⁵⁄₅ (Warm and friendly, like the overall atmosphere (
+ Food/​drinks: ⁵⁄₅ (Heavy emphasis on natural, organic and VERY fresh ingredients; food all prepared with loving care — really!)
Long story:
This café is very unassuming in both appearance and presentation. However, that leaves the customer to feel comfortable and enjoy the space and amenities more. It almost feels like an intimate expanded library/​den of an old house, with French doors stretching across the front façade that let in plenty of natural light — perfect for enjoying your meal and book browsing afterwards.
Over multiple visits, I’ve tried almost every item on the menu, and I can say all items get two thumbs up. Although I have a bad habit of asking the staff to tell me a story about the entrees, desserts or coffee, they are always happy to share the background or each item, including where the ingredients come from (much are from local suppliers) and how the dishes are prepared.
As the menu entrees are limited in number, you won’t spend ten minutes poring through pages of a menu book. In fact, the menu is hand written on a single sheet of paper. OK, simple choices, simple slow-​food cooking — really tasteful presentation and of course, delicious food.
Prices are on the high end for a suburban location, but there is definitely quality and value to be had that rivals, no exceeds, «fancy schmancy» boutique restaurants in the trendy sections of central Tokyo like Omotesando, Aoyama or Azabu.
A note about coffee: You can choose from among mild or strong/​bitter for your hand-​dripped cup. Again, carefully prepared by grinding the beans immediately before hand-​dripping. Their coffee is the perfect compliment to their delicious desserts.
If you’re in the mood for a walk, do check out Tegamisha. It’s a nice concept done very well. You’ll find a similar theme underlying their other businesses — Tegamisha Second Story, Shugeiten Trois and the newly opened Books & Coffee Tegamisha, all located in the same building five minutes from the north exit of Shibasaki station. However, the walk to Tegamisha and resulting experience will leave you both pleasantly surprised and satisfied. You may even want to keep this one a secret to avoid resulting crowds from being «too popular.»