bio ojiyan cafe

Just a minute walk from Shimokitazawa Station’s West exit, Bio Ojiyan Café is great for visiting by yourself, a date, a group of friends, etc. At night it’s impossible to miss, as they have lights that light up, making the place cute/​romantic and hard to resist.
They specialize in OJIYA, which is like a Japanese risotto. Lots of soupy rice with tasty broth. In Japanese culture, Ojiya is like what chicken noodle soup is in American culture. It’s something you consume when you’re feeling under the weather, and being Japanese, it’s something my mom made me whenever I was sick. I never knew that an eatery that specialized in Ojiya existed, so I was so excited to find this place.
Basic ojiya for one costs 550yen! It comes with a decent amount of ojiya, scallions, a sausage, sugary fried bread (which is surprisingly tasty when dipped in the ojiya!), and two strips of seaweed. Very affordable. If you want additional toppings, that’ll be extra, but they have a variety of toppings available, such as chicken karaage, kimchi, natto, spicy cod roe, etc. I’ve tried the spicy cod roe and natto (separately), and feel that the cod roe may not be worth it since once you mix it up with the ojiya, you can hardly taste any of it. On the other hand, natto is a great addition, and I highly recommend it if you like natto!
As far as drinks, I thought it was odd that their matcha latte consists of espresso. I have never experienced that before. My friend thought it was tasty, but I prefer my drinks without espresso, which is why I ordered a tea based drink in the first place. Not to mention, you could hardly taste the matcha. My friend’s iced latte was delicious but cost 500yen, which I think is on the pricey side. It’s almost as expensive as the ojiya before you add any toppings.
Overall, I highly recommend this place! If you already like ojiya, I think they do a great job with it, and if you’ve never had ojiya before, this would be the place to try it.