Shinjuku is one of Japan’s landmark downtown city areas. Starting with Kabukichō, the area is home to a number of restaurants, amusement centers, and commercial facilities.
Bustling with people day and night, Shinjuku has earned a “city that never sleeps” moniker.
In this vibrant locale, a curry specialty store has been a long-standing favorite, growing along with the community: Mon Snack.
It’s said that the sleepless nature of Shinjuku is why Mon Snack is visited by so many customers every day, whether they be tourists or office workers.
Mon Snack’s popular katsu curry is a hearty dish!
Mon Snack was established in 1964.
Their curry roux is less thick than that of many other curries, and more like a soup, which is a special characteristic of the restaurant.
A soupy roux is a distinct trait of Mon Snack’s curry
The addition of fruit chutney gives the roux a non-spicy, fruity flavor, with a hint of tartness as another distinct feature.
It’s that flavor that can be enjoyed by all types of people which has made Mon Snack such a favorite in Shinjuku for years.
At the historic Mon Snack, one of the most popular dishes is “カツカレー,” Katsu Curry.
The key to this dish is the large, freshly fried pork cutlet! That’s some big cutlet!
“カツカレー,” Katsu Curry 1,000 JPY (tax included)
The freshly fried cutlets have a thin batter and crispy texture. One bite and you’ll feel the umami flavor spreading through your mouth.
There are also large chunks of pork in the curry roux, making it a very filling dish!
The curry roux is filled with large chunks of pork
The visual impact of the dish is enough to get you excited the moment it arrives at the counter.
An Umami bites editorial staff member recommends dipping just the katsu into the soupy curry roux as one way to enjoy the dish.
In Japan, katsu is typically served with a sauce you can pour on before eating.
However, the slightly tart roux of Mon Snack goes perfectly with the juiciness of the cutlet, giving it a different taste from that of the sauce.
We also recommend adding toppings!
Mon Snack offers curry dishes that are filling in their own right, but we recommend adding some toppings.
Some popular toppings are eggs and cheese. This time, we got the “チキンカレー,” Chicken Curry, which is curry served with chicken wings, for 750 JPY (tax included) and topped it with cheese for an additional 200 JPY (tax included).
“チキンカレー” Chicken Curry with cheese topping
The fruity roux undergoes a flavor transformation when cheese is added, making it easy to understand why it’s such a popular topping!
Creamy melted cheese
The free toppings available at the counter are also a must.
We recommend the 福神漬け fukujinzuke (sweet Japanese pickles), that really enhance the fruity flavor of the roux!
Pickled cucumbers (left) and sweet Japanese pickles (right)
Let’s try out something other than curry
“カレーバターライス,” or Curry Butter Rice, is a secretly popular dish at Mon Snack.
Originally, the restaurant served dry curry, but the time and effort required to fry the rice was seen as a drawback.
As a result, the restaurant came up with their Curry Butter Rice. The dish was invented to be served immediately upon ordering, particularly catering to the busy lunchtime crowds.
“カレーバターライス,” Curry Butter Rice 850 JPY (tax included)
Curry Butter Rice is a completely different dish from the curry items on the menu, but it’s just the same when it comes to its generous serving size.
The dish comes with two roasted chicken wings and a mini-salad served on the same plate.
The Curry Butter Rice also has quite a fun texture to work with as it has crunchy onion chips topping the curry-flavored rice.
The rice is filled with raisins and green peas, also offering a variety of textures, as well as sweet and sour flavors.
What’s the best time to go to Mon Snack?
Because of the large hotels in the vicinity of Mon Snack, it seems that the restaurant is frequented not only by office workers but also by tourists.
As a small restaurant with only 14 seats at the counter, it can get quite packed during lunch time, but between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. is relatively empty. So if you want to check out the restaurant without standing in line, this is the recommended time to go.
14 counter seats
To make an order, simply buy a ticket from the ticket machine and hand it to the waiter.
The ticket machine does not have English descriptions, but there are pictures of each menu item.
Even if you can’t read Japanese, you can check your order by looking at the picture next to it.
Menus with pictures are available in front of the restaurant and near the ticket vending machines.
Many people are so addicted to Mon Snack’s curry that once they try it, they become regulars and visit again and again.
If you’re confident in your appetite, it may be a good idea to place down a couple of orders!
Information
| Store name | モンスナック 新宿野村ビル店 Monsnack Shinjuku Nomura building |
|---|---|
| Address | Shinjuku Nomura Building B1F, 1-26-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
|
| Access |
Nishi-Shinjuku Station Short walk from Nishin Shinjuku Station Exit E7
Shinjuku Station（SJK）6-minute walk from West Exit of Shinjuku Station
|
| Phone number | 03-3346-3380 |
| Reservations | Not accepted |
| Payment |
|
| Service charge/Table charge | None |
| Hours | Mon-Fri. 11:00-21:30 (last order 21:00） Sat-Sun. & nat’l holidays 11:00-20:30 (last order 20:00） |
| Closed | No holidays excluding Shinjuku Nomura Building holidays |
| Seating | 14 counter seats |
| Smoking | All seats are non-smoking |
| Official website | https://www.monsnack.com/ |
| Other information |
|
※Menu contents, prices, store information, etc. are current as of October 2023.
