David's Deli

David's Deli is the closest Tokyo comes to a proper New York-style Jewish deli, except the menu leans Tel Aviv rather than the Lower East Side, and every dish leaves the kitchen under the eye of Chabad of Tokyo's Chief Rabbi Mendi Sudakevich rather than a self-applied kosher label.

The restaurant opened in Mita in 2025 as the successor to the city's previous kosher fixture, Chana's Place, inheriting its role as the reliable address for observant travellers and Tokyo's wider Jewish community. Spread across two floors with seating for roughly 80, the space has the easy, deli-counter energy of somewhere built for solo lunches as much as group dinners — order a plate of falafel with tahini, a bowl of matzo ball chicken soup, or the chicken schnitzel regulars single out, and nobody minds if you came alone. Shakshuka, hummus, Israeli salad and pita round out the mezze side; sandwiches (tuna, salmon, chicken pargiot) and a straightforward burger-and-fries option cover anyone travelling with less adventurous eaters.

One nuance worth knowing before you go: this is a meat kitchen, not a dairy deli, so cheese-topped sandwiches or cream-based dishes aren't on the menu — a real distinction from the bagels-and-lox delis the name might bring to mind. The English menu is thorough, and staff are used to explaining kosher rules to first-time visitors. Reservations are worth making by phone or through the website, especially around lunch.

Practically: David's Deli takes credit cards and IC transit cards (Suica/Pasmo), so there's no need to carry cash the way you would at many small Tokyo restaurants. It keeps a five-day week — Tuesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner — and is closed Sunday and Monday, which catches a few visitors out. It's about a five-minute walk from Shirokane-Takanawa Station.