For American expatriates, comfort food is often Mexican, and lack of good, spicy fare from south of the border is a chief complaint among many military personnel stationed in Japan.
Alternatives can be hard to find here, and they’re usually overpriced, not very good or both. A trip to a newly discovered taco emporium in Tokyo can include both hope and fear.
Mucho Modern Mexicano, a short walk from Tokyo Station, offers a decent Mexican-food experience, although portions are small — something that’s expected in Japan.
Some Americans might think, “I want large portions of Mexican food at dirt-cheap prices like back home.” That’s not realistic in Tokyo.
Mucho’s 1,000-yen (about $10) lunch set includes a salad, soup and a drink. Entree options range from enchiladas to chorizo, corn burritos and chicken fajitas.
On a recent weekday, I ordered the chorizo and corn burritos, while my companion ordered enchiladas. Everything was pretty good, and the soup and salad made the small portions easier to swallow.
The food tasted fresh, and it was good to receive a liberal dose of guacamole. There did seem to be an overabundance of tomatoes in the dishes, but I’ve encountered that before in Japan.
The restaurant was crowded during my visit, but no more so than other places in central Tokyo. The tables are spaced far enough apart to make it feel cozy rather than cramped. The clientele was mostly Japanese, but there were several foreigners as well.
Mucho’s decor includes some rather unique color schemes — pink, yellow, green and blue — perhaps trying to live up to the “modern” portion of its name.
I can’t speak to the nighttime dinner atmosphere, but I imagine things might get a bit more energetic because of the full bar. The restaurant is open until 4 a.m. on most nights, so it’s also an option for people who miss the last train home.
Overall, Mucho offers a tasty meal that’s not hard on the wallet and an alternative to the ramen-curry-cutlet fare that’s standard at many other lunchtime locations in the Japanese capital.
Mucho Modern Mexicano Location: 2F Tokyo (Tokia) Building, 2-7-3, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6402. Only a few minutes’ walk from Tokyo Station.
Prices: Lunch set is 1,000 yen; prices vary for other items.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday
Dress: Casual
Information: 03-5218-2791; English menu available