by Marian Antony
Yokohama - a city of many department stores, Chinatown, the Landmark Tower, and various other nooks and crannies. Yokohama also offers so many restaurants, it's often hard to know where to go to grab some grub. Here are some of my favorite places that are sure to satisfy your hunger, along with links to online guides.
Garlic's (Italian): As the name suggests, Garlic's offers appetizers, salads, pastas, pizzas, etc, all made with garlic. Located near Yokohama Station, Garlic's offers some oishii meals. Walk past the BIC camera, HMV building and First Kitchen, and you will take an elevator to get to the restaurant. It's kind of hidden in the corner, so be on the look out. I enjoy the tomato and mozzarella salad, the shrimp pasta, and spinach and shrimp pizza. The portions are big, prices are moderate, and the taste is GAR-licious.
More's Building Restaurants: In the More's building, there are 3 floors dedicated to restaurants. Located next to Yokohama station, More's offers one of the best Indian restaurants I have been to - Maharaja. There is a good 1000 yen Viking (buffet) which lets you sample their curries, naan, and desserts. The dinner menu is a bit more expensive, but definitely worth the cost. I really like the mango lassi. The chicken kebab, butter chicken, and paneer are some very authentic-tasting foods. You can adjust the spice level to your liking. More's also has a great soba place where you can get some fresh wasabi root to put in your zaru soba. Rather than give you the paste, they let you grate the wasabi root yourself, and you can take the extra home with you! The More's building also has Mexican restaurants (Tapa Tapa), mixed Asian cuisine, and more! You are sure to find something you like!
Soup Stock Tokyo: You can find SST on the same street as the More's building, connected to the CIAL building. SST offers various kinds of soups (Atlantic lobster and crab, vegetable and beef, chicken and rainbow noodle, and many others). They also serve curries that come with sesame rice (try the tomato chicken or onion curry). The names of the curries and soups are written in English (as are the ingredients) so it's very conveneint if you aren't in the mood to decipher hiragana and katakana!
TGI Friday's / Hard Rock Cafe: Friday's restaurants can be found at Yokohama Station and Sakuragicho Station. The Hard Rock Cafe is near Sakuragicho Station. If you are missing the comforts of Western-sized portions, stop by these restaurants. The prices are obviously a lot higher than what you would pay at home, but it is worth it if you want a burger and fries with no fuss (or octopus added).
Tiki Tiki Hawaiian Restaurant: A Hawaiian-themed restaurant, this is a good place to go if you want a fun atmosphere for your dinner. They have "Hawaiian" dancers who perform 4 times a night and offer some tasty treats and drinks. To get to Tiki Tiki, walk past the More's building, go over the bridge, and it's on your left-hand side, down a set of stairs.
For some more restaurants, check out these links, or just explore around Yokohama! Bon Appetit!
Yokohama Station area information and map
Yokohama Restaurant Guide