If one happens to visit Ameyoko Market Street, Japanese food is one thing should not be missed here. Reasonably priced and delectable, I guess that's the reason locals flock and grab something to tuck in. The aroma of the food and visual temptation are hard to resist.


Guided by our instinct, we picked a simple Japanese restaurant to chow down. Everything on the signboard at its facade is in Japanese except the name - Gindaco and the pictures of what they serve. People say a picture tells more than a thousand words. I guess the 4 pictures had provided us rather a lengthy story and inviting.

Tucked away in a strip of shops on the west wing at Ameyoko Street, Gindaco Cafe offers only Takoyaki (Grilled Octopus Balls) and Yakisoba (means Fried Noodles). Having said that, the long queue of people waiting gave a positive indication of our choice.

Takoyaki or literally translated as 'Grilled Octopus' is a popular Japanese snack, made from batter, diced or whole baby octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, ponzu, mayonnaise, green laver (aonori) and katsuobushi (fish shavings/flakes). These dumplings seem to serve as the crowd magnet at Gindaco. Most folks were seen queueing for Tako balls, whether to dine in or take away as finger food.  

We opted for Yakisoba instead since we are not the big fan of octopus. One platter of plain yakisoba and another platter with eggs and katsuobushi (fish flakes). Simple but they were fabulous!

Getting there?
Less than 3 minutes walk from JR Ueno/Okachimachi train station.

Coordinates: 5.7112°N 139.7748°E

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)