蓬莱 at Harajuku, Tokyo

Long-standing Sichuan Chinese kitchen near Omotesando since 1963, cooking with vegetable oil.

Aoyama Hourai is a Sichuan Chinese restaurant that has been serving the Omotesando area since 1963, now well past its sixth decade of operation. The kitchen cooks with vegetable oil rather than lard, offering a comparatively lighter take on classic Chinese fare, with a menu spanning noodle and rice dishes alongside full a la carte plates. Signature items include katayakisoba (crispy noodles with sauce), gyoza made with a distinctive thin-skin recipe, and five-treasure an-kake rice that has remained unchanged since opening. Lunch service offers generous, value-driven teishoku set meals that draw local workers and regulars, whilst dinner shifts to a more relaxed a la carte format. The dining room is unpretentious and welcoming, reflecting the restaurant's long role as a neighbourhood fixture. Cash is preferred at lunch, with credit cards accepted for dinner bills above a threshold, and the restaurant closes on Sundays. For a taste of old-school Sichuan cooking in a casual, friendly setting near Omotesando Station, Aoyama Hourai is a genuine local institution. Its decades of consistency and unchanged recipes make it a living piece of the neighbourhood's culinary history.