Lines, Braved
My education on lines for restaurants and coffee shops in Tokyo continued this week. I learned the Japanese word for long lines of people waiting for something: gyoretsu (行列), that learning about queuing etiquette starts for most Japanese when they are a toddler, and that long lines often signify that the item or service is of exceptional quality and worth waiting for. Patience is important because many establishments have seating for or the ability to serve only a handful of guests at one time.
So this weekend I returned to three places I’ve tried to visit over the past week but didn’t because of the long lines, and each one resulted in a product that was worth the wait in my opinion. And, along the way, I couldn’t help but be particularly aware of lines around almost every corner as I walked through streets of various Tokyo neighborhoods.
I first queued up at Cloud Club Matcha to wait for what a colleague described as among the best matcha lattes in Tokyo. When I arrived at 10:45a, there were 17 people ahead of me in line. I was directed inside by a staff member to place my order about 30 minutes later. Inside, the staff carefully measured a few grams of first-harvest matcha, poured water heated to 78ºC over the vibrant green powder, and methodically whisked away until it was a thick consistency and ready to be poured over chilled milk for me to then stir it in and enjoy.
I also returned to Bongen Coffee to experience their coffee artistry in what has been described as a serene environment with the vitality of Bonsai trees. I waited in line for approximately 20 minutes before I placed my order, and then it was another 15 minutes before my order was ready. I tried one of their Japanese lattes—one with roasted green tea and a shot of Panama Geisha espresso. It, too, was worth the wait, including the ability to watch the drinks being prepared with such care.
Finally, I decided I would queue for tonkatsu served over lightly scrambled eggs at Marushichi. A colleague recommended this as incredible tonkatsu, and when I tried to eat here last weekend, I was turned away because the restaurant only seats six people, does not take reservations, and already had the maximum number of people in line to be able to serve them all before the restaurant closed. I walked by the restaurant at 9:30a when the restaurant opens for lunch at 11:00a, and a few people were already queued up. Even though it was a snowy morning, I was bundled up and decided to join the queue so I could be among the first six people to sit inside when the restaurant opened. I passed the time by listening to a couple of podcasts. Would I wait 90 minutes again in the snow for this tonkatsu? Probably not. Was it delicious? Yes. Definitely the best tonkatsu I’ve ever had in Tokyo. And the fresh wasabi sauce to place on top helped to cut through the richness of the pork. I’m really glad I tried it.
Tokyo, unhurried.
