Tōkyō chūbō

My review here may be unconventional because I am describing both a restaurant and a literary landmark. This restaurant is the location of Haruki Murakami’s (村上春樹) former Jazz club. Murakami-​san ran the club in the late 70’s and wrote some of his earliest novels here («Pinball, 1979» and «Hear the Wind Sing»), and frequently described it his later writings. Presently it is not clear if the club was on the 1^st or 2^nd floor because he didn’t leave enough clues in his novels.
The restaurant on the first floor is called «Tokyo Kitchen» (厨房東京), which they describe as modern dining. Like most human beings, I like everything fried so their tonkatsu smothered in marinara sauce was delicious and a modern take on that dish, at least for me. Service was okay— pay at the register. The restaurant interior itself was a bit dated, but preferred it because the décor could have been unchanged from Murakami’s epoch. Upstairs was also the same in this respect. It is a coffee shop/​bar with some more space than downstairs. I think this would be a larger space to have a Jazz club so my bet is here. The coffee was okay I guess, but is coffee ever good in Japan? Anyway, I liked the ambiance here especially with a glass of wine.
Overall I recommend this place for people interested in the mythology of Murakami. Downstairs is Japanese food, interpreted through a traditional american café/​diner. Upstairs is a neighborhood bar. Since it is likely that the owners have no idea the history of this place, take your photos but please be kind and purchase something.