01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
When a hearty appetite calls for fresh steamed rice at midday, the highlight at Nanaaji in Nerima's Shimo-shakujii neighborhood is the two-dish lunch set available exclusively at noon. Diners can select any two mains from an unpretentious lineup that includes pork ginger, chicken katsu, stir-fried pork and vegetables, garlic chives with egg, mapo tofu, and grilled fish, making it easy to pair meat with seafood or crisp fried items with a quick stir-fry to match your mood. Dishes like the classic pork belly and onion simmered in sweet ginger sauce, tender Chinese chive eggs, and rich miso eggplant are made to order rather than prepared in advance. With free large rice portions during lunch hours, it provides dependable fuel for a workday meal.
Beyond the midday combos, the kitchen maintains an extensive regular selection of set meals and donburi. Grilled fish options feature lightly salted mackerel, Saikyo miso-marinated salmon or black cod, and butterflied alfonsino, with a popular combination set providing both salted mackerel and pork ginger on a single tray. Fried items range from crispy chicken katsu and pork loin cutlets to katsutoji (pork cutlet simmered in sweet dashi broth with egg) and deep-fried prawns finished the same way, while chicken nanban with tartar sauce remains another mainstay. Rounding out the bill of fare are moist fried rice flecked with chashu pork and scallions, twice-cooked pork bowls, and Cajun bowls.
The compact dining room centers on counter seats, maintaining a quiet, relaxed atmosphere that welcomes solo diners. Because the owner handles everything from cooking to table service alone, visiting with a bit of extra time during peak lunch rushes makes for the best experience. Take note that payment is cash only, so having yen ready beforehand is advised.
