Pasta Bar MAKITA at Akihabara, Tokyo

Casual Italian b-bar in Suehiroicho famed for a two-day simmered meat sauce pasta and a 900-yen lunch set.

Pasta Bar MAKITA is a casual Italian bistro that opened in May 2012 in Sotokanda, a five-minute walk from Suehirocho Station and ten from Akihabara. Owner-chef Makita runs the kitchen with a clear obsession for the basics: the signature meat sauce is simmered for two full days and sold by the bowl or as takeaway sauce alone, earning the shop a Tabelog score around 3.50 - unusually high for a neighbourhood pasta joint. The dining room is small and counter-led, with a focus on at-home hospitality and big smiles from the chef. Lunch offers seven pasta choices plus a weekly special at 900 yen, with mini salad, drink or large portion as 100-yen add-ons. Dinner expands into pizza, risotto, homemade gnocchi, carpaccio and a la carte plates, with set upgrades that bundle salad and a drink for 500 yen. Basil is sourced from a contract farmer in Kumamoto - the Italian Classico variety grown in Genoa - and flown fresh to Tokyo, while fish comes direct from a Tsukiji wholesaler, and eggs are specially selected for richness and nutritional value. If you are after a no-fuss plate of truly committed pasta between rounds of the Electric Town, MAKITA is one of the safest bets in the district. Order the meat sauce, take a seat at the counter, and let the chef do what he does best.