While close to Shibuya and Harajuku, the Yoyogi-Hachiman to Tomigaya area is known as a quiet residential area. Located in this sophisticated neighborhood, NEWPORT, offering high-quality food and music, is a beloved restaurant among locals.



Celebrating its 10th anniversary this April, the restaurant has recently undergone a fresh renovation and reopened. Originally, the restaurant's selling point was its menu centered around seasonal vegetables, but with this renewal, it has begun to specialize in vegetarian dishes. Although it is not a vegetarian option, they are particular about using organic vegetables for about 80% of the menu. This time, I ordered the popular lunch menu item, the falafel plate. The brightly colored vegetables are so fresh and high quality that you can see them at a glance. The fresh vegetables are served with hummus and other dishes sandwiched between soft pita bread. It is a healthy dish, yet surprisingly filling. If you add the perfectly grilled falafel, it is sure to satisfy even men.



The whole wheat pizza is topped with plenty of seasonal mushrooms, and you can enjoy the contrast in texture with the crispy crust. Unlike regular pizzas, it does not contain cheese, but is well seasoned with olive oil and other ingredients, making it another highly satisfying dish.



Wine is a must-have drink for the evening and into the night (or even during the day?). The restaurant has a wide selection of natural wines, which it has been selling since it opened. Savoring delicious food and wine while listening to quality background music is truly a blissful moment.

Another distinctive feature of NEWPORT is that the restaurant also has a DJ booth where familiar DJs and selectors play music every week. The omnidirectional speakers from the Japanese brand Sonihouse and the German brand Muziik speakers, which are popular with renowned musicians such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, produce a powerful yet warm sound that belies their compact appearance. Even during normal business hours, the store plays high-quality music, ranging from jazz to world music, indie rock, and movie soundtracks, mainly from records collected by the owner, Tsuruya, who originally worked in the music industry. Tsuruya personally created a playlist on Spotify based on the background music often played in the "NEWPORT" store. Be sure to check it out.







While listening to Tsurutani's story, regular customers continued to come into the store, bringing flowers to celebrate the reopening and catching up on each other's lives. This scene was truly the ideal example of a store with deep roots in the community. The flowers displayed inside the store were celebratory flowers from Eden Works Bedroom, a flower shop in the nearby Yoyogi Uehara area. Looking out at the lively street, Tsurutani recalled the time of the store's opening, saying, "Ten years ago, Yoyogi Hachiman wasn't as prosperous as it is now. It wasn't a place that outsiders would go out of their way to visit." NEWPORT has grown slowly but steadily along with the town, and tonight, once again, there will be smiles on many faces as they enjoy great music and warm food.