TOKYO 23
Sumatra Curry Kyoeido
A reference photograph conveying the mood of this area or theme. It does not show this venue. Jimbōchō Book Town 2025 02.jpg · Olaf2 · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Sumatra Curry Kyoeido

スマトラカレー 共栄堂  ·  Sumatra Curry Kyoeido

Ward
Chiyoda
Price
¥1,100~1,500
Hours
11:00-20:00 (L.O.19:45)
Closed
Sun, irregular
Getting there
1 min walk from Jimbocho Stn (A5 exit)
Founded
1924
Local tip
  • Founded 1924
  • The baked apple (¥700) is served October to May only
  • Basement floor, cash only
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Local Knowledge

Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors

There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.

The backstory
Founded 1924

Founded 1924. The black roux uses no wheat flour at all — over thirty roasted spices and vegetables alone give it body. It pours thin, yet tastes deep. The name comes from a Sumatran recipe adapted to Japanese palates.

How to order
The baked apple (¥700) is served October to May only

The baked apple (¥700) is served October to May only — and on weekdays not before 2pm, weekends from 11am. It rivals the curry in fame, but miss the window and you miss it.

Unwritten rule
Basement floor, cash only

Basement floor, cash only. All 42 seats are tables, so solo diners are never squeezed onto a counter. Sharing a table is standard at lunch peak.

What it is

Chiyoda is a ward where government offices meet the old-book quarter. Tables sit close enough to overhear every order. If you cannot decide, copying your neighbour is fastest. Seasonal items go up separately on the wall. They are day-only, so grab one if you see it. Arrive at opening and seating is no issue — though turnover is brisk, so lingering is hard. Keep the receipt — it makes the name easy to look up later, since many signs are kanji-only. The more times someone has been to Tokyo, the longer they tend to stay in places like this.

What to order

Why locals keep coming

Prices have barely moved in a decade, meaning the shop has absorbed much of the rise in ingredient costs. Turnover is fast — food arrives quickly and twenty minutes is enough from sitting to standing.