RAJA

RAJA occupies a compact, fully non-smoking café space in Sangubashi, the quiet residential pocket that sits between Yoyogi and Shinjuku on the Odakyu line. With 36 seats and a menu that keeps its scope deliberately narrow, the kitchen centres on what the shop itself describes as intensely spicy curry, paired with a house rice blend that combines Japanese short-grain, jasmine, and basmati in proportions calibrated to carry the sauce. For diners who prefer bread, South Indian-style parotta is the recommended alternative.

Chai is the drink the café is identified with most closely, available after a meal for a small additional charge. The broader drinks list covers coffee, café latte, lassi, wine, and orange juice, but the chai and the curry are the through-line that define what RAJA is. Scheduling requires attention.

The café does not maintain fixed weekly hours; opening days are announced irregularly through its Instagram account, and the restaurant resumed service in June 2025 after a period of closure. Visitors should verify the current schedule before making a trip, particularly anyone travelling from outside the immediate neighbourhood. That operating model suits the Sangubashi setting: the area attracts a local following rather than walk-in tourist traffic, and RAJA functions accordingly, as a destination for people who already know what they are coming for.