Address - Shibuya 1-3-18, Villa Moderna. (directly across from Aoyama Park Tower) Opening hours -Tuesday to Sunday 1 pm to 11:00 pm, buffet on Fridays and Saturdays from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm Map - See Site Telephone - 3406-5597 Menu - In English and Japanese CC - Probably not.

Review updated on August 19, 2004

Some time ago a friend of mine* had an exhibition at the Pink Cow, so after a long period of absence (I had never even seen it in its new location) I made my way to the spot between Harajuku and Shubuya where it now is.
I don't like Harajuku and Shibuya and so try to stay away as much as I can, but love of art and friendship can convince me to do most unpleasant things.

Alas, The Pink Cow is still a good pub loaded with excellent beer and decent food but, betraying the weirdness expressed in its name and its logo (see their site), it no longer looks like a cubist painter's nightmare, it's easier on the eye and has become indistinguishable from any other Tokyo pub. If it's more professional looking, it has also entirely lost its old considerable charm. Too bad, because, as my old review makes clear, I liked a lot that old pink phone with green polka dots.

Food at the Pink Cow is good, but not enough to make it a must, so what remains is the beers, the company, and their numerous activities, in my opinion perhaps far too many to leave time for friendly talk and relaxation. This particularly because they include live music, a big minus in my book.

Perhaps this kind of pub is simply not my thing. In few words, if you like the Fiddler, What the Dickens, and places like that you also will like The Pink Cow: it's a good pub. If, like me, being forced to listen to music or poetry, watch paintings, or do anything else when all you want to have a beer in peace, go somewhere else.

* Mike Metteer. Click here for a couple of examples of his work.
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OLD REVIEW

by Allan Miles
One reads the name Pink Cow and wonders what sort of place it is, one enters and is still wondering what sort of place it is as it's not at all obvious. What it is is a very friendly cafe/wine bar with great home-cooking, the kind that is difficult to find in Tokyo. Friday and Saturday nights are buffet nights, all you can eat for 2500 yen: I was there for the buffet, and the food was hearty, delicious and excellent value. There were many dishes, predominantly vegetarian but there were also enough meat dishes and even some home made bread. Other nights are à la carte. There's good wine but I didn't find out about the rest of the drinks.There are a number of rooms offering different spaces to eat in and these are also avaliable for parties and functions. Well worth going to.

Frank's opinion follows. Please read also what Tom Boatman has to say: it's worth it.

Hi.
Around Christmas I went with some friends to Pink Cow and liked it a lot. As a matter of fact, I was surprised myself by the impact the place had on me and my friends, because the food is good, but by itself not enough to justify the strong impression it made on us. Having thought about it during the New Year's vacation, I think I know now why it was such a hit. Pink Cow is a place with something it wants to say, an experiment out of the 70', when many of the values of the 60' were trying to find ways to take root. A normal restaurant tries to divine what customers might like to attract as many of them as possible, disguising its true nature if necessary. Pink Cow's owner vice versa is expressing something important to her, she thinks she is different and she is confident people will like what she has to offer. Hence for example the name. I think.

Most things at PC are non-standard. Located in a well hidden internal court near in Harajuku, meters from the station, it used to be a large four-room apartment, and you enter from the garden, which by the way should be great next summer. With its trees and wooden chairs, it will have the atmosphere of a French cafe.
The interior has pretty much the same atmosphere of some Picasso Cubist paintings (I know I have used this phrase already, but it fits too well not to use it again): Checkers on the floor, green triangular tables, pink phone decorated with little green dots, semicircular sofas, and solid, primary colors everywhere make it not really easy on the eye, but one cannot deny that the final effect is stunning. There are several rooms and there decor is again interesting to say the least. Plenty of room, so reservations are probably not a must. PC wants to become a cultural center,
and besides hosting several kinds of event, for example art and experimental videos every Wednesday, it rents its rooms to those who need them.

I went on a weekend, and on weekends there's a buffet. Next to the trays there was a bookshelf full of recipe books: bookworm that I am, I took a peek even before looking at the food. Italian, Thai, Indian, Kosher, Balinese, traditional American recipes and, mirabile visu, "Cooking with a Microwave Oven", this last item clear evidence that, whatever else she might be, she is a versatile and adaptable thinker.

The food itself is simple stuff of the kind Mom used to make. The spectrum goes from vegetarian lentil curry or tofu casserole to sausages with fries, and the menu changes every week, so there should be something for everybody. That evening there were at least seven or eight different main dishes, all excellent, and four kinds of dessert. The fudges and the brownies in particular were wonderful, fattening, but wonderful. Damages? 2500 yen, a moderate sum for what was in many ways a special evening. How often does one have dinner at a restaurant laying down on a green leather couch? During the week the menu is very different, and offers bagels, three kinds of vegetable burgers, as many burritos and the like, plus ten whites and 15 reds from California, Chile and Australia for those who cannot do without wine.
Cheers
Frank