Isetan Shinjuku's basement food hall (B1 and B2) is the benchmark depachika in a city full of them — "depato" (department store) plus "chika" (underground). Two floors of counters sell Japan's best regional foods, confectionery, prepared dishes, sushi, grilled fish, and baked goods, each presented with the care of a jewellery display. The sweets floor alone has dozens of specialist counters, from century-old wagashi makers to imported European pâtisserie.
Go in the early evening, when prepared dishes are discounted before closing. Buy four or five things, find a bench in Shinjuku Gyoen or a nearby park, and have one of the best and cheapest meals in the city — this is how many Tokyoites eat on a weeknight. B1 has the savoury and prepared-food counters; B2 is mostly sweets and bakery.