The restaurant and cafe scene along Daigaku-dori and its side streets reflects the character of the neighbourhood: mostly independent, mostly small, with a customer base that skews toward students, academics, and local families rather than passing tourists. There are no major chain restaurants on the main boulevard itself — the mix runs toward Italian trattorias, small Japanese set-lunch spots, bakery-cafes, and a handful of well-regarded ramen and curry places tucked into the quieter cross-streets.
Lunch sets (teishoku or daily specials) are particularly good value at many of the sit-down places, typically including a main dish, rice or bread, soup, and a small dessert at a price noticeably below central Tokyo equivalents. The atmosphere at lunch is unhurried enough that it is easy to linger over a meal, which is not always the case in busier parts of the city.
For a light meal or snack, the independent bakeries on and just off Daigaku-dori are worth seeking out: several have been operating for decades and bake Japanese-style shokupan (milk bread) alongside more European-influenced pastries. Kunitachi's grocery options are also above average for a suburb of its size, with a couple of well-stocked local delis and a farmers' market held periodically in front of the station.