Waseda WeeklyWaseda Weekly

Waseda no Kodawariya is located along Grandzaka Street, just outside Waseda University Central Library and the north gate of Waseda Campus. There are over 40 types of freshly made bento boxes that are cheap, fast, delicious, and filling. They cover every genre of Japanese, Western, and Chinese food, from the daily menu to seaweed, fried chicken, cutlet, curry rice bowls, and Chinese rice bowls.

Waseda Weekly reporter Shiori Kato (4th year, School of Humanities and Social Sciences), who will be reporting on the store this time, says she often stops by Kodawariya when studying at Central Library.

The freshly fried, delicious cutlet bento is apparently popular with the international students at the Waseda University Center for International Education located in front of the store. The colorful "shrimp cutlet" is a dish where the batter and shrimp meat go well with the rich homemade aurora sauce.

[Daily special (Fried chicken)]

The lunch-only "Daily" menu is also popular, and the menu changes throughout the month with pork, chicken, omelet rice, fried rice, and more, so you won't get bored even if you eat it every day. The bento box, packed tightly in a large container, is richly seasoned and voluminous, making it perfect for when you want to eat a hearty meal.

Aiming to become a bento shop that feels like a "spiritual home" for Waseda students

The owner, Shuji Takagi, took over the bento shop that was originally located here in 2000. He says that the exterior and interior of the shop have remained almost the same since then, but he has gradually evolved the menu in response to feedback from customers and past Waseda students who worked part-time there.

Many customers are students studying at the library and working adults, and at lunchtime there is a line of Waseda students, faculty and staff, and people working in the neighborhood, and sometimes everything is sold out before the evening.

Located on the same Grandzaka street as Waseda no Kodawariya, Kitchen Miki is a Western-style restaurant with an eye-catching brick exterior that was founded in 1963. In this small restaurant with table and counter seats, there are over 14 different menu items, including the Miki Lunch, hamburger steak, cutlet, and ginger grilled meat, most of which are 550 yen.

The freshly cooked dishes served in the kitchen right in front of you have a home-cooked taste that reflects the kindness of the owner, and will satisfy both your stomach and your heart. Almost all of the menu items are available for takeout.

The most popular menu item ordered by customers is the specialty "Miki Lunch." The main dish is minced meat cutlet and chicken cutlet covered in a rich sauce, with a little curry on the rice. It's a very filling and great value menu. Although it's called "lunch," it can be ordered all day.

[Cheese hamburger]

The second most popular item is the "Cheese Hamburger". This is a service menu item with cheese on top of the "Hamburger (550 yen)" for the price. The handmade hamburger is topped with cheese and homemade demi-glace sauce, giving it a rich flavor.

90% of the customers are students, and many menu items are created in collaboration with students

Yasuyuki Yamauchi is the second-generation owner who took over the restaurant founded by his mother 30 years ago. When the restaurant first opened, the menu consisted only of hamburger steaks, but he gradually expanded the menu through conversations with customers and student part-timers.

"90% of our customers are students, and all of our part-time workers are Waseda students. Our shop wouldn't exist without part-time workers," says Yamauchi. Menus hand-drawn by student part-timers are displayed inside the shop, and there's also the surprising story of how an event held last year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the shop's founding brought together 60 alumni who had worked part-time at the shop. This shop can truly be described as a supporter of students, having grown alongside Waseda University.

Uni.Shop & Café125 (hereafter referred to as "Unicafe") is a shop selling official Waseda University goods that has been open since 2002 near Okuma Auditorium. Its appeal lies in its spacious design with an open deck and its excellent location surrounded by greenery.

In addition to a menu of over 80 types of drinks, the store offers a wide variety of menu items, including light meals such as bagel sandwiches and daily lunch specials, as well as homemade baked goods such as chocolate gateau and chocolate scones. We recommend taking out food on a sunny day and enjoying your lunch in front of Okuma Garden or on a bench on the university campus.

One of the signature dishes since the store's founding is the bagel sandwich. The classic "Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese" is an addictive combination of a thick bagel, smooth cream cheese, and salmon. There are also four other types to choose from, including "Roast Beef & Potato Puree," "Prosciutto & Cheese," and "Blueberry & Cream Cheese."

[Hashed beef]

There are about eight different daily lunch dishes, and the most popular one all year round is the "Hashed Beef." This dish allows you to enjoy the harmony of the savory flavor of beef, the sweetness of onions, and the rich demi-glace sauce when mixed with rice.

Customers of all ages and nationalities. A beloved place of relaxation for over 20 years

According to manager Sachiko Ogawa, who has worked at Unicafe for over 20 years, customers are not only Waseda University students and faculty, but also many local residents and tourists, and are of various nationalities and ages. It is a beloved place where a diverse range of people can interact.