Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu is a creative Japanese restaurant known for being the model for a scene in the movie "Kill Bill." It is located right next to the Nishiazabu intersection, and can be said to be a symbol of the Nishiazabu intersection. Not only Japanese people but also many foreign tourists visit the store, and it is often not possible to enter the store without a reservation. In this article, we will explore the secret behind the popularity of Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu.
“Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu” is a Japanese izakaya that is popular both domestically and internationally
Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu is a creative Japanese restaurant located a 10-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Roppongi Station, Nogizaka Station, and Hiroo Station. It is a popular restaurant that is visited by not only Japanese people but also many foreign tourists, and is busy both day and night.
It is even more famous for the meeting between former President George W. Bush and former Prime Minister Koizumi in 2002, and for director Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill", where a set was built in Hollywood based on "Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu".
The owner is also very particular about the name of the restaurant, "Gonpachi". Gonpachi comes from 'Gonpachi Shirai', the main character who appears in Kabuki, which represents traditional Japanese culture. Gonpachi Shirai is depicted as a passionate person who faces various hardships in life in order to realize his dreams. The name of the store is "Gonpachi", which is a combination of Gonpachi's life style and the store.
Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu's unique exterior and store space fully embodying the Japanese character
The first reason that attracts not only Japanese people but also many foreigners is its atmosphere. The exterior has a stately structure that resembles a sake brewery with white walls. Especially at night, when it's lit up, it creates a magical atmosphere that doesn't seem like a restaurant. There is a cherry tree planted on the premises, and it is known for its cherry blossom viewing in the spring and the beautiful autumn leaves in the fall.
When you step inside the store, you will be surprised by the open space that you cannot imagine from the outside. The first and second floors are atriums, with an open kitchen in the center and counter seats surrounding it.
The pillars and other parts are made from old wood from old folk houses, and the interior of the restaurant is filled with the warm atmosphere of wood.
The open kitchen serves charcoal-grilled dishes such as yakitori. If you sit at the counter, you can watch the food being cooked over charcoal from close range. From the seats on the second floor, you can enjoy your meal overlooking the open kitchen.
It's open until 3:30 a.m., so you can eat without worrying about the time, which is why it's so popular.
There are 260 seats, including counter seats, table seats, and private rooms. Large groups, including three-generation travelers, are of course welcome. There are chaise lounge seats, so if you have infants, please take advantage of them.
In addition, "SUSHI Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu" on the 3rd floor serves seasonal Edomae sushi. In addition to sitting at the counter where you can watch the sushi chefs making the sushi up close, you can also sit at a table, in a private room, or on the courtyard terrace.
Recommended menus at Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu that you should try if you go to the store
The menu is available in 5 languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. The restaurant always has staff who can speak English, and depending on the time of day, it may also have staff who can speak other languages, such as Chinese.
Single item menu
A popular menu among foreigners is the "Kuroge Wagyu Sirloin Steak" (4,290 yen including tax). This is a masterpiece with just the right amount of marbling, juicy and rich flavor.
“Shrimp Shinjoage (Yuzu Chili Sauce)” (396 yen each including tax) is also popular. Shinjoage is a dish made by steaming, boiling, or deep-frying minced shrimp, crab, or fish with a dashi soup stock. Here, the restaurant has added a twist to the dish by wrapping wontons in thinly sliced pieces and frying them. The secret to its popularity is that it is a voluminous dish that looks like a blooming flower, and is both visually pleasing and enjoyable. It comes with yuzu chili sauce, giving it an ethnic feel.
"Hand-knead Soba" (880 yen including tax) is carefully selected from regions and varieties suitable for the season. Every morning, soba artisans grind the noodles using a stone mill and hand-knead them. You can enjoy the unique taste and aroma of handmade products.
The restaurant also has a vegan menu and a halal menu. The vegan menu includes sushi with ingredients such as avocado, vinegared ginger, and okra, assorted grilled vegetable skewers, and assorted vegetable tempura. As for the halal menu, it offers the "Halal Shiretoko Beef Steak Course" (21,780 yen including tax). The main meal is a steak made from Halal-certified high-quality Shiretoko Wagyu beef, along with fried oysters, deep-fried shrimp with yuzu chili sauce, and oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl).
Course menu
The recommended course menu is the special course (10,450 yen including tax). Three types of carefully selected sashimi, fried shrimp (with yuzu chili sauce), three types of tempura (shrimp, conger eel, and vegetables), Japanese black beef sirloin steak, etc., and hand-knead soba noodles to finish. You can eat all the Japanese food you can with a full course meal.
Drinks & alcohol
Pay attention to the store's selection of alcohol, especially Japanese sake. In partnership with Hanaharu Sake Brewery in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, the restaurant offers Gonpachi's original sake "Komurasaki", which is a collaboration with the famous sake "Hanaharu", a dark-smelling junmai sake. In addition to Fukushima Prefecture, there is also "Nanbu Bijin Toku Junmai" from Iwate Prefecture, "Hakkaisan Junmai Daiginjo" from Niigata Prefecture, and "Dassai Junmai Daiginjo Polished 39%" from Yamaguchi Prefecture. It has a wide selection of representative sake from all over Japan.
There is a map of Japan on the menu, so you can choose your sake while looking at the map. In addition, Iwate Prefecture's "Nanbu Bijin Toku Junmai" is the world's first sake to receive vegan sake certification.
Always brush up on menu development! Enjoyable no matter how many times you go!
There are many unique menu items such as taro potato salad, octopus tempura takoyaki style, and pumpkin and coconut shiratama zenzai. Regarding the menu, the restaurant holds an in-house concept meeting once a month, with the participation of not only employees but also part-time workers on site. They discuss the menu to be offered, and only the menu selected at that meeting becomes the official menu. In addition to the seasonal menus, the restaurant is constantly updating its standard menu items, such as changing the origin of the buckwheat flour used for the standard soba noodles.
Advance reservations are required for Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu
Seats are almost always fully booked both during the day and at night, so if you have a fixed date and time, advance reservations are essential. Reservations can be made on the website (English available). If you suddenly want to visit without making a reservation, you may be able to enter easily between 3pm and 5pm, outside of lunch and dinner hours.
Spot Information
- Name: Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu
- Address: 1-13-11 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0031
- Access: 10 minutes walk from Tokyo Metro Roppongi Station, 10 minutes walk from Nogizaka Station, 10 minutes walk from Hiroo Station
- Business hours: 11:30~05:30 the next day (lunch ~15:00), last order for menu 04:00, drinks 05:00
- Regular holiday: No holidays
- Budget: 6,000 to 7,999 yen for dinner, 1,000 to 1,999 yen for lunch
- Credit card: Accepted/VISA, Master, JCB, AMEX, Diners Electronic money/QR code payment accepted
- Official site: https://gonpachi.jp/nishi-azabu/
- Reservation method: Homepage: https://yoyaku.toreta.in/gonpachi-nishiazabu/#/
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