Restaurants in Japan
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New York Grill
You may not be staying at the Park Hyatt, but don’t let that stop you from ascending to the 52nd floor to swoon over the stunning views of the city below. Prices may be as high as the altitude, but where else can you splurge on a romantic, sumptuous supper enhanced by sparkling night-time lights and live jazz? And in case everything looks familiar, the adjacent New York Grill & Bar was where Bill Murray drank glass upon glass of Suntory whiskey in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. Reservations are advised, especially on weekends and for brunch.
reviewed
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Uosue
Uosue is one of the best value Japanese places in town. It’s a traditional Kyoto-style restaurant with a clean interior and friendly proprietors. For lunch, try the wonderful nijū bentō for ¥1000. At dinner, the omakase ryōri kōsu is a great way to sample kaiseki ryōri without breaking the bank: it costs just ¥3800. It’s next to a tiny shrine – keep an eye out for the sake barrels out the front.
reviewed
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Gonpachi
If the screen shots of Uma Thurman in a yellow jumpsuit didn't clue you in, Gonpachi is the place that inspired the Lucy Liu sequence in Kill Bill (think Charlie Brown and the Crazy 88). Though the menu isn't authentically Japanese (camembert tempura – yum!), the decor is undeniably Edo. Reserve early for a booth on the 2nd floor overlooking the crowd below. There's a sushi room on the 3rd level, which is separate from the rest of the restaurant.
reviewed
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Manzara Honten
Located in a converted machiya (traditional Japanese town house), Manzara represents a pleasing fusion of traditional and modern Japanese culture. The fare here is creative modern Japanese and the surroundings are decidedly stylish. The omakase (chef’s recommendation) course is good value, with eight dishes for ¥4000, and à la carte dishes are available from ¥500. Last orders are at 11.30pm.
reviewed
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Mellow Café
- Nara, Japan
- Restaurants › Cafe
Located down a narrow alley (look for the palm tree) not far from Kintetsu Nara Station, this open-plan cafe is a pleasant spot to fuel up for a day of sightseeing. The menu centres on pasta and pizza (there's a brick oven). There's an English sign and menu.
reviewed
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Kyūbey
If you can splurge on only one Tokyo sushi experience, make it this one. Established in 1936, Kyūbey’s quality and presentation have attracted a moneyed and celebrity clientele ever since, seeking incomparable quality and presentation. Go for broke with kaiseki (course menu, lunch/dinner from ¥10,500/15,750), or have it served on pottery by famed artisan Kitaoji Rosanjin for ¥31,500. Otherwise just peruse the Rosanjin exhibition on the restaurant’s 4th floor. Kyūbey continues to make headlines: in 2009, it bought at auction half of a single bluefin tuna that sold for a staggering ¥9.63 million (and sold single cuts of toro from it for ¥2000!).
reviewed
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Wabiya Korekidō
This slick restaurant on Gion’s atmospheric Hanami-kōji serves what, for lack of a better term, we will call ‘haute yakitori’. It’s the nicest yakitori we’ve had, and the setting is a lot more elegant than your typical yakitori joint. At dinner, the shunsaiwabiya kōsu (full chicken course; ¥3675) is excellent. At lunch, choose from one of the meals on the picture menu outside. The name of the place is written in English in tiny letters on the black-and-white sign.
reviewed
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Vinoteca
Quite possibly one of the hottest restaurants in the city at the time of writing, this inevitable crowd pleaser offers open-air dining overlooking the gardens of Tokyo Midtown. As these tables are some of the most in-demand seats in the capital, you would be wise to book in advance (in fact it's necessary) to ensure that you don't let down your better half.
Although true Italian connoisseurs may find fault in the slight Japan-isation of the menu, the food here is nevertheless spectacular, and the alfresco dining is arguably the city's best.
reviewed
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Daiwa Sushi
Waits of over one hour are commonplace at Tsukiji's most famous sushi bar, but it's all worth it once you're past the noren (curtains) and your first piece of sushi hits the counter. Unless you're comfortable ordering in Japanese, the standard set (seven nigiri, plus maki and miso soup) is a good bet; there's a picture menu. Though the staff may be too polite to say so, you're expected to eat and run so others can partake in this quintessential Tsukiji experience.
reviewed
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China Room
Located inside the world-famous Grand Hyatt Tokyo at Roppongi Hills, the China Room offers the most lavish and refined Chinese cuisine in the capital. From perfectly roasted Peking duck and fragrant shark-fin soup to rare oolong teas and handcrafted dumplings, the China Room is a feast for the senses that never fails to disappoint. In addition to widely known culinary classics, the China Room also offers rare Japanese seafood delicacies such as Niigata snow crab and Hokkaidō uni (sea urchin roe).
reviewed
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Capricciosa
For heaped portions of pasta at rock-bottom prices you won’t do much better than this longtime student favourite. Pasta dishes start at around ¥800 and you can choose from pizzas, salads, and various meat and fish dishes. It will definitely not be the best Italian you’ve ever had, but you’ll probably leave full and happy. It’s near the Sanjō-Kawaramachi crossing; look for the red-brick steps and the green awning. There’s an English menu and an English sign.
reviewed
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Honyaradō
This woodsy place overlooking the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park is an institution. It was something of a gathering spot for Kyoto’s countercultural elite during the hippy days. It has the lived-in feeling of an eccentric friend’s house, with stacks of books and magazines and interesting decorations. The lunch deal (a daily stew set) is good value. Surprisingly, considering the ambience, there aren’t many veggie options. It’s a good place to relax over coffee.
reviewed
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Cocohana
This place is one of a kind: a Korean café in a converted old Japanese house. Dishes here include bibimbap (a Korean rice dish) and kimchi (Korean pickles). A full range of coffee and tea is also available. It’s a woody, rustic place with both table and tatami seating. There is no English menu but the friendly young staff will help with ordering. This makes a great stop while exploring southeastern Kyoto.
reviewed
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Aunbo
Aunbo serves elegant, creative Japanese cooking in traditional Gion surroundings. The last time we were here we started with sublime sashimi, moved on to fried yuba pockets and went from there. We recommend asking for the set and leaving the difficult decisions to the master. Aunbo takes reservations in the evening. There is an English menu but no English sign; look for the traditional Japanese façade.
reviewed
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Dōtombori Arcade
Dōtombori Arcade (Dōtombori Chūō-ku; Namba Station on the Midōsuji, Yotsubashi or Sennichimae subway line) is the heart of Minami, and it's crammed with eateries. This is not the place to go for refined dining, but if you want heaping portions of tasty food in a very casual atmosphere, this place can be a lot of fun. And because it sees a lot of tourists, most of the big restaurants here have English menus.
reviewed
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Keika Kumamoto Rāmen
The Kyūshū-style tonkotsu rāmen (pork-broth-based noodles), is worth queuing for at this nationally famous rāmen shop. You order and pay as you enter; try the chāshū-men (rāmen with sliced pork). There's no English sign, so look for the large, multicoloured cartoon mural of a chef and pigs on its exterior.
reviewed
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Kanda Yabu Soba
A wooden wall and a small garden enclose this venerable buckwheat-noodle shop. When you walk in, staff singing out the orders is one of the first signs that you’ve arrived in a singular, ageless place. Raised tatami platforms and a darkly wooded dining room set the stage for show-stopping soba. There’s a sister branch in Asakusa: Namiki Yabu Soba.
reviewed
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Yakiniku Station Bambohe
If you've got a big appetite and quantity is important, head here where you'll find an all-you-can-eat yakiniku (grilled meat over table-top hibachi grills), including dessert and soft drinks, for a reasonable price. The restaurant is just off of Kokusai-dōri, across from the covered arcades, and is easily recognised by its bright yellow English sign.
reviewed
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Asuka
With an English menu, and a staff of old Kyoto mama-sans at home with foreign customers, this is a great place for a cheap lunch or dinner while sightseeing in the Higashiyama area. The tempura moriawase (assorted tempura set) is a big pile of tempura for only ¥1000. Look for the red lantern and the pictures of the set meals.
reviewed
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Izu-Ei
Izu-ei specialises in unagi, which you can take in two ways: in a bentō that includes tempura and pickled vegetables; or charcoal-grilled, sauced and laid on a bed of steamed rice, as unagi purists might insist. Try to get seated near an upstairs window for the best views of the large lily pads of nearby Shinobazu-ike.
reviewed
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Ichiran
Ichiran has been serving noodles for 39 years. Unusually, customers eat at individual cubicles, and fill out forms requesting precisely how they want their noodles prepared. Flavour strength, fat content, noodle tenderness, quantity of special sauce and garlic content can all be regulated. An English language request form is also available.
reviewed
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Kawagoe-ya
Cosy and country-style, specializing in a range of Japanese foods like soba and donburi (rice with assorted toppings). The mini-maguro-don set (¥1365) comes with soba and more. It's outside Kamakura Station's east exit, in the basement below McDonald's. Picture menu and plastic models available.
reviewed
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Fujino-Ya
This is one of the easiest places for non-Japanese to enter on Pontochō, a street where many of the other restaurants turn down even unfamiliar Japanese diners. Here you can feast on tempura, okonomiyaki, yaki-soba and kushikatsu in tatami rooms overlooking the Kamo-gawa.
reviewed
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Yoshikawa
This is the place to go for delectable tempura. It offers table seating, but it's much more interesting to sit and eat around the small counter and observe the chefs at work. It's near Oike-dōri in a fine traditional Japanese-style building. Reservation required for tatami room; counter and table seating unavailable on Sunday.
reviewed
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Bamboo
Bamboo is one of Kyoto’s more approachable izakaya. It’s on Sanjō-dōri, near the mouth of a traditional, old shopping arcade. You can sit at the counter here and order a variety of typical izakaya dishes, watching as the chefs do their thing.
reviewed