BAMII

Eat and Listen to Tunes to Your Heart’s Content
[updated August 2022]

Koenji is full of record stores and music cafes but no one could beat Bamii Asian Cuisine on the number of records in the selection offered. The dining area is surrounded by over 10,000 records featuring 60’s Rock music, Jazz, R’n’B and a wide variety of Asian folk music as well, all which can be played upon request. When entering the café on the 2nd floor you will be hit with nostalgia– the whole room is filled with old records and the walls covered of pictures of their favorite customers from the past. The retro cozy atmosphere accompanied by nostalgic melodies is one of the appeals of Bamii, not to mention the delicious Asian cuisine!

Bamii serves mainly Thai and Vietnamese food such as green and red curry (680/ 780 yen) and shrimp spring rolls (480 yen), although some other Southeast Asian favorites like nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice, 680 yen) or mohinga (rice noodle and fish soup from Myanmar, 880 yen) and more are also on the menu. Run by a friendly couple, although they only speak Japanese, they will make you feel at home. Part of the charm of this place is the owners who have been serving Koenji for decades, and know how so much about the music culture here. While the food is not vegetarian, they are used to making vegetarian food for some of their foreign customers, so if you don’t eat meat just let them know. Although there are many Asian restaurants that can be found in Tokyo and Koenji alone, there are none better than Bamii as a place to enjoy Asian tastes and reminisce about the past generations, which has always been Koenji’s appeal in Tokyo.

Be sure to check out our interview with the knowledgeable owners about Koenji’s music history in our article/video, “Tokyo’s Music Mecca”.

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Writer: Elvira
Photographer: A. Kayamoto