Gems Kanda: The Newest Gourmet Complex in Town

Ladies, let's get down to business: we're talking about food in this post — more precisely, nine floors of exquisite eateries gathered together in a new stylish restaurant complex in the heart of Tokyo, just steps away from Kanda station. Whether you're looking for a cozy, romantic outing, a family event with the kids or a bar to taste 20 different kinds of sangria — Gems Kanda is your next stop.

Opened on July 5 as the fourth installment in the Gems series run by giant Nomura Real Estate, the new Kanda complex features nine restaurants: from an A-class yakiniku (or Korean-style grilled meat) joint to an Italian bar, Tohoku seafood to a Western-style soba diner to a quiet wine bar. Perfectly suited to the area — a business town mixed with plenty of traditional atmosphere — this gourmet tower, with its wide glass windows on the exterior and classy to hipster (-ish) interior, offers a sophisticated blend of cuisine and décor.

Starting from the top floor, Gems Kanda features the following restaurants:

8F Shoutaian

This classic Japanese-style yakiniku restaurant offers A5-class wagyu, a top-quality, certified domestic beef with a taste that can only be described as “heavenly.” Also on the menu is the restaurant’s unique raw beef sushi, “drinkable hamburg” (read: it’s that fresh that it nearly melts in your mouth), and the “hanasaki” BBQ, which is presented to you in the shape of a blossoming flower. For dessert, try the unique green tea pudding, a bitter-sweet treat accompanied with brown sugar syrup and gold petals, a matcha pudding like no other.

Average Cost: ¥8,000 (dinner), ¥1,400 (lunch)
Perfect for: A special occasion

7F Akasaka Umaya Kanda

This Kyushu-style cuisine diner offers everything from black pork shabu shabu to gakuyameshi — an imitation of the traditional obento delivered to kabuki actors in their rooms prior to performances. Even the staff are Kyushu natives, so if you enjoy this area of Japan, you should pay a visit.

Average Cost: ¥4,500 (dinner), ¥1,000 (lunch)
Perfect for: Gastronomes looking for rare nibbles

6F Gardens

A finely decorated, spacious and bright restaurant boasting not only massive oysters, but also extremely friendly staff who will chat with you as if you were sipping a cup of coffee in their living room. The main treats on the menu are seafood—freshly delivered from the Sanriku area in Tohoku—samples of which greet you as soon as you set foot in the restaurant. Surprisingly, the music is Western, but who wouldn’t enjoying some seafood over a bottle of red or a bottle of white (or whatever kind of mood you’re in that night… ).

Average Cost: ¥4,500 (dinner), ¥950 (lunch)
Perfect for: Oyster and fresh seafood foodies on a casual mid-week rendez-vous

5F  Kuzushi Teppan Abagura

Another high-class, hot-plate barbecue restaurant offering an intimate counter seat experience, face-to-face with the cooks—and their perfected techniques.

Average Cost: ¥6,000 (dinner), ¥1,300 (lunch)
Perfect for: Quiet date with your significant carnivore other

4F  Italian Bar 2538

The venue 2538, pronounced “nikomiya,” (nikomi for stew and ya for store), serves casual Italian cuisine, but — wait for it —  also offers 20 different kinds of sangria, from fruity to bitter and everything in between. The restaurant’s specialty is a red wine beef stew that is so soft you could enjoy it with a spoon.  

Average Cost: ¥3,500 (dinner), ¥1,000 (lunch)
Perfect for: Outing with friends or a casual date with someone who appreciates good wine

3F Soba Hashian

Perhaps the image most of us have of soba restaurants is a traditional old Japanese house with tatami mats well-used wooden counters, but this place turns it all around with a Western-inspired bright and spacious interior that almost make you forget you’re about traditional noodles. Additionaly, a Japanese sake sommelier is waiting for your visit to serve you some traditional old booze, as well.

Average Cost: ¥4,000 (dinner), ¥1,000 (lunch)
Perfect for: A modern taste of a traditional cuisine

2F JB Kanda

A French bistro with a Japanese touch, this cozy venue offers various delicious nibbles, from meat and seafood to unique desserts and drinks. Enjoy the tachinomi, or standing bar, at the entrance of the restaurant if you’re a smoker (or drinker) who wants to have a private, casual chat.

Average Cost: ¥4,000 (dinner), ¥1,000 (lunch)
Perfect for: A casual night out with friends and good drinks

1F Wine Bar Hachijuro

A reasonably priced Spanish-inspired wine bar with authentic cuisine such as sausages and broiled beef. If you’re a wine lover, you’ll appreciate its authenticity — everything is about it is as real as it can get.

Average Cost: ¥3,500 (dinner), ¥1,000 (lunch)
Perfect for: Date or friends outing with much wine

B1F Bar Jozo-ya

Unlike most other restaurants in the complex, Jozo-ya is a quiet and relaxed bar offering Japanese seafood and various dishes made of rice from Niigata.

Average Cost: ¥3,800 (dinner), ¥950 (lunch)
Perfect for: Afterwork party with colleagues or a meeting with old friends

The Deets:

Gems Kanda

Address: 1-9-19 Kaji-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Open: Daily, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. (Hours may vary depending on the restaurants)