Images of neon-lit bar streets, serene temples, and clouds of cherry blossoms have long enticed travelers to Japan. But the last couple of years have seen the country’s popularity rise to unseen heights, with a record 37 million foreign tourists visiting in 2024. While last month we launched in Osaka (a culinary powerhouse in its own right) and have published dispatches from Kyoto, we’ve been writing about the best restaurants in Tokyo for a decade, watching the city evolve with each passing year. We know that, for all its allure, Tokyo can feel overwhelming to navigate, especially when it comes to food. Countless izakayas, sushi bars, noodle joints, and cafes are tucked into every corner – where do you even begin?
In a vast city where precision and perfection are the norm, you can’t really go wrong. But what if you want to go very, very right? That’s why we’ve combed through our years of favorites to bring you this guide to Tokyo’s essentials, highlighting the places we return to time and again for their consistency, quality, and sheer vibeyness. Whether you’re craving the chew of udon, that sizzle of yakitori, or are trying to understand how Tokyoites really feel about ramen, these are the spots you won’t want to miss.
Taniya Udon: Noodles With Bite
From a window on Ningyocho’s main street, a broad-faced Kazuyuki Tani is making udon, dancing as he works. His noodles are blissfully chewy and elastic, and the menu has all the classics, among more creative options as well. Aside from a comforting kare (Japanese curry) udon and rich beef niku udon, we always order the mentaiko-kama-bata: nested udon topped with a dollop of walleye pollack roe, a raw egg yolk, and a cube of butter. It’s creamy, salty and, frankly, addictive.
Kushiwakamaru: Izakaya, Hot Off the Grill
Yakitori shop Kushiwakamaru sits smack in the middle of hip Nakameguro. Everything is skewered and grilled over charcoal. Asparagus wrapped in bacon, scallion-topped eggplant, shitake mushrooms, and garlic cloves strung out like pearls. The moist, plump chicken wings proudly arrive alone. As do the hearty, raw vegetable salads. An English menu is on hand for foreign clients. Reserve or come early to get a seat since diners like to linger. Note, they still allow smoking, which adds to the throwback feel.
Hinatomaru: A Low-Key Standing Sushi Bar
While many are dreaming of Sukiyabashi Jiro, this standing sushi bar in Asakusa provides a lively dining experience that’s both casual and authentic. Opened in 2015 by the nearby conveyor belt sushi shop of the same name, Hinatomaru built their reputation as a top sushi restaurant in Tokyo on offering affordable, good quality toppings and fish. Especially tuna in all its varieties – from lean akami to luxurious ōtoro to flame-seared sushi. Regulars pack the cozy spot for staple sushi and specialties like zuniku, the rich tuna head meat, so expect a short wait.
Cafe Tsumugi: A Buddhist-inspired Breakfast
For some on an early morning food hunt, Tsukiji Station is a breakfast sushi stop. But those in the know might head for Cafe Tsumugi on the grounds of the imposing Tsukiji Hongwanji temple. Its lunch and tea are divine, but the main appeal lies in a somewhat extravagant 18-dish breakfast. While some dishes are based in traditional vegan Buddhist cuisine, there’s also delights like octopus salad in a tangy shio-koji dressing and juicy slices of duck with hints of sansho pepper.
Tonkatsu Hinata: Cutlet Craze
At this temple of tonkatsu, breaded, fried pork cutlets are the only thing on the menu. Savor a standard cutlet or fatty top rib cut with traditional cabbage, rice, and tangy house-made pickles. Olive oil and salt are the special condiments only found here. The pork’s provenance is equally unique: the pigs have a strict Chinese herbal medicine diet. “The pork doesn’t feel heavy when you eat it,” explains chef Yukichi Maenaka. Sit at the 14-seat counter to watch him fry the cutlets golden brown.
Menya Imamura: A Simple Ramen Shop
Tokya’s Tsuta became the first-ever ramen store to receive a Michelin star. Locals maintain, however, that the best ramen restaurant in Tokyo is rather found around the corner at Menya Imamura. The limited menu has only two types of ramen, both with a base broth of chicken and small dried sardines, and laden with thick, springy noodles. The shoyu version has a thicker broth, with punchy umami recalling memories of the sea; the other, shio (salt), is closer to a hearty chicken soup. Each bowl is a work of art.
Soba Kaiseki Gi: Making Soba Elegant
This sleek, pale-wooden Ebisu address looks like a classic Japanese restaurant. Yet, this soba spot invites you savor the 400-year-old noodles in a modern way. The menu hints at chef Yoshinobu Saito’s overseas influences, like his creamy Italian truffle soba with a soft-boiled egg. Dinner is a kaiseki, traditional multi-course dinner, in which buckwheat plays a starring role. Enjoy hot soba bread and cool buckwheat groat ice cream among seared tofu and dumplings stuffed with foie gras.
Ura Sablon: First Come, First Serve Noodles
This noodle nirvana is hidden behind the Sablon cake shop, the entrance between a green A/C unit and a yellow traffic cone. Owner Hiroshi Yamazaki makes just 20 portions of thick, chewy tsukemen noodles each day. Dunk them in his fragrant chicken, pork, and dried fish stock. We like adding char siu (BBQ pork) on top. It’s first come, first serve at this tiny, 4-seat, lunch spot – one of the things we love best about Tokyo restaurants. Come hungry for the 300-gram servings, and order the special dessert if you have room.
Tempura Mochiku: All About the Batter
Mochiku is a tiny 8-seater, counter-only tempura restaurant somewhere up a nondescript staircase in Ginza. It might sound like a thousand other places in Tokyo, but none of them serve great tempura like this. Chef Yuto Nishizawa’s tendon is glorious: a bed of rice covered in a dozen pieces of hot, crisp, sauce-soused tempura including spring vegetables, prawn, whiting, shiso-wrapped tuna, and a whole conger eel. His secret batter recipe produces beautifully thin and perfectly golden tempura.
Pizza Marumo: Tokyo’s Imported Star Dish
Every day, Yuki Motokura records the temperature and humidity, checking in on his pizza dough. He adjusts the flour, water, and salt in minute increments, logging the results with precision. Tokyo’s pizza scene has built a global reputation and word hit fast when Motokura – who cut his teeth at renowned Tokyo pizzeria Savoy – launched Pizza Marumo in 2022 in the fashionable Ebisu. There’s Neapolitan classics and original Japanese cuisine-inspired pizzas – and all are show stopping at best pizza restaurant in Tokyo.
Rojiura Curry Samurai: A Japanese Curry House
Indian curry arrived via the Brits in the 19th century. Since the 1960s, Japanese curry rice has been a fast-food staple. Choose your own curry adventure at this popular Kichijoji spot. Start with base stock, from curry to coconut milk. Customize your spiciness – 11 is the highest. Select from 16 different ingredients. Veggies from a local farm are the star here. Enjoy them in the 20-vegetable curry, a rainbow of a dish bursting with burdock, lotus root, broccoli, pumpkin and soybeans.
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Published on February 21, 2025
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