I stayed in Shinjuku during my last two visits to Tokyo because:

• the hotels are a bit cheaper than Shibuya’s
• parts are grittier than Shibuya, which I like
• it’s a transportation hub and the convenience can’t be beat

If you’re like me, you’d try your hardest to stay out late to fight the dreaded jetlag.  After a night of bar hopping, you’ll need to eat something substantial to soak up the hard stuff.

On the flip side, despite your best efforts to catch some snooze, you might end up tossing and turning at 4AM and be hit with hunger pangs by 5AM.

Luckily in either situations, there are numerous restaurants that are open around the clock.  So whether you’re wide eyed and ready to explore or are in need of a snack with your night cap, Shibuya’s got you covered.

Below are some of my favourite bites at 24 hour and late night restaurants.  I didn’t provide specific names because it’s tough to explain how to find them amidst the maze.  My point here isn’t to go to a specific spot either.  Just explore, keep your eyes open, and go where it’s busiest.  There’s no wrong way to do it.

Kicking the morning off with sake at 6:30 AM. The (very intoxicated) guests behind me were just winding down their evening.

For breakfast, miso kani on yakiniku: crab shell loaded with crab roe, meat, and miso paste, grilled tableside. This was one of my best bites in Tokyo. I sure was glad to stumble in here than to hit up a Starbucks.

Ordered some vegetable skewers too for good measure

Here's a tiny yakitori restaurant with standing room only

A plate of unidentified chicken parts and ice cold beer. The room was completely filled with smoke, both billowing out from the charcoal yakitori grills and from the chain smokers.

We ordered the combo, and to the best of my memory, it comprised of chicken gizzard, hearts, liver and thigh. There were a few skewers that we couldn't figure out for the life of us. The language barrier proved to be too much. We just shut up, ate, and enjoyed each smoky, succulent bite.

For me, there's no better way to end a night than with a bowl of ramen. Ramen ordering machines are not uncommon. Pick your items, pay, and bring the receipt to your server.

And tada, a steamy bowl of ramen arrives at your table. This particular bowl had visible globs of chicken fat floating around in the broth. It definitely hit the spot.

Coming back from the train, you just might bump into a late night ramen and oden cart with fold up tables set up on the street.

Here, the owner fixed us a bowl of oden that's simmering in the broth. His son, standing behind him, served tables and did the dishes.

Our oden bowl, loaded with fried tofu, a medium-boiled egg, fish cakes, a sausage, daikon and a quintessential dab of karashi, a Japanese hot mustard

Next up, the owner started to cook up a few bowls of ramen

There's always room for more ramen and beer. It's not the most refined bowl but it did the trick. There's something special about eating on the streets of one of the busiest cities in the world that never sleeps.

Citrus (typically an orange slice) is essential to the Negroni, a classic Italian gin based cocktail.  Having fallen in love with Texas grapefruits, which are sweeter, juicier, and less fussy to eat than other grapefruits I’ve had, I incorporated it into the Negroni as an extra boost of sunshine.

Texas Grapefruit Negroni Cocktail

I tend to find that the Negroni lies on the sweeter end of my palate.  As much as the Campari’s bitterness cuts through it, I personally like a squeeze of acid for good measure.  In this case, grapefruit’s bright and floral zing and is the perfect accompaniment, especially on a hot afternoon on the patio.

Texas Grapefruit Negroni Cocktail

For the traditional Negroni recipe, simply omit the grapefruit juice.

We relied on the kindness of friends while we planned our trip to Tokyo. Having yet to meet Marc of NoRecipes.com while he lived in NYC, we made it a priority to share a meal in Tokyo where he now resides. He suggested that we meet at Chomoranma (ちょもらんま, which means Everest) near Ebisu JR Station – a ramen shop by day and izakaya by night.  As noodle fiends, we were psyched.

By that point, we’ve had many-a-bowls of ramen throughout Tokyo. When Marc asked whether we liked spicy food (because the Japanese generally resist it), we perked up and nodded. As it turned out, he brought us to this rebellious ramen join that serves up absurdly hot, pepper-laden Szechuan style noodles.

Chomoranma's busy kitchen

Not everything here was spicy, of course.  We sat down with a round of cold sake and Marc proceeded to order on our behalf.  Fortunately, we arrived before the lunch rush so the food reached our table quickly.

First up, we placated our hunger with some steamed gyozas.  The wrapping had the right thickness and pull and were loaded with ground pork and chives.  Served with a simple soy and chili oil, these babies did not last long on the plate.

Steamed gyozas to kick off our meal

Next up, a bowl of Dan Dan Men with minced pork, onions, and bean sprouts was placed before me.  Judging from the opacity of the broth alone, I knew this would be a fine bowl of noodles.  When I slurped the creamy soup up with some noodles, I was pleased to discover that the noodles were the toothsome, Chinese hand-cut kind.  It was a refreshing change from the yellow kansui ramen noodles that we were becoming a tad weary of (I know, boohoo).  The broth was rich with chicken essence, nutty, and mildly spicy.  A clear winner.

Dan Dan Men with traditional hand-cut Chinese style noodles

Then came the star player, the ramen inferno.  After a few slurps, it was evident why there was constantly a line up out the door here during lunch hour.  The heat was a lingering heat that first hit the nasal cavity and slowly flooded the mouth.  It built up and began to singe ever so slowly, as if to lure us further into its grip with each bite.  It succeeded.

Crazy spicy Szechuan Ramen with all the fixings.

The more we ate, the hotter it got, but the more irresistible it became.  Not only was it additively spicy, the broth was remarkably complex with layers of spices and meaty flavours.  The sophisticated heat swirled around our mouth and rushed to our heads without burning our mouths to the point where we could no longer taste.  The kicker was we wanted to finish it before the noodles became soggy but the more we ate, the harder it became to finish.

Another look at super spicy Szechuan ramen - my face was on fire

At one point, I threw in the towel, passed the bowl over to my husband (who was also sitting in a pool of sweat) and knocked back another cold sake to quench the fire.  While he endeavored dauntlessly, Marc and I caught up on life, travels, and the like.  Admittedly, I was a tinge envious of his adventurous new life in Japan.

Lunch patrons at the busy little spot

Thinking back now, I would do anything for another bowl of this habit forming noodle.  Thanks, Marc, for testing our breaking point and introducing us to something we wouldn’t have been able to find in Toyko ourselves.  Until next time, my friend.

ちょもらんま

Read more about our honeymoon in Asia.

If you see something I made that you like, feel free to ask me for the recipe.  Happy Friday!

Waffle fries poutine from Franks in Austin

Angel food cake with homemade matcha ice cream and brandy strawberries at home

Creamy tofu pesto pasta at home

Sticky buns drenched in glaze at Olivia

Roasted corn soup with bacon and serrano peppers at home

Pork belly and root vegetables sous vide on creamy polenta at home

Porcetta with pickled tomatillo at Contigo

Pimms cocktail with homemade ginger iced tea at home

Ika nigiri at Komé Sushi Kitchen

Fresh red fish en papillote at home

German plate at Easy Tiger

Prosciutto and crab meat eggs benedict by my friend @sickation

Soft egg sous vide on dashi rice with bonito at home

Jalapeno gin cucumber water cocktail with mint at home

Chicken pot pie with cheesy jalapeno corn bread muffin at home

Breakfast tacos at home

Banana bread pudding at Hattie's in Dallas

Beet salad at Barley Swine

Below are a couple mobile photos that I snapped of my personal favourite moments. 

To read my full recap and see a huge slideshow of photos, head over to my article on Serious Eats.

Austin Food & Wine Festival kicked off to a great start. Headed straight to the bar.

Easy Tiger cinnamon bun and Bloody Mary: breakfast of champions!

Watching Masaharu Morimoto make sashimi and sushi from whole fish from the side lines.

Eating Jack Allens' wild boar...'s face. Literally. The snout was fantastic.

Prawn head suckage! Actually, this was a fried prawn head that topped a delicious lettuce wrap by Jack Allens and Barley Swine at the VIP tent.

Until next time, F&W and thanks for a rockin’ good time!