Nanatsumori

Nanatsumori (七つ森) is a retro kissaten tucked into the Look shopping street in Koenji, about a four-minute walk from Shin-Koenji Station on the Marunouchi Line (roughly nine minutes from JR Koenji Station). Open since the late 1970s (1978), it's one of the neighborhood's longest-running coffee houses and was selected for Tabelog's "Kissaten 100" list for 2026. The name comes from Nanatsumori, a place in Iwate Prefecture that appears in Kenji Miyazawa's poetry collection Haru to Shura (Spring and Asura) — a nod to the shop's literary, unhurried atmosphere. Inside, Japanese and Western elements sit side by side: stained glass, dark wood chairs, red velvet sofas, and antique lighting, evoking the Showa era rather than a curated "retro" theme.

The kitchen's best-known dish is omu-gohan, a rice omelet built on a dashi-based (not ketchup) sauce with beef, burdock, and enoki mushroom in a savory-sweet glaze. Curry, including a tomato-based version, appears on rotating lunch specials, and the custard pudding with bittersweet caramel sauce — on the menu since the shop opened — is a longstanding favorite alongside hand-dripped coffee, craft cola, and Earl Grey tea. A quirky tradition: departing customers are sometimes handed a 5-yen coin tied with ribbon, a pun on goen (縁), meaning "connection" or "fated meeting."

Budget runs about ¥1,000–1,999 per person according to Tabelog. There's no reservation line — the shop doesn't take phone bookings — and it's cash-only, so bring yen. No English menu has been confirmed, so a translation app is worth having on hand. Nothing indicates vegan, vegetarian, halal, or gluten-free certification or dedicated options: the signature dishes rely on dashi (often fish-based) and standard curry roux (wheat-based), so travelers with dietary restrictions should ask staff directly before ordering rather than assume. Expect a wait on weekends given its popularity and modest seating (about 31 seats).