If its name didn't give it away already, Good Honest Grub is a restaurant unlike any other in Tokyo.
It's one part soul food, making you feel as if your own mother was cooking your favorite meal. It's one part artistic cuisine, with creative dishes and high-end food presentation. And it's yet another part health- and enviro- conscious.
Located between Shibuya and Ebisu Stations, Good Honest Grub serves food that many Westerners have longed for ever since arriving in Japan. Hard-to-find favorites like vegetable lasagna, roasted turkey, and a Mexican bean wrap grace the menu, along with a rotating list of daily specials written up on the chalkboard. What's good here? Everything.
And even though you may feel like you're splurging on all the home-cooked goodness, the food couldn't be healthier. The owners of Good Honest Grub have their own farm at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, and raise their own produce naturally and organically. The vegetables are shipped to the restaurant daily. Don't believe it? You can see wooden crates of freshly dug veggies near the cash register, just waiting to be cut up and served in your juice, salad, on top of your pasta, or in your carrot cake. For a real treat, try the shakes and smoothies.
Lunchtime (11:30-15:00) welcomes walk-in customers, and features a meal fit for a king. Served with vegetable soup, dessert, and coffee or tea, it won't leave you wanting for more. Get there quickly, though - seating is somewhat limited. Dinnertime (18:00-22:30) requires a reservation. They also serve an excellent brunch on weekends (10:30-16:30) (reservation also required) and national holidays, serving favorites like eggs benedict and frittatas.
The restaurant is built into a house on a residential street, giving the feel of eating in a true farmhouse. The tables and booths are comfy, with plenty of natural sunlight coming in. It all adds up to an experience of eating a truly home cooked meal.
It's also a very English-friendly experience. Owner Don Foley comes from Canada, and has done a good job of keeping the restaurant foreigner-friendly since it opened in 1999. Much of their website is in English, and many of the staff members speak really good English also.
To serve Tokyo's foreign community, Good Honest Grub has special meals to ease their homesickness. Whether you're looking for something special on Christmas, or a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving, GHG is there. They also host as well as cater large parties.
Good Honest Grub is almost exactly in the middle of Ebisu and Shibuya Stations, and is about a 12 minute walk from each. Ebisu can be accessed from the JR Yamanote, Shonan-Shinjuku, and Saikyo Lines, as well as the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. You can get to Shibuya via the JR Yamanote, Shonan-Shinjuku and Saikyo Lines, the Tokyo Metro Ginza, Fukutoshin and Hanzomon Lines, as well as the Tokyu Toyoko Line, the Tokyu Den-en-Toshi Line, and the Keio Inokashira Line.
