Natural in Shibuya

Name: Kahemi Cafe
Neighborhood: Shibuya
Style: Organic
Website: http://www.kahemicafe.com/

A few weeks ago my friend Gilles was in town, and since he's allergic to cigarette smoke we were hunting for a place that was mostly or entirely smoke-free. Alas, non-smoking restaurants are largely non-existant in Japan, but I figured that our best bet would be an organic restaurant, since while not technically non-smoking they don't tend to attract the heavy-partier crowd.

I found Kahemi Cafe through web search, and both the menu and pictures looked inviting so we made it our destination. It turns out to be very much as you'd guess from the pictures: a light, airy place with an open feel, despite being tucked away on the bottom floor of a building up the hill in Shibuya.

We started with an local organic beer they stocked I had never heard of before, and it was good if not enough to make me give up on Ushi-tora. The food was mostly the kinds of things you'd expect at a cafe (fried potato) supplemented with a fair range of entrees. Kahemi Cafe is organic but not especially vegetarian; meats were well-represented and most of the memorable dishes in fact came from the meat side of the menu.

It was also an easy place to hang out; we had a good conversation going and the staff was quite happy to let us jabber away (in the front table, no less). As I guessed going in, there were no smokers in the place at all the night we were there. Kahemi makes for a good option if you're looking for a nice hangout in Shibuya.