"Taichi Hara and Yuichi Goto's Tomigaya bistro near Yoyogi Park draws queues for its Dutch pancake by day and quietly serious French plates at night."
Path opened in 2015 on a side street in Tomigaya, the low-key “deep Shibuya” pocket beside Yoyogi-Hachiman and a short walk from Yoyogi Park. Chef Taichi Hara, who cooked at the Michelin-starred L'Effervescence, runs the kitchen with patissier Yuichi Goto, and the pair built a single bright room that works as a daytime cafe and an evening bistro.
By day the signature is the Dutch pancake — an oven-baked, souffle-like pancake topped with raw ham, burrata and maple syrup, about JPY 1,500 and worth the half-hour wait. In the evening the room turns to modern French cooking with global touches, ordered a la carte; a dinner of a few plates and wine lands around JPY 6,000 to 9,000 a head.
Path keeps no formal dress code and famously eschews fuss, which is the point: a relaxed neighbourhood table where solo diners, couples and small groups all fit. Brunch is walk-in and often queued; dinner is better booked, and the wine list leans natural and French.
Path is the easy Tokyo answer for a low-key date or a celebratory brunch near Yoyogi Park: striking food, no stiffness, fair prices. See our Tokyo dining guide and the global best French restaurants.
Not for a formal, hushed fine-dining night or a guaranteed quick table — Path is a relaxed bistro-cafe where the famous Dutch pancake takes half an hour and brunch often means a queue.
Yes. Path is one of Tomigaya's most-loved bistros, run by chef Taichi Hara and patissier Yuichi Goto since 2015. Its Dutch pancake with raw ham and burrata (about JPY 1,500) is a Tokyo brunch landmark, and the evening French menu is quietly serious. Expect a queue at brunch.
Path is known for its Dutch pancake — an oven-baked, souffle-like pancake topped with raw ham, burrata and maple syrup — served at brunch for about JPY 1,500. At night it switches to modern French cooking from chef Taichi Hara, who trained at L'Effervescence.
Path is at 1-44-2 Tomigaya, Shibuya, near Yoyogi-Hachiman station and a short walk from Yoyogi Park. Brunch is walk-in and frequently queued, with the Dutch pancake taking about thirty minutes; dinner is a la carte and best reserved ahead.
The Dutch pancake at brunch is about JPY 1,500. At dinner the kitchen serves modern French a la carte, and a meal of a few plates with a glass or two of wine typically lands around JPY 6,000 to 9,000 per person, an accessible neighbourhood bistro rather than a special-occasion splurge.
Brunch is walk-in; book ahead for dinner
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Path is one of Tokyo's most-loved neighbourhood bistros. See where it sits among the best French kitchens worldwide.
Read the French guide →
