Good Town Doughnuts is located off of Cat Street in the Harajuku area. This homey shop sells not only donuts, but coffee and many other sweets and sandwiches as well. The outside view of the shop gives a very chill impression, and the use of lots of wood makes it feel super cozy and welcoming!
The owner of Good Town Doughnuts wanted to present a Brooklyn-esque feel to their establishment, which explains why it really doesn’t feel like a typical Japanese shop! Much of the décor, inside and out, was bought straight from the US, the staff tells us.

Good Town Doughnuts also has many original items for sale near the register and in the back of the store, so be sure to check those out while you stop by!

While Japanese sweets are certainly tasty, sometimes sinking your teeth into that familiar donut flavor hits the spot and just reminds you of home.

“But they’re just donuts!” some may be thinking, but that is most definitely not the case! Not only are these donuts the sweet, moist donuts just like you’d have in the U.S., they also come in a large variety of unique flavors for you to experience!
Good Town Doughnuts makes two to three hundred donuts each day, some of which are shipped to a sister store in Yoyogi Uehara. Their top four bestselling flavors are Classic Glazed, Smile Mango, Van Houten Chocolate Crunch, and Raspberry Pistachio.

Good Town Doughnuts has 15 types of donuts for you to choose from. We opted to try their Smile Mango, Raspberry Pistachio, California Strawberry Lemonade, and Uji Matcha donuts while we were there and were delighted! They really tasted just like they do back home!

Pizza Slice is known by many as the to-go pizza shop in Tokyo. Nestled in a quiet area between Shibuya and Daikanyama, if you see anyone else wandering around the area, it’s likely they’re also on their way to buy a slice!
Pizza Slice deals out New York-style servings that are big enough and quality enough that the American clientele always leave pleased. They serve many kinds of pizza each day: they have your classic cheese, a tasty Italian sausage, jalapeno, caramelized onion, a “daily slice” that changes every day, and more!

It’s always so hard to choose which slice to get while you’re at Pizza Slice, but we tried some flavors that we don’t normally see often in Japan: jalapeno and Italian sausage! After ordering your slice(s) of choice, the staff will heat it up and bring it to your table. After being warmed up it tastes just like it would straight out of the oven! We noticed immediately that the cheese on top doesn’t make the crust on the bottom mushy at all, making it the perfect pizza to eat with your hands.

Honestly, with its overall chill and relaxing atmosphere on top of how amazingly delicious and authentic the food is, we think this place could hold its own in the US and be extremely popular!

Okay, yes, we know this is a Mexican restaurant! But who hasn’t craved decent Mexican food since coming to Japan?! In places like the US, Mexican food can be found almost anywhere for a very reasonable price. This is why we were so excited to introduce Chiles Mexican Grill, which can be found in an easily accessible location: Harajuku! Chiles Mexican Grill rests along a small street right off of Takeshita-dori. Even though the Takeshita-dori area of Harajuku is one of the most traveled places in Tokyo, stepping into a backstreet will really thin the crowd!

The parents of owner Carlos Batres, originally from Mexico City, held a family-owned Mexican restaurant there which influenced him from a young age. In our short visit with Carlos, we could really feel the passion and love he has for his restaurant and sharing Mexican food with everyone! He explained the menu to us in detail so we knew exactly what we were ordering!

The lunch menu at Chiles Mexican Grill includes many favorites: tacos, quesadillas, burritos, fajitas, nachos, and more! You can choose what goes inside your meal as well, and there are vegetarian options to pick from as well! If it’s not too busy, they also don’t mind making something from the dinner menu during lunch time either if you’re craving something not listed on the lunch menu!
What more can you ask for? Chiles Mexican Grill provides delicious, affordable, and authentic Mexican food with great service in a prime area!

Known for their tasty sandwiches, coffee, and their all-day breakfast, Buy Me Stand is a great place to go for an American meal in the Shibuya area. They’re very well known for their grilled cheese, but we decided to try their breakfast plate and one of their original sandwiches “Apple Cheeks”, filled with pork, cheese, onions, and…you guessed it: apples!

The mixture of the textures and flavors of Apple Cheeks really went well together! The gooiness of the cheese with the satisfying crunchiness of the apple and toast were unique and delightful! The breakfast plate we had was full of flavor, filling and had everything that a good breakfast should! They also have other unique and popular sandwiches like "Blue Monday", which has beef, cheese, onion, and oranges on it! Most of their food is also available for takeout, making Buy Me Stand a great option for picnics, too.

Buy Me Stand is on the first and second floor of a building in Shibuya, with the second floor more of a community area or an overflow when the first floor gets a little busy. It’s easy to tell if you’re at the right place—if everything is turquoise, that’s how you know you’ve made it!

The Great Burger is located just down the street from Good Town Doughnuts and is also a sister store. The Great Burger serves burgers, an array of sandwiches, as well as hotdogs for you to enjoy!

As The Great Burger and Good Town Doughnuts are owned by the same person, much of the interior is brought from America. However, although these two restaurants may have the same owner, the overall atmosphere of them are totally different. While Good Town Doughnuts looks as if it would be seen in the streets of Brooklyn, The Great Burger looks like it belongs in southern California with its laid-back vibe!

The Great Burger’s menu offers cheese burgers, teriyaki burgers, avocado burgers, grilled chicken burgers, and more! Along with these, you can further enjoy the taste of America with some buffalo chicken wings, steak, salads, nachos, and more. These great sides along with some of their reasonably priced topping choices ensures you will enjoy your meal and create your perfect burger! The Great Burger is unarguably a prime restaurant to get your fix of tasty American-style food!

Whatever sort of food you’re missing from home, Tokyo is sure to have it somewhere. The list of great American restaurants could go on, but these are some of our top recommendations!


Written by Lindsey Schultz