“The best mapo tofu in town,” says the window, dressed in condensation from the lunch rush’s steam. It’s a bold statement, surely heretical to some, but all dissenters are soon silenced by the heady rush of heat and fragrance that could only be produced by Kakan. You may know Kakan as a Kamakura-based mapo stalwart, but with its recently opened location steps away from Yoyogi Park, Kakan’s influence (and its blustering bowl of beancurd) is reaching new heights. Both the location and the meal at the Tomigaya outpost lend themselves to romance.  Few things are more enchanting than being seated in a cozy alleyway on a cold day and having your body enraptured by seemingly endless, numbing waves from the ground Sichuan peppercorns laced into your dish. For native New Yorkers with a perennial penchant for Chinese food during the holidays, this is a must-eat. 

$  

1-17-3 Tomigaya, Shibuya-ku 

5 min. walk from Yoyogi-koen Station  

@kakan_mapotofu