Oden (Japanese fish cake stew) in the Shinjuku area! 10 popular spots to warm your heart and body

Photograph:ゆほし

This izakaya is popular for its Sanuki udon and oden (Japanese stew dishes). The interior is a calm Japanese-style space with the warmth of wood, where you can relax and enjoy food and drinks.

The Sunken kotatsu seating is also a nice feature, as bamboo blinds can divide the space so you can use it like a Semi-private room. It is a 4-minute walk from Shinjuku Station.

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Their specialty is “Shikoku no Kuro Oden (Shikoku-style dark oden),” made with beef tendon and chicken bone broth that has been carefully nurtured over time by adding to it.

The “Gofuku Mori” in the photo is an Omakase menu where you can enjoy 5 kinds of ingredients. The broth soaks well into every item, and people say the sweet, rich flavor unique to Shikoku is excellent.

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There are 17 kinds of kobachi udon (small bowl udon), perfect for finishing off a night of drinks.

The “Kuro Niku Udon” is a sukiyaki-style dish made with sweet and savory simmered beef, with sansho (Japanese pepper) as an accent. The slightly sweet seasoning coats the udon well, making it a flavorful bowl.

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It is located a 1-minute walk from the west exit of Shinjuku Station. This restaurant serves oden made with yaki-ago dashi (grilled flying fish broth) and carefully prepared Japanese food.

The interior has a counter for tachinomi (standing drinking) and table seating. It looks like a good choice for many occasions, from stopping by for a quick drink to sitting down for a full meal.

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The oden made with yaki-ago dashi (grilled flying fish broth) has a clean taste, and the selection ranges from classics to unusual items like spring rolls and croissants.

The photo shows the "5-item oden assortment." Reviews highly praise the clear, lightly salted broth, saying it is excellent and brings out the natural flavors of the ingredients.

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"Beef Tongue daikon radish" is an eye-catching dish with a big piece of Beef Tongue placed right on top of a thick slice of daikon radish.

The Beef Tongue is simmered until it is so tender you can break it apart with chopsticks, and the melt-in-your-mouth texture is said to be fantastic. Enjoying it together with the daikon radish brings out the flavor even more.

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Hanakoma Shinjuku Sanchome Ten is an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) about a 5-minute walk from the East Exit of Shinjuku Station.

Inside, you’ll find a calm Japanese-style space with the warmth of wood. Since every seat is in a fully private room with a door, you can relax and take your time without worrying about the people around you.

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Kyodashi (Kyoto-style soup stock) oden (Japanese stew) is the specialty here, and you can enjoy oden with deep broth flavor and the good taste of the ingredients soaked all the way through.

The "oden assortment" is said to have a gentle, comforting taste, with daikon radish, egg, and fish cakes among the items.

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They also offer a wide selection of a la carte dishes that pair well with alcohol. Their popular kama-meshi (rice cooked in an iron pot) is a great way to finish the meal.

They are also particular about their rice, and use glossy "ginshari (gleaming white rice)" for their plain rice. The "unagi (eel) Clay Pot Rice" in the photo is a rich, satisfying dish topped with plump, fragrant grilled unagi.

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Otako Shinjuku Ten, about a 3-minute walk from Shinjuku Station, is known as a famous restaurant for Kanto-fu oden (Kanto-style oden).

Founded in 1923, it has a history of more than 100 years. The interior is a calm Japanese-style space with the warmth of wood, and its comfortable atmosphere is part of its appeal.

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The oden lineup ranges from classics like daikon radish and eggs to unusual picks like suji (fish paste) and shumai dumplings. The photo shows the "Omakase assortment."

The daikon radish is said to be thoroughly infused with dashi all the way to the center, and the moment you take a bite, its gentle flavor spreads across your mouth. It is said to have a mellow taste with a hint of sweetness.

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The "tofu chameshi (tocha)," a specialty dish of oden tofu served over chameshi (tea rice), is also a popular signature item. The tofu, soaked with the simmering broth, is topped with plenty of green onion.

It is said to have a great taste with a sweetness that stands out. They also recommend adding shichimi (seven spice blend) partway through to enjoy a change in flavor.

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A 2-minute walk from Shinjuku-nishiguchi Station, Hiire Mitsukakoi Shinjuku Nishiguchi Palette Ten on the 5th floor of the Palette Building is a restaurant where you can enjoy carefully made oden (Japanese hot pot dishes simmered in broth) and genshiyaki (primitive-style charcoal grilling).

The restaurant has counter and table seating, and the calm atmosphere lets you take your time and enjoy your meal and drinks.

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The oden, finished with a broth made from bonito, kombu kelp, shiitake mushrooms, and chicken bones, is said to have a deep, rich taste.

The house specialty, "Otsubu Kaki Oden (Large Oyster Oden)," features plump oysters full of the broth's savory flavor, and when you bite into them, the broth bursts out from inside.

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One of the specialties here is also genshi-yaki (primitive style grilling) cooked over binchotan (high-grade Japanese charcoal). The “Toro Saba Menta Yaki” in the photo is a dish where the soft, melt-in-your-mouth saba (mackerel) and the flavor of mentaiko (spicy pollock roe) are a great match.

The toro saba is slowly grilled over charcoal, giving it crisp and fragrant skin while the flesh stays surprisingly plump and tender.

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Godaigo Shinjuku NS Biru Ten is a Japanese-style izakaya a 10-minute walk from the West Exit of Shinjuku Station, on the 29th floor of Shinjuku NS Building. You can enjoy Kyo-fu oden (Kyoto-style oden), charcoal grilling, and seasonal creative Japanese cuisine.

The interior has the warm feel of white wood, and another highlight is that seats by the window offer a panoramic view of the Shinjuku cityscape.

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Kyofuu oden (Kyoto style oden) made with natural dashi broth and no chemical seasonings is popular here. The ingredients are slowly simmered through to the center, creating a dish where the natural flavors of the ingredients blend with the deep umami of the broth.

The photo shows the “Kyofuu Oden Assortment,” available in a choice of 5 or 7 kinds.

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The grilled skewer menu is also extensive, with a wide range of options including beef Tenderloin, steak skewers, and foie gras skewers.

Among them, the chicken skewers use Ajiwai Dori (branded chicken from Shizuoka Prefecture). It has a rich sweetness and deep flavor, making it well suited to yakitori.

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It is located a 1-minute walk from Shinjuku Station East Exit. You can enjoy authentic Kyushu cuisine, including basashi (horse sashimi), a Kumamoto specialty, and Hakata motsu-nabe (offal hot pot).

One of its appeals is the wide range of Private room options inside, suitable for everyone from small groups to larger parties, so you can relax and enjoy your meal in a calm setting.

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Oden simmered in Hakata ago-dashi (flying fish broth) with an elegant, clean sweetness and deep flavor is popular here. The photo shows the “5-item oden assortment.”

In addition to ordering A la carte, they also offer an All you can eat oden menu, which is another appealing point since you can enjoy it in different ways.

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The "Hakata Fujisan motsu-nabe (offal Hot Pot)" is also a popular menu item. The tall mound of garlic chives arranged like Mt. Fuji makes a big impression.

The plump offal and the special tonkotsu shoyu (pork bone soy sauce) soup filled with its rich flavor are said to be excellent. The offal has no off notes and is so tender it melts in your mouth.

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Robata to Oden Kyosuke is a good spot for tasty oden (Japanese hot pot items simmered in broth), located on the first basement floor about a 10-minute walk from Shinjuku Station. Inside, they have zashiki (tatami seating) and Private room options, and the atmosphere is calm.

Because it is a popular restaurant, it fills up quickly, so it is a good idea to make a reservation in advance before visiting.

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You can enjoy Kansai-style oden (Japanese one-pot dish) made with dashi (soup stock) that is carefully prepared fresh every single day. It has a gentle flavor that lets the good taste of the dashi stand out, and every ingredient is said to have a comforting, satisfying taste.

daikon radish is tender, and the dashi has soaked in well, making it especially delicious.

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Besides oden (Japanese hot pot dish), they also offer a wide selection of robatayaki (fireside grill), kushiyaki (grilled skewers), and a la carte dishes.

The "ankimo (monkfish liver) with grated daikon and ponzu" in the photo is said to be rich and creamy, with an irresistible melt-in-your-mouth texture. It has no off notes, and lets you really taste the quality of the ingredient.

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"Sakana no Mise Okamo Club Shinjuku Ten" is located a 6-minute walk from Shinjuku Station. The retro-style interior has a calm feel while still offering a lively atmosphere.

Counter and table seating are available, and the counter seats are especially appealing for the live feel of watching the cooking right in front of you.

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For oden made with carefully crafted dashi, they offer not only A la carte items but also the "oden assortment" shown in the photo.

daikon radish soaks up the dashi really well, and topping it with tororo kombu kelp adds a mild tartness that gives it a nice flavor accent.

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The seafood menu is also extensive, and one of the most popular items is the nama-aji rare furai (lightly fried rare horse mackerel), a recommended dish that is crispy on the outside and rare in the center.

They hand-prepare fresh aji (horse mackerel) every day, and by paying close attention to the frying, they give it a moist texture. It also goes perfectly with the house-made tartar sauce.

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Kashiwa Nishi-Shinjuku Ten is a 2-minute walk from the south exit of Shinjuku Station. This izakaya serves oden (Japanese fish cake stew) made with carefully prepared Kansai-style dashi (soup stock) every day.

Inside, there are counter and table seats, and the space is said to be homey and easy to relax in.

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The oden (Japanese hot pot ingredients simmered in broth), made with freshly prepared dashi broth every day, has a light taste because they do not keep adding to the broth. The ingredients soak up the broth well, and reviews say it has a comforting flavor.

The photo shows the classic daikon radish. They also offer unusual items like rolled cabbage and negi-bukuro (green onion tofu pouch).

Photograph:やまとむさし

At this restaurant, tori-ten (chicken tempura) is also a specialty. The photo shows the popular kashiwa-ten (chicken tempura). It uses cake flour and rice flour, giving it a light, crisp coating. They recommend enjoying it with salt and wasabi to really taste the quality of the ingredients.

You can also enjoy Special Japanese sake from around Japan, carefully selected to bring out the good flavors of the tempura and oden (Japanese fish cake stew).