Japan has a fantastic reputation for food, with a large number of regional cuisines and traditional dishes that constantly surprise visitors, and Tokyo is at its heart.
From fine-dining to budget pub food, there is delicious food to be found in Tokyo to suit all budgets. From noodles to sushi and yakitori to tempura, and from international fusion cuisines to lesser-known regional dishes, to eat and drink in Tokyo is to experience thousands of years of Japanese history.
Fresh sashimi and sake at Sushizanmai in Koenji
With so much to eat, drink and do, it’s no wonder that Tokyo has the most Michelin-starred restaurants on earth, with 230 restaurants at the time of writing. However, eating in Tokyo doesn’t need to be expensive and in fact it is often considerably cheaper than in Europe if you look around. Here’s where you should be going.
Eat
The first thing we crave when we’re back in Japan is gyoza and we thoroughly recommend Maruyama Gyoza in Koenji to get your gyoza fix. In fact, Koenji is full of fantastic restaurants and izakaya, with Agemonya being a great place to try tonkatsu (deep fried breaded pork) and Tensuke being among the best places to eat in the city with its artistic approach to tempura.
Tensuke's famous tempura egg
Maruyama Gyoza
If you want a cheap yet tasty meal, try eating at on of the many Coco Ichibanya restaurants in the city for a Japanese curry that you can customise to your heart’s content. With gluten free, allergy-friendly and low carb options, as well as a menu in many languages, this is a popular spot that’s perfect for those with dietary requirements.
Coco Ichibanya with natto
Another good low carb spot, and a good place for ramen in general, is Afuri. This highly popular Tokyo chain is a delicious place to try ramen and they also offer konjaku noodles for those looking to eat low carb. Even if you don’t eat low carb, this is still incredible, although the city has many other carby ramen choices.
Afuri ramen
Tokyo is full of independent restaurants but also many chains, which are still of good quality and often cheaper. One good example of this is Sushizanmai, which has quite a few locations throughout Tokyo. This is delicious sushi made fresh right in front of you without the need to break the bank in the way that going to more upmarket sushi places would do. Sushi needn’t be an expensive affair and although the expensive stuff is very good, it actually started as a working-class snack.
Steak at Kaminari
Other good chains are Kaminari for steak and horse sashimi (a local specialty) and Torikizoku (a chain izakaya where everything is 280 yen), although we recommend exploring izakaya in places like Koenji (of which there are many) to get more of a sense of a traditional izakaya experience.
Fish burger at Deli Fu Cious
Another restaurant we enjoyed was Deli Fu Cious, with their focus on fish burgers, while we also recommend checking out chankonabe (sumo stew) and shabu shabu places and yakiniku places to while away an evening. Keep an eye out for street food at festivals too as these are a great opportunity to try Japanese classics at a cheap price.
Irie mamekan
With mains out of the way, you’ll want to explore traditional Japanese desserts. While they’re not for everyone and might not be to Western tastes, they are nonetheless interesting and the locations in which they’re served are often very relaxing. First, try mamekan at Irie, which is a mix of agar and peas, served with syrup and shiratama balls.
Kinozen matcha bavarois
Another traditional spot is Kinozen, where we thoroughly recommend the matcha bavarois with a side of green tea. Waguriya is another traditional favourite, although they’re particularly famous for their stunning Mont Blancs.
Daily Chico in Nakano
For the best ice cream in Tokyo, head for Daily Chico in Nakano, famous for their huge soft serve ice creams (you can order a normal sized ice cream too) in flavours including ramune, matcha and coffee. Koenji is another good area for low-priced desserts, like the cute Floresta Nature Donuts and the nearby melon pan shop.
Floresta Nature Donuts
Try to visit a traditional Japanese bakery if you can, with there being many in the city showing you an insight into an often-overlooked baking culture every bit as fascinating as those more focused on like those in Vienna and France. For a souvenir, head for Asakusa Amezaiku Ameshin and pick up an edible sugar sculpture, although you may prefer just to stare it at instead.
Asakusa Amezaiku Ameshin
Drink
There’s an old saying in Japan that Kyotoites buy clothes until they drop, Osakans eat until they drop and Tokyoites drink until they drop. Part of Tokyo’s great charm is walking through places in Shinjuku or Koenji and heading into a traditional izakaya for a beer, shochu or sake along with some pub food. We can’t really recommend a particular izakaya, part of the fun is just exploring and seeing what takes your fancy.
Whales of August cocktails
If you wanted something fancier, we strongly recommend Whales of August in Shibuya, which serves up a seemingly endless number of cocktails inspired by films. In fact, if you just say your favourite film to one of the bartenders, odds are they’ll know it and make you something based on it. Classy and a little nerdy, this place is perfect.
Other up-market bars include TY Harbor, situated right on the waterfront with a floating river lounge, this bar and restaurant is famed for its on-site brewed beers. This is a great place to unwind in the evening. Whisky fans should head for Zoetrope in Shinjuku, a pricey whisky bar with an unparalleled selection of Japanese whiskies.
Sake at Citraba
Shinjuku and Shibuya in general are popular areas for nightlife but our favourite is Koenji, with a wide range of bars, from cocktail bars to sake bars. Our personal favourite here is Japub, a sake bar with great service and atmosphere, while nearby Citraba is a great craft beer bar and Jam offers a good selection of reasonably priced cocktails. This area is also home to a large number of live music and karaoke bars.
Matcha at Nakajima no Ochaya
Tokyo is also a great city to explore Japan’s coffee and culture and to get to grips with traditional matcha. A good place to try matcha in a peaceful environment is Nakajima no Ochaya, situated on a lake in the middle of Hamarikyu Gardens. This is an oasis of green calm surrounded by envious skyrise buildings looking on.
Café De L’Ambre
For those who prefer a coffee, consider visiting a kissaten. These are Japanese tea and coffee houses that began in the 1920s and still have a nostalgic atmosphere; these are places where people can relax or have a quick coffee like in an Italian café, with kissaten seeming to be a strange mix of Japanese and European influences. Nelken in Koenji is a good typical kissaten that we recommend. Café De L’Ambre in Ginza is also highly regarded, famed for producing some of the best coffee in Tokyo.
Coffee in Nelken
Visitors to Japan may also want to visit a cat or animal café. If you do, we recommend Cat Café Mocha in Akihabara and Harry Café (a hedgehog, otter and chinchilla café) in Harajuku.
Traditional festival with streetfood
Click here to read more about what to do in Tokyo.
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