Muji Diner

Very nice interior, simple menu like the brand

I remember when the new flagship store for Muji opened in Ginza, Tokyo, the basement-floor Muji Diner was chaotic. A friend and I contemplated trying it out, took a brief look around, and left when we saw the queue and the chaos. A year or two later then and we tried again. Recently. Maybe the idea of Muji having a restaurant is no longer novelty enough, or maybe it's the situation with the coronavirus, but the diner was calm when we went - around lunchtime on a national holiday. What I like the most about Muji Diner is the interior and atmosphere. It's all warm, woody tones that make it feel like a cozy library. I think, even if you're dining solo, this is really a place where you could settle for a while (although at the time of visiting there was a one-hour limit as a virus prevention measure). Tables and booths are among the comfortable seating options. The menu at the time of visiting was simple, or limited, depending on your disposition. I think there were around 5 options for lunch, including fish, stir-fry, and curry. They were doing a wild game fair when I went, so I ate the deer curry. All dishes seemed to come with a side of salad, pickles and a drink - coffee, rooibos tea, among others. Dishes were around 1,200 yen. Not cheap, but well-balanced and worth the stretch for the location and interior. Service was smooth and polite. Pay your bill at the cash register when you're done. Worth a look even if you've no particular interest in the Muji brand, like me.