A note on the words: spice curry is a Japanese style that grew out of Osaka in the 2000s, closer to a South Asian plate than to the thick brown curry served over rice elsewhere in Japan, and it usually arrives as several sauces poured around one island of rice. Achar is the oily South Asian pickle used here as a wall around the rice; kasoori methi is dried fenugreek leaf, the herb that gives the chicken curry its particular scent. Mentaiko is spicy cured pollack roe, and ume is the Japanese plum, cured until sharply sour. A lassi is the yogurt drink served with Indian food, and a highball is whisky with soda, the standard Japanese summer drink. Kokuho, mentioned in passing, is a film that was much talked about in Japan at the time of writing. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Spicy Curry House Ginza Hangetsu on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
This is Hangover Meshi. Ginza! On the way back from Kokuho, the film everyone is talking about at the moment, I thought I would have some curry, so: Spicy Curry House Ginza Hangetsu! This street has an extraordinary number of famous places and there are lines outside all of them. Hangetsu was no exception, with a handful of people already in the line, but I had come all this way so I decided to wait a bit. Well — it is hot, so a parasol is absolutely required! In full sun it makes all the difference. After a while my turn finally came. Curry places turn over quickly, but even so it may have been twenty to thirty minutes.
You buy a ticket from the machine, then sit down!
Two-curry plate, 1,400 yen (1,200 yen on weekdays)
Chicken curry, 1,300 yen (1,100 yen on weekdays)
Curry of the day, 1,300 yen (1,100 yen on weekdays)
Special three-curry plate, 1,800 yen
The curries are the standard chicken curry and the curry of the day, and the special three-curry plate adds one more on top.
That day the curry of the day was ume plum, okra and pork, and the special apparently added a cold mentaiko cream curry lol
Well then, obviously you go for the special three-curry plate! I chose it without hesitating.
First things first, I was thirsty! It was hot, so — a highball!!!
Cool down with that first, and wait for the curry!
Rice comes in small, medium and large: 200g, 250g and 300g. Small, of course!
Ohhhhh! That looks so good.
With the two-curry plate they apparently build the wall out of rice, but with three curries the wall is made of achar and everything is arranged neatly around an island of rice! It looks wonderful. Nearest is the standard chicken curry, top left the mentaiko cream, top right the ume plum, okra and pork.
The ume plum, okra and pork curry is generously loaded and delicious! The fresh, tart note of the plum does good work.
The mentaiko cream has something curry-like about it, but really it is mentaiko cream lol The mentaiko aroma is lovely. The chicken curry has the scent of kasoori methi, which gives it that spice-curry character lol Layer after layer of different spices tasting and smelling of different things — so good! It suits the turmeric rice as well. Then, as you work through it and start mixing the curries into one another, it grows more complicated still, which is fun. In the end I mixed everything, achar included. Getting this many different tastes off one plate is a real pleasure.
Two highballs at lunch felt a bit much, so I had the daily lassi instead.
That day it was honey and mixed berry. Sweet and good, though it really is quite sweet^^
And so, with plenty of people still waiting outside, I ate briskly and left. That spice curry was so good! I wonder if the Seibu-Shinjuku branch is the original. I thought I might go and try that one next time. Spice curry is perfect for a hot summer. A place I recommend wholeheartedly. You may have to line up a little, but do give it a go.
Spicy Curry House Ginza Hangetsu (Curry / Ginza Station, Hibiya Station, Yurakucho Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★★☆ 4.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
