"Founded in 1953 by Takayasu Narimatsu and popular early on with U.S. military personnel and expats, this Shibuya hole-in-the-wall is credited as the birthplace of tarako spaghetti: hot, al dente pasta tossed with salted pollack roe, butter, a splash of soy sauce, and shredded nori. The dish reportedly evolved when an experimental caviar-topped spaghetti proved too costly, prompting the switch to affordable tarako; today it can be ordered plain or with additions like shimeji or matsutake mushrooms, green onions and whitefish, while a spicy mentaiko version uses chiles to kick up the roe’s heat." - Nina Li Coomes