HOPPERS

The story

HOPPERS Tokyo: Modern Sri Lankan Dining with Bib Gourmand Recognition

HOPPERS: Modern Sri Lankan Cuisine in Tokyo

In Tokyo’s Kabutocho district, HOPPERS brings a fresh perspective to Sri Lankan cuisine. The restaurant, a project by the team behind Spice Cafe, describes itself as a “modern Sri Lankan” restaurant — one that serves the island’s increasingly celebrated food in a simple, minimal, and refined space.

The guiding theme is “Sri Lankan food for celebratory days.” At lunch, the focus is on rice and curry, the Sri Lankan equivalent of a set meal, alongside their signature hoppers. These are bowl-shaped, fermented rice-flour pancakes, crisp at the edges and soft in the center, served with an array of vegetable-heavy, gently spiced dishes. The cooking is home-style, built around fresh vegetables and designed to feel nourishing.

Dinner shifts to a more composed affair, centered on a course menu with wine pairings. Here, HOPPERS explores what it calls “new Sri Lankan cuisine,” pushing the boundaries of the tradition while staying rooted in its spice-driven logic. The restaurant’s approach is a direct inheritance from Spice Cafe, a Tokyo institution that has long championed progressive spice cooking.

This thoughtful, consistent work earned HOPPERS a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2026, a recognition for good quality, good value cooking. The award underscores what regulars already know: this is Sri Lankan food stripped of pretense, served with quiet confidence in a setting that lets the cooking speak for itself.