25 Restaurants to Visit for Terrific Food in Tokyo

Tokyo is a monster of a city. And with monstrously good food.

Most people think of Tokyo as one city but it’s actually a metropolis. The Greater Tokyo Area is comprised of 23 wards, 26 cities, 5 towns, and 8 villages. It’s home to over 37 million people – around 30% of Japan’s total population – and receives tens of millions of tourists annually. With so many locals and tourists coexisting in one place, it’s no surprise that Tokyo is absolutely littered with incredible food.

Explore any busy commercial area like Shinjuku or Shibuya and you’ll find an infinite number of food options – on street corners, in underground passageways, and hidden in commercial centers with multiple floors occupied solely by restaurants. With the exception of maybe Hong Kong, I don’t think we’ve visited a more densely populated food city than Tokyo.

Coming up with a restaurant guide in a mega metropolis like Tokyo seems an impossible task but that’s exactly what we’ve sought to do in this new and improved version of our Tokyo food guide. Capped at 25, it’s a vetted list of our favorite restaurants in Tokyo, compiled through the years from multiple visits to one of the best and most exciting food cities in the world.

With so many incredible restaurants in Japan’s capital, the sheer volume of options can be dizzying. I hope this restaurant guide helps you navigate and enjoy many good meals on your next trip to Tokyo.

THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN TOKYO

As with all our food guides, I try to compile as well-rounded a list as possible and this Tokyo restaurant guide is no exception. It features a diverse list of restaurants specializing in various Japanese dishes like sushi, ramen, tempura, gyutan, monjayaki, and more.

If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, then we’ve included several restaurants offering plant-based food as well.

TRADITIONAL RESTAURANTS

1. Yoshimiya

One of my best friends is Japanese and his wife is originally from Tokyo. Her sister’s friend provided me with a list of the best places to eat in Tokyo and this monjayaki restaurant was on it. According to them, monjayaki is such an important Tokyo dish that you can’t possibly talk about the food in Tokyo without including monjayaki, so here it is.

Monjayaki is a dish made with pan-fried batter. It’s similar to okonomiyaki except dashi or water is added to the batter to make it much runnier. When cooked, it has the texture of melted cheese and doesn’t quite solidify into pancake form the way okonomiyaki does.

To cook, shredded cabbage is spread out over the griddle before being poured over with the batter. The server then mixes it up before allowing it to rest and cook for a few minutes.

Yoshimiya is a hyperlocal place so there’s no English menu, but I understood the word “mixed” when my server was pointing at the menu so that’s what I got. It had squid or octopus, pork, and perhaps a few other ingredients.

To eat, you use this small spatula to scrape up sections of the monjayaki onto your plate. The batter never wholly solidifies so all the texture comes from the cabbage and the chopped-up bits of protein.

Monjayaki is an interesting Tokyo specialty that goes well with beer. Based on my experience and the amount of food I was given, it seems to be a dish meant to be enjoyed in a group.

Like fukagawa meshi (#2) – another Tokyo specialty – monjayaki is easiest to find in certain areas of the city. From what I’ve been told, it’s best to have it in Tsukushima. The list I was given had a few monjayaki restaurants on it, all of which were in Tsukushima.

To be honest, I was a little nervous walking into Yoshimiya because it was clearly a place frequented by locals. To my relief, the elderly owners were kind and accommodating, even with the language barrier.

Yoshimiya

Address: 3 Chome-15-10 Tsukishima, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0052
Operating Hours: 5-10PM, Mon, Wed-Fri / 4-10PM, Sat-Sun (closed Tue)
What They Offer: Monjayaki

2. Miyako

Like monjayaki, fukagawa meshi is a regional specialty from Tokyo. It refers to a Japanese dish of clam and long onion cooked in miso and then topped over rice.

I did some research on the dish and it’s named after the area in Tokyo where it originated from – Fukagawa. The area used to be a fishing town and the people who lived there earned a living by catching fish, gathering clams, or harvesting laver.

I read that fukagawa meshi was considered a humble working class dish but there’s nothing humble about its flavors. It may be simple, but it’s delicious.

The chopped clams are juicy and plump while the rice is soaked through with the subtle flavors of clam and miso. The dish is dusted with fried laver and chopped coriander before serving.

Miyako is a lovely traditional Tokyo restaurant with tatami mat seating. Based on their reviews, it seems to be a long-standing restaurant with a loyal local following.

There’s no English menu and the servers only speak Japanese so just tell them you want the fukagawa meshi set. I believe they offer it with tempura or sashimi as well but I chose to have it with just fukagawa meshi as the main dish.

Miyako is located in the Fukagawa area. I’m not sure how easy it is to find fukagawa meshi elsewhere in Tokyo but it’s probably best to have it here in Fukagawa, where it’s originally from.

Miyako

Address: 2 Chome-7-1 Tokiwa, Koto City, Tokyo 135-0006, Japan
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-2PM, 5:30-8:30PM, Tue-Sun (closed Mon)
What They Offer: Fukagawa meshi

3. Inoko

The bowls of ramen we had at this restaurant were some of the best we’ve ever had in our lives. They were so damn delicious.

My Japanese friend ate here a few weeks before we did and was blown away by this ebi miso tsukemen. If you’ve never had tsukemen before, it’s like a deconstructed type of ramen where the noodles and broth are served separately. To eat, you dip the noodles into a broth that’s typically more concentrated in flavor than regular ramen broth.

One taste of this tsukemen broth and you’ll understand why this place is so popular among locals. It’s absolutely redolent with the flavor of shrimp heads!

If you like sucking on shrimp heads, then you’re going to love this ebu miso tsukemen because that’s exactly what it tastes like.

How beautiful does this look? My bowl of crab miso ramen came with a whole crab sitting on top! Like the ebi tsukemen, it’s a miso-based ramen so it’s deep and full-flavored.

Being a more traditional bowl of ramen, the broth isn’t as intensely flavored as the tsukemen but it’s incredibly delicious as well. Note the smear of crab fat on top.

If you like crab, then you may want to try this crab miso ramen. Like the tsukemen, you can have it with either thin or thick noodles. So damn good.

When the Tokyo local recommended this place to me, he asked me not to share it on our blog because lines at the restaurant are long enough. But we were so blown away by this place that I begged him to let me share it. He relented on the condition that I lead you to a different branch, not the one he goes to. Ha!

Inoko has three restaurants in Tokyo, all of which are about an hour north of Shibuya by subway. It’s a bit of a trek but absolutely worth it.

Inoko

Address: 2 Chome-52-8 Heiwadai, Nerima City, Tokyo 179-0083, Japan
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-3PM, 5:30-10PM, Wed-Mon (closed Tue)
What They Offer: Ramen

4. Oreryu Shio Ramen

This next ramen restaurant was recommended to us by the same local who led us to Yoshimiya (#1) and Inoko (#3). Though not as unique or memorable as Inoko, it’s also delicious and much easier to get to with multiple branches located in the Shibuya area.

Mrs Traveleater got the special roasted pork ramen while I went with the shio butter corn ramen. This was the first time I’ve ever tried ramen made with butter and corn. It was delicious – light, creamy, and buttery with the natural sweetness and crunch of Japanese corn. It was served with a couple of slices of roasted pork, a ramen egg, and some veggies.

Oreryu Shio Ramen has many outlets in central Tokyo but the branch we went to is located about a 10-minute walk from Shibuya Crossing.

Oreryu Shio Ramen

Address: Japan, 〒150-0044 Tokyo, Shibuya, Maruyamacho, 3−3 SSD IIビル1階
Operating Hours: 11AM-6AM, Tue-Sun / 11AM-12MN, Mon
What They Offer: Ramen

5. Teuchi

Tabelog is awesome. If you’re looking for the best places to try specific dishes anywhere in Japan, then Tabelog is the website to go to.

Mrs Traveleater was craving soba (buckwheat) noodles one day so I hopped on Tabelog to find a killer soba restaurant for lunch. My search led me to Teuchi, the highest-rated restaurant in Shinjuku. It’s a small but popular soba restaurant frequented by local office workers.

You can enjoy your soba noodles with a variety of side dishes. Tempura and soba are a match made in heaven so that’s what we both went with. As expected, it was delicious. We love Japanese noodles of all kinds but there’s nothing quite like dipping soba in tsuyu and then slurping away!

As good as the soba was, the tempura may have been even better. I rarely meet an ebi tempura I don’t like in Japan but this was arguably the best I’ve ever had. The prawn was so succulent and juicy. Arigato Tabelog!

If it weren’t for Tabelog, then we’d never find restaurants like Teuchi. If you weren’t looking for it, then you’d probably walk by this place without giving it a second glance.

I read Teuchi is popular with the lunch crowd so we arrived around half an hour early, before they opened at 11:30AM. We were the first in line but Japanese people eat fast, especially office workers, so you probably don’t need to get there as early.

Teuchi

Address: Japan, 〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 7 Chome−21−3 西新宿大京ビル １階
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-2PM, 5:30-9PM, Mon-Fri (closed Sat-Sun)
What They Offer: Soba

6. Hamaguri

Seafood is delicious at any time of the year in Japan but especially in winter. Like bears fattening up before hibernation, this is when fish and other types of seafood are at their fattiest and most plump, to help get them through winter.

Our last visit to Tokyo was in December so a Tokyoite friend recommended we enjoy a seafood feast at Hamaguri, a small shellfish restaurant in Shinjuku. They specialize in clams, oysters, and other types of mollusks. How interesting!

We let our server choose all the dishes and she started us off with these fresh oysters. If I remember correctly, they cost JPY 200 apiece and each customer was limited to five. I’m not sure where they’re from (Hokkaido?) but they were incredibly plump and juicy.

Next was this quartet of kaki furai or fried oysters. Light and crispy on the outside, they were bursting with oyster-y juiciness on the inside.

The oysters were then followed by this trio of mollusk sashimi. We don’t have as much experience with mollusks in Japanese cuisine so it was nice to try different varieties that aren’t available just anywhere.

The raw clams were good, but how about serving them with some grilled uni (sea urchin) on top? Sweet, smokey, and chewy with snap, these were incredible.

This was another first for me. I’ve had many different types of gyoza but never filled with clam.

Here’s a look at the clam filling.

For our last course, she served us this medley of mollusks stir-fried with egg. Like the last rice course in a kaiseki meal, this was meant to fill us up.

We’ve been to many seafood restaurants in Japan but Hamaguri is one of the most unique. I’ve never been to a restaurant specializing in mollusks before so I was grateful for the experience.

Hamaguri

Address: 3 Chome-8-4 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan
Operating Hours: 5-11PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)
What They Offer: Mollusks

7. Nemuro Hanamaru

Nothing compares to a high-end sushi restaurant in Japan but if you’d like to have more fun at a fraction of the price, then kaitenzushi restaurants are a great alternartive. Kaitenzuhi means “rotating sushi” and refers to these restaurants that serve sushi on conveyor belts.

Sushiro and Kura are popular kaitenzushi chains that serve inexpensive sushi, but if you don’t mind paying a little more for better quality, then Nemuro Hanamaru is an excellent choice. Originally from Hokkaido, we’ve been to one of their restaurants in Sapporo before so it was nice to see them open a few branches in Tokyo.

The difference between a place like Nemuro Hanamaru and Sushiro or Kura is like night and day. We ate at a Sushiro a few days before this and the pieces of fish they give you are so much thinner and of lesser quality.

If you can, then I strongly recommend paying more for Nemuro Hanamaru. You can see and taste the difference.

I won’t show you everything but here are a few more highlights from tonight’s meal – unagi and otoro. My god were these delicious.

I absolutely love these kaitenzushi restaurants. If you’re an introvert, then you can enjoy a sushi feast with minimal human interaction. See something you like? Just grab it from the conveyor belt and you’re good to go!

It’s fun picking out plates of sushi from the conveyor belt, but for the freshest and most premium items, it’s best to order them ala carte.

At the time of this writing, Nemuro Hanamaru is one of the hottest kaitenzushi restaurants in Tokyo so don’t be surprised if you have to wait over two hours or more for a spot on the counter. A few days before this, we tried to have lunch at equally popular Toriton but gave up after waiting over three hours!

Nemuro Hanamaru and Toriton do have ticketing reservation systems that make the wait more tolerable. Just grab a ticket from the machine and you’ll be notified via WhatsApp when your turn is near.

Nemuro Hanamaru

Address: Japan, 〒100-7005 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Marunouchi, 2 Chome, 7番2号 5F JPタワ
Operating Hours: 11AM-10PM, daily
What They Offer: Kaitenzushi

8. Minatoya

I love seafood, but I also enjoy saving money. When I read about Minatoya and their cheap kaisendon bowls, I immediately put them on the first day of my Tokyo itinerary. Kaisendon refers to bowls of rice topped with fresh seasonal seafood.

Minatoya is a small seafood restaurant located in Ameyoko Market. They offer takoyaki balls and kaisendon made with seafood sourced from Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji Market.

Today, I went with this bowl of anago (saltwater eel) and scallops. If you haven’t tried anago, it’s very similar to unagi (freshwater eel), but it’s even softer in texture and isn’t typically as heavily glazed with sweet eel sauce. I love it and try to order it as often as I can whenever we’re in Japan.

You can refer to the map at the bottom of this article to see exactly where Minatoya is at Ameyoko Market. Just look for this shop with all the kaisendon pictures.

Ameyoko Market is a popular open-air market that runs alongside the Yamanote Line between Ueno and Okachimachi stations. It’s home to hundreds of shops selling different types of products ranging from fresh seafood to clothing to candy. It’s a fun place to explore if you have the time.

Minatoya

Address: 4 Chome-1-9 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0015, Japan
Operating Hours: 11AM-7PM, Mon-Fri / 11AM-7:30PM, Sat-Sun
What They Offer: Kaisendon

9. Naruse

Speaking of freshwater eel, unagi is one of our favorite dishes in Japanese cuisine. We’d love to have it as often as we can in Japan but the problem is, the dish can be quite pricey. You can easily spend over JPY 10,000 at the best unagi restaurants!

Thankfully, we found Naruse, which according to more than one reviewer, offers some of the “best value for money” unagi anywhere in Tokyo.

Before we tucked into our unagi, we started off with a small bowl of eel bone crackers. These are more interesting than delicious and something you may want to try at eel restaurants like Naruse.

Naruse offers different grades of unagi and you can get small set meals like this with half an eel for less than JPY 2,000 (Dec 2024). I’ve been an unagi eater for over forty years and for me, the difference in quality between “regular” and “super premium” unagi can’t be justified by the often astronomical difference in price. Personally, I’m satisfied with “regular” unagi as good as this.

Here’s a portion with 3/4 of an eel. According to Japanese unagi connoisseurs, the best eel is light and crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside. We’ve enjoyed Michelin-starred unagi before, at a restaurant in Kyoto, but we were both more than happy with this.

Naruse is located in upscale Roppongi. You can’t see the restaurant from the street so we had difficulty finding it.

When you get to the spot Google Maps directs you to, just look for this small sign directing you to the basement level of the building.

You’ll need to walk down this short flight of stairs to get to the restaurant.

We didn’t wind up needing them for lunch but you can make reservations through Naruse’s listing on Google Maps. I think we’ll be visiting this restaurant on every return trip to Tokyo.

Naruse

Address: Japan, 〒106-0032 Tokyo, Minato City, Roppongi, 5 Chome−16−52 インペリアル六本木2号館 B1
Operating Hours: 11AM-2PM, 5-10PM, daily
What They Offer: Unagi donburi

10. Namae-no-nai Sushiya

I’ve been obsessed about visiting this restaurant ever since I heard about the legend of the no-name sushi bar in Tokyo offering sushi for just JPY 10 apiece. As it turns out, the legend is true. Well, sort of.

Namae-no-nai Sushiya literally means “No-name Sushi”. It’s a tiny standing-room-only sushi bar in Shinjuku that offers different types of sushi and sashimi at regular prices.

I believe their ten yen sushi offering is a marketing gimmick designed to attract people to the bar. I last visited in 2020 and to avail of the deal, I had to order at least one drink and every customer was limited to a maximum of fifteen pieces of the ten yen sushi.

I believe the type of ten yen sushi they give you changes by the day but I got fifteen pieces of kohada – a type of gizzard shad fish. It was delicious and nothing about it told me it was low-quality sushi. On their ala carte menu in 2020, kohada was priced at JPY 130 for two pieces.

However, my bill for two beers at JPY 500 each and fifteen pieces of ten yen sushi amounted to JPY 1,590. Even with 10% tax and 8% service charge, it should have been no more than JPY 1,357.

It was still dirt cheap so I didn’t make a fuss but I believe they expect you to order something off their ala carte menu in addition to the ten yen sushi. Whatever the case, it’s still a great deal and something I’m happy to recommend.

The sushi chef didn’t allow photos inside his sushi bar so I just took a picture of their door. The place is located in a small alley in Shinjuku. You can refer to the map below to see exactly where it is.

Namae-no-nai Sushiya

Address: 1 Chome-12 Kabukicho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0021, Japan
Operating Hours: 5-10PM, Mon-Sat / 4-10PM, Sun
What They Offer: Sushi

11. Masakichi

Have you heard the legend of the yakitori so delicious that it made Chef David Chang cry? I’ve seen the clip, and while “cry” may be a bit of an exaggeration, it did make the famed Ugly Delicious chef and TV personality visibly emotional.

“This is the best yakitori I’ve ever had”, he would say, “It’s…it’s unbelievably good.” That yakitori restaurant was Masakichi by Chef Masahiko Kodama.

Before I show you the yakitori that made David cry, let me begin with a few other dishes that wowed us tonight, starting with this lightly cooked chicken breast with avocado and wasabi sauce. Served cold and almost raw, this was absolutely delicious.

We’ve had raw chicken sashimi before, in Sapporo, and Japan is the only country we’d trust to prepare a dish like this. If you’re adventurous with food, then I highly recommend trying this at Masakichi.

I won’t show you everything we tried but you can order over a dozen different types of yakitori at Masakichi, like this negima or chicken thigh with Japanese leeks.

If you’d rather have the chef choose for you, then you can order the omakase set. It comes with an assortment of five grilled chicken skewers.

Side by side below are skewers of bonjiri (chicken tail) and hiza-nankotsu (knee cartilage).

You can order many different parts of the chicken at Masakichi but this was one of the most interesting. It’s called tsunagi and refers to the part between the chicken’s heart and liver. I don’t know what it’s called in English but it isn’t the gizzard.

This is the yakitori that made David Chang emotional. Known as tebasaki in Japanese, it’s a chicken wing grilled to absolute perfection.

Every stick of yakitori we had tonight was delicious, but this was one of our favorites. My lord was this good.

Like Chef Chang, we can happily say that the yakitori at Masakichi is the best we’ve ever had in our lives. Based on what I’ve read, Chef Kodama has been grilling chicken for over thirty years so the man certainly knows what he’s doing.

Like many of the top restaurants in Tokyo, Masakichi is tiny so reservations are highly recommended.

Masakichi

Address: 5 Chome-2-8 Megurohoncho, Meguro City, Tokyo 152-0002, Japan
Operating Hours: 6PM-12MN, daily
What They Offer: Yakitori

12. Tensen

Like sushi and unagi, tempura is one of our favorite Japanese dishes. We had morning tickets to the Yayoi Kusama Museum so we needed a good place to have lunch nearby. Thankfully, we found Tensen, a highly-rated restaurant known for serving tasty tempura bowls at reasonable prices.

Tensen offers just tempura bowls that you can get in a few variations. Pictured below is one of the smaller bowls featuring two ebi tempura and a selection of vegetable tempura like pumpkin, onion, green bean, and mushroom. The chef shaves a little bit of yuzu peel on top for some contrast and zing.

Tensen isn’t as tiny as some of the other restaurants on this list but it did fill up fairly quickly. I suggest arriving early to avoid waiting for a table.

Tensen

Address: Japan, 〒112-0014 Tokyo, Bunkyo City, Sekiguchi, 1 Chome−23−6 プラザ江戸川橋B1F
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-2PM, 6-9:30PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)
What They Offer: Tempura

13. Negishi

If you like eating meat, then there’s one beef dish you need to try in Japan (no, not Kobe beef). I’m talking about gyutan, an incredibly delicious dish of thinly sliced beef tongue grilled over charcoal. It’s originally from Sendai in Miyagi prefecture but you can find many restaurants serving it in Tokyo.

One of the restaurants that frequently pops up in my Reddit research is Negishi, a chain of gyutan restaurants that originated in Tokyo. They offer a variety of set meals featuring different cuts of grilled pork and barbecued beef tongue.

We both went with the Shirotan set which you can get with thick or thin slices (pictured below) of beef tongue. Every set meal comes with rice, tororo (grated yam), a side salad, and a bowl of clear beef soup.

The thin slices of beef tongue are amazing but I highly recommend paying a little more for the thick. You’ll see why in a second.

Here’s a Shirotan set with thick slices of gyutan. The thin slices are delicious but it tastes even better when the meat is sliced thicker like this. It’s juicier and just as tender, maybe even more so. I’m guessing the way they slice the beef tongue with a ridged pattern has something to do with that.

Here’s a closer look at a slice of thick-cut beef tongue. As described, they slice it to create these ridges, probably to help the meat cook faster so it stays nice and tender.

Smokey, juicy, incredibly tender, and with some sweetness from the caramelization, these thick cut slices of gyutan are to die for. I gave up meat in 2024 but I allowed myself a couple of slices before giving the rest to Mrs Traveleater. She enjoyed them so much she wound up coming back to Negishi a few days later to have a full order!

Negishi has several outlets throughout Tokyo but the branch we went to is located near Tokyo Station. It’s a big restaurant but it fills up very quickly.

Negishi

Address: 3 Chome-6-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
Operating Hours: 11AM-10PM, daily
What They Offer: Gyutan

14. Harukor

Harukor is the most unique and fascinating restaurant on this list. I say that with confidence because it’s literally the only Ainu restaurant that exists in Tokyo.

The Ainu are an indigenous ethnic group native to Hokkaido and Russia’s Sakhalin and Kuril Islands. They’ve been facing discrimination and cultural erasure since the invasion and annexation of Hokkaido by the Japanese in the late 19th century. Based on what I’ve read, Ainu restaurants are scarce even in Hokkaido so finding one in the heart of central Tokyo made it all the more exciting.

Historically, the Ainu were hunters and gatherers so Harukor’s menu features indigenous ingredients like salmon, venison, and root and wild vegetables sourced from Hokkaido. Counterclockwise on the table below, starting from the bottom, are roasted venison with ponzu sauce, rataskep, boiled kitopiro with dried salmon flakes, and edamame.

Rataskep is a mixture of stewed wild vegetables and beans mashed with pumpkin and animal fat, while kitopiro refers to a type of wild onion. Based on the entire section of dishes made with kitopiro, it must be an important ingredient in Ainu cuisine. The roasted venison was incredible – remarkably tender with a hint of gaminess to make it interesting.

This was the one dish I was most excited to try. Called salmon ruipe, what you’re looking at here is a dish of frozen salmon sashimi. This was our first time trying frozen sashimi but it won’t be the last. Cold and stiff, the salmon quickly softens and melts in your mouth when you take a bite. It’s interesting and delicious.

Many of Harukor’s dishes are served in small portions (like side dishes) so we ordered this plate of fried rice cooked with scallops and mustard leaves to fill us up. It may not have been as interesting as the other Ainu dishes on the menu but my god was it good.

Tucked away in the Okubo neighborhood of Shinjuku, Harukor is a tiny restaurant with just five tables so reservations are recommended.

Harukor’s small but cozy interior is decorated with objects that celebrate Ainu culture. In opening Harukor, the owner hopes to preserve her culture’s cuisine and traditions, much of which has been eroded, even eradicated, by the pressures of colonization. It’s a fascinating and often sad story you can learn more about in this article.

Before having dinner at Harukor, I thought a meal here would be more of a novelty, an exaggerated “hidden gem” I could tell people about. As it turns out, their food is legitimately authentic and delicious. This place is no novelty. We’ll definitely be back.

Harukor

Address: 1 Chome-10-1 Hyakunincho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan
Operating Hours: 12NN-2PM, 5-10PM, Mon-Fri / 5-10PM, Sat-Sun
What They Offer: Ainu food

15. Yamaya

One of Mrs Traveleater’s favorite dishes in Japanese cuisine is motsunabe. Motsu means innards while nabe refers to hot pot, so motsunabe is a hot pot dish made with beef or pork offal.

Innards like intestines and tripe are allowed to simmer in a soup base seasoned with soy sauce, miso, garlic, and chili pepper. Other ingredients like cabbage, garlic chives, tofu, and champon noodles are added to the pot as well.

Motsunabe is a dish associated with Fukuoka prefecture but it experienced a boom in Tokyo in the 1990s. It’s declined in popularity since then but you can still find motsunabe restaurants throughout the city.

Our hunt for motsunabe in Tokyo led us to Yamaya, a chain of restaurants with several branches in the Kanto region.

My beautiful first serving of motsunabe. Do you see that pinkish white blob in the middle? That’s the offal. It was fatty and delicious, albeit a little chewy.

They gave us the choice of either miso or soy sauce for the broth and we chose the former. It was delicious.

Our order of motsunabe didn’t come with champon noodles so we ordered some. They’re usually added at the end, to help fill you up. Champon is a Japanese-Chinese dish that originated in Nagasaki.

We went to the Marunouchi branch of Yamaya. We didn’t feel their version was as good as the motsunabe we had in Fukuoka, but it was still tasty and something you should try if you can’t make it out to Kyushu.

Yamaya

Address: Japan, 〒100-0005 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Marunouchi, 1 Chome−4−1 iiyo!!）B1F Marunouchi Eiraku Building
Operating Hours: 11AM-3PM, 5-10:30PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)
What They Offer: Motsunabe

16. Harajuku Gyozaro

If you’re a fan of ramen, then you’re probably familiar with this next restaurant’s specialty – gyoza.

Gyoza refers to Japanese dumplings filled with ground meat and vegetables wrapped in a thin sheet of dough. They’re originally from China but they’ve become very popular in Japan, served on their own or as a side to other dishes like ramen.

Gyoza is typically filled with ground pork, chives, green onion, cabbage, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil. They’re most commonly pan-fried but they can also be served steamed or deep-fried. Gyozaro, a popular gyoza restaurant in trendy Harajuku, serves them pan-fried or steamed.

I got an order each of the pan-fried and steamed gyoza. Both are tasty, but I prefer the pan-fried. You can get either kind with just ground meat (original) or with the addition of garlic and chives.

I got my orders of gyoza a la carte but many customers were enjoying them with rice and a few side dishes. If you’re hungry, then it looks like you can get them in set meals at Gyozaro. Otherwise, they make for a terrific light mid-afternoon snack.

Harajuku Gyozaro is popular so be prepared for a wait. I went alone and probably waited around 20-30 minutes for a counter seat.

Harajuku Gyozaro

Address: 6 Chome-2-4 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-9:10PM, daily
What They Offer: Gyoza

17. Kisaburo Nojo

Kisaburo nojo specializes in tamago kake gohan. Often referred to as “TKG”, it’s a popular Japanese dish of steamed rice topped with raw egg and soy sauce. According to my Japanese friend, it’s something they eat as comfort food, similar to the way Americans eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Mrs Traveleater was a fan of the Japanese reality program Terrace House and she learned about this restaurant from that show. According to her, the cast members were super excited about eating tamago kake gohan at this restaurant so I had to try it for myself.

Kisaburo Nojo offers an all-you-can-eat buffet of tamago kake gohan with different types of premium eggs sourced from farms throughout Japan. On their menu, I counted eight kinds but it looks like only five were available today.

As much as I love eggs, I thought that raw eggs over rice would be a bit monotonous so I skipped the egg buffet and went instead with this tamago kake gohan and chicken set meal. The eggs they used tasted rich and clean and were better than the eggs I’m used to in Southeast Asia. It just tasted like a more premium type of egg.

The chicken was soft and gave the dish welcome bite and texture. To me, it was like eating an oyakodon made with raw instead of cooked eggs.

Kisaburo Nojo is easily accessible by subway but it’s a bit of a trek from downtown Tokyo, about half an hour from Shinjuku. I think it’s worth the effort if you want to try something different and distinctly Japanese.

Kisaburo Nojo

Address: 1 Chome-23-11 Sengoku, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 112-0011, Japan
Operating Hours: 11AM-2:30PM, 5-11PM, Mon, Wed-Fri / 11AM-4PM, 5-10PM, Sat-Sun (closed Tuesdays)
What They Offer: Tamago kake gohan

18. Tsumugi

When it comes to travel or restaurant advice, I’m not a fan of social media because people tend to exaggerate or give incorrect information, but I couldn’t ignore a TikTok about this next restaurant and its intriguing 18-dish breakfast set.

Tsumugi is a cafe restaurant located within the Tsukiji Hongwan-ji Temple grounds. They offer different types of Japanese tea, desserts, and meal sets, including this beautiful 18-dish breakfast spread. It features a variety of small Japanese dishes like pickled plums, miso-glazed taro-potato, matcha jelly, yuba with salmon roe, and sweet kelp tsukudani.

I assumed the meal would be vegetarian, like shojin ryori, but it included a couple of plates with animal protein like grilled duck with sancho pepper and octopus with salted rice malt. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful breakfast set and a very Japanese way to start your day in Tokyo.

The 18-dish breakfast set is the most popular but Tsumugi also offers this grilled salmon set with rolled omelet, millet rice, miso soup, and a few side dishes. Not quite as visually striking but just as satisfying.

Tsumugi and Honwan-ji Temple are located close to Tsukiji Outer Market and the Ginza shopping district. It’s a good place to have a traditional Japanese breakfast before a day of sightseeing, shopping, and more eating.

Tsumugi

Address: Japan, 〒104-0045 Tokyo, Chuo City, Tsukiji, 3 Chome−15−1 棟内カフェ区画 本願寺インフォメーションセンタ
Operating Hours: 8AM-6PM, daily
What They Offer: Breakfast sets

18. Origin Bento

As advised, I don’t usually trust social media when it comes to travel and restaurant advice. But this next recommendation was from Kyle Japan Travel, a Japanese tour guide turned Instagrammer, so he gets a pass. Ha!

We all love Japan’s konbinis (convenience stores). They’re ubiquitous and offer cheap dining options at any time of the day. Their takeaway bento boxes look good but I always wonder how freshly made and how good the quality of their ingredients are. Based on what my Japanese friend said, they aren’t the best, which is why Kyle’s recommendation of Origin Bento caught my eye.

According to Kyle, Origin makes their bento boxes in-store daily so you get fresher food at a similarly low price. They offer a much better selection of side dishes too.

If you’re visiting Japan on a tight budget, then bento boxes will be your new best friend. Konbini bentos are good, but Origin bentos are even better. In Kyle’s words: “You’ll taste the difference.”

Origin has many branches and sister brands (Origin, Kitchen Origin, Origin Delicatessen, etc) throughout Tokyo. You can check this website to find an outlet near you.

Origin Bento

Address: Multiple branches
What They Offer: Takeaway bento boxes

20. Savoy

We were super excited to try the pizza at Savoy. Like Masakichi (#11), it was featured on an episode of Ugly Delicious with Chef David Chang.

It may seem odd for us to be so excited about pizza in Tokyo, especially considering how much we love Japanese food, but chefs in Tokyo KNOW their pizza. The city has been experiencing a pizza boom for the last decade so you’ll find plenty of great pizza restaurants in Tokyo, one of the best being Savoy.

One TripAdvisor reviewer went so far as to say that “the best pizza isn’t in Italy, it’s in Tokyo!” He may be right.

We’ve yet to visit Italy so we can’t agree or disagree, but one thing we can tell you is that these were the best damn pizzas we’ve ever had in our lives. They were unbelievably delicious.

Savoy only offers two types of Neapolitan-style pizza – margherita and marinara. Both were so simple yet perfect in every way.

Savoy is a small restaurant with just one table and about nine or ten counter seats. If you’re seated at the counter like we were, then you can watch the chef knead each ball of dough and top it with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, salt, and a generous helping of extra virgin olive oil.

They use premium ingredients but the secret seems to be in the dough which is pre-made into individual portions and then neatly stored in wooden boxes. The Japanese are remarkably precise and meticulous so it’s no surprise that they’ve mastered the art of making dough-based food like bread, pizza, and pastries.

When the pizzas are ready to be baked, the chef would throw some salt into the brick oven before sliding the pizzas in to cook for a few minutes. It would only take about five minutes, maybe less, for the crust to bubble up and become charred in parts. I was watching his process and he seemed to use two types of wood to keep the fire going.

Pictured below is the marinara glistening with olive oil. Note the thinly shaved slices of garlic in the middle. The crust was nice and crisp but still airy, so it would practically dissolve in your mouth as you chewed.

Savoy has a few outlets in Tokyo but we suggest going to the original branch located in Azabu-Jūban. As described, the place is small so reservations are highly recommended.

Savoy

Address: Japan, 〒106-0045 Tokyo, Minato City, Azabujuban, 2 Chome−20−12 オリエント麻布 1階
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-2:30PM, 5:30-9:30PM, Fri-Tue / 5:30-9:30PM, Thurs (closed Wednesdays)
What They Offer: Pizza

PLANT-BASED RESTAURANTS

21. Sougo

Are you familiar with the term shojin ryori? It translates to “devotion cuisine” and refers to a vegetarian style of cooking that was introduced to Japan with the arrival of Buddhism in the 6th century.

There’s no better place than a Koyasan temple to experience authentic shojin ryori, but if you can’t make the pilgrimage to Wakayama, then you can enjoy a more modern version at Sougo in Roppongi. Sougo is an upscale shojin kaiseki restaurant helmed by leading plant-based chef Daisuke Nomura.

In traditional shojin ryori, all the dishes are served together but Chef Nomura offers them one after the other in a kasieki-style course meal. Pictured below is a dish of fried taro served with walnuts, shishito peppers, and puffed rice stalks. Isn’t it gorgeous? It was the first of seven artfully plated dishes we enjoyed tonight.

During dinner service, Sougo offers two types of shojin kaiseki – Hasu (aperitif, 9 dishes, 2 desserts) and Zen (7 dishes, 1 dessert). We experienced Zen shojin kaiseki but with sake and wine pairing, an exclusive offering available only through Wabunka. Each course is paired with sake, wine, and other domestic spirits, all of which are carefully selected by Chef Nomura.

If you’re looking for a more upscale shojin ryori experience in Tokyo, then Sougo is a great place to consider. Chef Nomura belongs to the family behind Daigo, another highly-acclaimed shojin ryori restaurant in Tokyo that’s held two Michelin stars since 2008.

You can learn more about this unique experience in my article on shojin kaiseki at Sougo.

Invisible to passers-by, Sougo is located on the third floor of the Roppongi Green Building.

Sougo

Address: Japan, 〒106-0032 Tokyo, Minato City, Roppongi, 6 Chome−1−8, Roppongi Green Building, 3F
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-3PM, 5:30-11PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)
What They Offer: Shojin kaiseki

22. Saido

Speaking of highly-acclaimed plant-based restaurants, Saido is another restaurant vegans should visit in Tokyo. It was rated the number one vegan restaurant in the world by Happy Cow in 2020.

Saido offers set meals with soup, salad, your choice of main dish, your choice of dessert, and any two drinks. A great deal to begin with, it’s made even better by the unexpectedly high quality of the food.

Take this garden salad for example. Not only is it artfully arranged, but it was also served in a small glass cloche filled with vapor. How beautiful is that? And yes, it was every bit as delicious as it looks.

For my main dish, I went with the katsuju. It’s a plant-based version of katsu or deep-fried cutlet coated with panko bread crumbs. Similar to the garden salad, the main dishes are served in these lacquered boxes filled with vapor.

Mrs Traveleater went with the unaju or plant-based version of unagi over rice. This was delicious and a clever interpretation of our beloved unagi. I don’t have a picture of it but the chef even mimicked the skin that’s typically served on the underside of these eel fillets. So cool!

We both got rice dishes for our main course but Saido offers a selection of plant-based noodle dishes as well.

For dessert, we had this rice flour chocolate cake…

…and this uber kawaii raspberry mousse served in a pot with crushed nuts and an edible matcha tree. How cute is that tiny shovel spoon?

Before having lunch at Saido, I questioned how one restaurant can be declared the top vegan restaurant in the world, but not anymore. I’ve been on mostly a plant-based diet for a year and a half and Saido is my favorite vegan restaurant in eight countries thus far. This place is awesome.

Saido

Address: 2 Chome-15-10 Jiyugaoka, Meguro City, Tokyo 152-0035, Japan
Operating Hours: 12NN-2PM, 6-8PM, Thurs-Tue (closed Wednesdays)
What They Offer: Vegan four-course meals

23. Brown Rice

Brown Rice is a more upscale plant-based restaurant in the luxurious Omotesando neighborhood. It isn’t fine dining like Sougo (#21) but they do offer a more refined experience in a stylish, tastefully decorated space.

Brown Rice offers a handful of ala carte dishes but their meal sets are the most attractive items on the menu. The beautifully presented tray below is the bamboo basket steamed vegetable set. It consists of over ten different vegetables steamed in a bamboo basket and then served with miso soup, brown rice, dipping sauces, and a few side dishes.

What you’re looking at here is the seasonal set menu. It consists of a main dish, two seasonal side dishes, miso soup, brown rice, and pickles. The main dish changes every week but tonight, they served us agedashi tofu with an assortment of potatoes.

Brown Rice is owned and operated by Neal’s Yard Remedies, a UK-based retailer of organic health and beauty products. It’s pricier than some of the other plant-based restaurants on this list but you’d expect that from a stylish place like this in Omotesando.

Brown Rice

Address: 5 Chome-1-8 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-6PM, daily
What They Offer: Vegan set meals

24. Gopinatha

If you’d prefer a plant-based meal that feels less refined and more homemade, then Gopinatha is a great restaurant to enjoy a quiet meal. Emphasis on quiet because the owner and cook stresses the importance of enjoying your meal with as little noise/conversation as possible.

Open for lunch and dinner, this tiny one-woman show offers just one set meal consisting of a few plant-based dishes, salads, brown rice, and soup. It’s a simple but hearty meal that leaves you feeling full and satisfied.

Gopinatha is located just a short walk from the otaku haven of Nakano Browadway.

If you look at the right side of the picture below, you’ll see a small sign that says the restaurant is for single diners only. This is in line with the owner’s request for silence during your meal, but couples can go as long as they keep their voices down and conversations to a minimum.

I don’t know the reason behind this but I appreciated it. It allowed us a few moments of Zen and mindfulness to enjoy a nutritious homecooked meal, a rarity in fast-paced Tokyo.

Gopinatha

Address: Japan, 〒164-0001 Tokyo, Nakano City, Nakano, 5 Chome−17−10 天神ハウス
Operating Hours: 12:10-2:30PM, 6-8PM, Thurs-Mon (closed Tue-Wed)
What They Offer: Rustic vegan set meals

25. Marugoto

Speaking of fast-paced, if it’s your first time in Tokyo, then you’ll undoubtedly find yourself in chaotic Senso-ji, the city’s oldest temple and one of its busiest attractions. The approach to Senso-ji is just as famous for its many street food options, but if you’d prefer a healthier meal in a less hectic environment, then make your way to Marugoto.

Located just a short walk from the temple, Marugoto offers homecooked vegan lunch sets, curries, and desserts. All their dishes and desserts are gluten-free and made without any added sugar. I’m guessing the owner might be Buddhist because they don’t use any pungent vegetables in their cooking either.

Featured prominently on the menu is a lunch plate that starts with this mixed green salad topped with a homemade organic carrot dressing.

Behold the vegan lunch plate! It consists of chickpea flour vegetable tempura, oil-free curry, multi-grain brown rice, and vegan karaage made with fried peas and fava beans drizzled with a homemade tahini sauce. It’s amazing how good they can make everything taste without using any onions or garlic.

Marugoto also offers full orders of their vegan curry and rice served with different side dishes like tempeh or avocado. The five vegetable tempura is the most popular.

Marugoto is just a 5-minute walk from Senso-ji but the difference in atmosphere is like night and day. Compared to chaotic Senso-ji, Marugoto feels more like a temple.

Marugoto

Address: 1 Chome-3-13 Hanakawado, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0033, Japan
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-3PM, Tue-Sat / 11:30AM-5PM, Sun (closed Mondays)
What They Offer: Rustic vegan set meals

TOKYO RESTAURANTS LOCATION MAP

To help you navigate, I’ve pinned the Tokyo restaurants recommended in this guide on this map. Click on the link to open the map in a new window.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE FOOD IN TOKYO

There’s no city in the world quite like Tokyo. It’s exciting and mysterious and offers a limitless array of incredible food options. But the city does have its challenges.

Tokyo is so vast you’ll likely be spending a good chunk of your days traveling on the metro. Getting a Suica card or Tokyo Subway Ticket will make commuting easier.

Many restaurants worth going to are tiny so reservations are almost always a must. The language barrier makes this challenging so you can try asking your hotel for help. Alternatively, you can use one of the many restaurant reservation websites (Tabelog, byFood, etc) to book a table.

In any case, these are minor inconveniences that shouldn’t keep you from enjoying some of the best meals in your life in Tokyo. Good restaurants are a dime a dozen in this city but I do hope this food guide narrows down your search.

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