{  Stella  }

Stella
Stella
Stella
Stella

Stella is a local Italian restaurant right off of Gakugeidaigaku station in a quiet area right off the main street and it’s a hidden gem. It’s hard to get a seat since it only seats about 16 people and I’ve been wanting to come here for quite sometime now but never was able to because it was always full no matter what time I came. So we finally decided to make reservations and got to try this place. Results = :)

We got a table for the six of us and four of us ordered the dinner course that includes 2 appetizers, 1 starter, 1 pizza, 1 pasta, a dessert and drink ALL for 2900yen/each. The other two ordered individual items off of the menu but oh my goodness, we ordered way too much food. Just looking at these photos makes me full again… Anyhow, every plate was delicious. I particularly loved the starter “Italian veggie plate” that came with all sorts of marinated vegetables. The 2nd pasta you see was the special of the day which was a “uni cream pasta” which was surprisingly light and not too heavy on the uni (sea urchin). The desserts we ordered were pumpkin pudding and panna cotta.

It seems like this restaurant is owned by a husband and wife team, but I’m not certain. Either way, there’s only 1 chef and 1 server so don’t expect the service to be super fast here. However, the lady who served us was very polite and nice and didn’t mind answering any questions we had. If you are looking for more of a nice and quiet local restaurant to come to, definitely recommend this place.

Address // 3-14-3, Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3760-1851
Website // n/a

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{  POPHOT  }

POPHOT
POPHOT

This creperie has one of the best galette’s I’ve had. I don’t know why, but the combination of their soft but crunchy crepes with high quality ingredients inside is truly delicious. I had the cheese, chorizo, egg, and mushroom for 1155yen and I loved it. The other one you see pictured above is the cheese, chorizo, and tomato crepe for 1050yen.

With that said… The place has a bit of a strange attitude — for some reason pets are allowed but baby’s and kids aren’t, and smoking is allowed but taking pictures inside is not. I clearly managed to sneak in some pictures :p The portions are on the light side and the service also feels a bit slow since they make the crepes fresh as you order so If you are starving, this is definitely not the place to come to. However, if you’re just looking for a light lunch with really good food, give this a try.

Address // 3-31-6, Gohongi, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3794-6769
Website // POPHOT Website

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{  Midorie Organic Cafe  }

Midorie Organic Cafe
Midorie Organic Cafe

Found a nice organic cafe right by Gakugeidaigaku station. Their food is good, ambiance is nice, and for the price I can definitely picture myself coming here often. They have a daily special that includes a salad with 15 different types of veggies, a main dish (changes daily), seasonal soup, brown rice or bread, and a small drink all for just 1150yen. Their fluffy omurice with lots of veggies marinated in tomato sauce also includes a salad and small drink for 1050yen. Their organic muffin lunch set with salad is 950yen. Everything I’ve had so far has been good and I especially enjoyed their rosemary black pepper organic muffin.

They also serve desserts as well as pastries to take home. Come check out this cafe if you are ever in this area.

Address // 3-4-18, Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3711-7305
Website // http://www.midorie-organic.com/cafetop.htm

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{  Melonpan Factory  }

Melonpan Factory
Melonpan Factory

Found a cute melon pan shop right outside/underneath the Gakugeidaigaku train station in an area called “Gakudai-Ichiba”. Apparently this place just opened on April 11th, 2012 and it’s one of melonpan factory’s ten locations. The place smells amazing when you pass by… you simply can’t walk by without buying one.

Their most popular flavor is the plain original (170yen), and it’s pretty good! Naturally, it’s best eaten right when you buy it. I’ve also tried their maple flavor but it’s not that much different than the plain so I would stick to the original. They also have some other more wacky flavors such as strawberry, chocolate, green tea, cinamon, caramel and orange if you’re feeling adventurous… If that’s not enough, they also sell croissants and apple pie. A good place to grab a snack!

Address // 3-3-2, Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6766-0423
Website // www.melonpanfactory.com

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