Restaurants in Japan
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Honmura-an
The soba is made right here at this minimalist noodle shop on a Roppongi side street; try these delicately flavoured noodles on a bamboo mat, with tempura or with dainty slices of kamo (duck). Honmura-An had legions of fans from when it was a famed and fashionable shop in Lower Manhattan; the owner has since returned home and created legions of fans here, too.
reviewed
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Yabu Soba
Near the arcade, this busy, famous place rustles up top-class soba, from the simple zaru soba - plain, cold buckwheat noodles to dip in broth - to the richly filling tenseiro (noodles topped with shrimp and vegetable tempura). There's a picture menu to help you choose. Look for the black-granite sign in front that says in English 'Since 1892'.
reviewed
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Coca
Appreciate the prewar architecture of Ueno’s station building along with authentic Thai curries, fried rice, omelettes and noodle soups. If Thai’s not your thing, there are many other restaurants in the station’s ‘Retro-kan’ (Retro Hall), but Coca is one of the few where you can see the original details: curved walls, hardware and such.
reviewed
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Café Independants
Located beneath a gallery, this cool subterranean cafe offers a range of light meals and good cafe drinks in a bohemian atmosphere. A lot of the food offerings are laid out on display for you to choose from – with the emphasis on healthy sandwiches and salads. Take the stairs on your left before the gallery.
reviewed
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Iimura
Try this classic little restaurant for its ever-changing set lunch – usually simple Japanese home-style cooking. Dishes might include a bit of fish or meat and the usual accompaniments of rice, miso soup and pickles. It’s in a traditional Japanese house set back a bit from the street, alongside a new five-storey building (look for the black-and-white sign).
reviewed
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Taverna
Here are some reasons this cosy, Roman-inspired spot has been here forever: spaghetti all’amatriciana (with bacon and tomato sauce) or vongole (clams, olive oil and garlic), and pizza mista (with anchovy, tuna and prosciutto). Some people eat here every night, inspired by the authentic cuisine, the charm of the owner and reasonable prices.
reviewed
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Hati Hati
Hati Hati offers some of the best Indonesian food in Kyoto, including all the standard favourites, such as nasi goreng (fried rice) and mee goreng (fried noodles). It’s on the basement floor of the Kankō building; look for the green stairwell. It also doubles as a bar-club – stop by and see what’s up if you’re in the area.
reviewed
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Tōshō
A traditional wooden building in a beautiful garden setting, Tōshō specialises in homemade tofu (the menu has some pictures), served in a surprising variety of tasty forms. It's a short walk from Danbara 1 chōme (段原一丁目) tram stop, left uphill after the Hijiyama shrine.
reviewed
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Shigetsu
To sample shōjin-ryōri (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine) try Shigetsu in the precinct of Tenryū-ji. It has beautiful garden views.
reviewed
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Isegen
From early autumn to mid-spring, this old Edo-style restaurant dishes up monkfish stew in a splendid communal tatami room. The rest of the year, when monkfish is out of season, expect the same traditional surroundings and a menu offering fresh river fish. There is no English menu, but the communal surroundings mean that it shouldn’t be too hard to point to what you want.
reviewed
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Kushihide Tori-ryōri-honten
Located down a side street adjacent to the Ōkaidō Arcade (look for the chicken on the sign) is this speciality restaurant where you can feast on fresh and tasty free-range Ehime chicken dishes. Although there aren't any plastic models, the speciality of the house is the tori sashimi (raw chicken). Check your hesitations at the door and dig in - it's delicious!
reviewed
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El Castellano
El Castellano’s longevity (30-plus years!) could be attributed to the warmth of its owner, who casts a friendly eye over the evening’s progress and affectionately greets his regulars with sunny Spanish hospitality. But that would discount the definite draw of his home-style cooking, which includes a scrumptiously mean paella and the sangria that goes so well with it.
reviewed
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Yakiniku Toraji International
Although it originates from the humble Korean dish known as bulgogi, yakiniku (grilled meat) at this Roppongi Hills establishment is anything but ordinary. Choose from a variety of immaculate cuts of meat, and then slow roast them over charcoals. Next, dip your perfectly cooked slices of meat in a variety of sauces before popping them into your mouth - delicious!
reviewed
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Ningyōchō Imahan
Down the hall from Sandaya, elegant Imahan is also all about beef, served as sukiyaki and shabu-shabu; there’s even a board showing (in Japanese) where the meats of the day come from. Also look for such delicacies as fugu, marbled beef sashimi and scaled-down kaiseki dinners. Come with comrades, as this cookery is meant to be shared for maximum merriment.
reviewed
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Tomoegata
Given the preponderance of sumō stables in Ryōgoku, it’s only natural that you’ll find restaurants serving the calorie-rich chankonabe. Recipes vary for this hearty stew, but count on beef, chicken, pork, fish and/or seasonal vegetables. Tomoegata has been serving it for generations – go with a group, or eat it all by yourself if you want to become big like a sumō wrestler.
reviewed
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Lotus Palace
Lunch and dinner are an absolute steal at this foreigner-friendly Vietnamese noodle shop, which serves up set meals that are centred on huge bowls of pho (rice-noodle soup) and rounded out with prawn spring rolls and mung-bean pudding. If you need to put an extra spring in your step, the syrupy Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk will no doubt get you where you want to be.
reviewed
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Dōjima Hana
If you crave something a little kotteri (rich and fatty), we recommend the tasty tonkatsu (pork cutlets) at this restaurant a stone's throw from the excellent Junkudō bookshop. We recommend the rōsukatsu teishoku (pork cutlet roast teishoku; small/medium ¥700/800). There is a limited picture menu and an English sign.
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Torigin Honten
For top kōchin, Torigin has been going strong for decades. Chicken is served in many forms, including kushiyaki (skewered), kara-age (deep-fried pieces), zōsui (mild rice hotpot) and sashimi (what you think it is). Individual dishes are a bit dainty for the price, but teishoku (set menus; from ¥3000) are more substantial. It's next door to BJ American Dining Bar.
reviewed
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Misen
Around the corner from Yabaton, Misen has little atmosphere and no English menu, but the Taiwan rāmen (egg noodles; ¥580) induces rapture – it's a spicy concoction of ground meat, chilli, garlic and green onion, served over noodles in a hearty clear broth. Other faves include gomoku yakisoba (stir-fried noodles; ¥630) and mabō-dōfu (tofu in spicy meat sauce; ¥580).
reviewed
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Park Hyatt Delicatessen
Stop by the Park Hyatt Hotel for what is undoubtedly Tokyo's top spot for New York style sandwiches, which will make even the most hardened New Yorker sob for home. Everything from the sesame-seed coated crusty loaves of bread to the protein-packed slabs of cured Parma ham is either homemade onsite or imported direct from the source, which is why everything here just tastes so damn good.
reviewed
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Taco Tora
Try this spot for Kyoto’s best tako yaki (fried, battered octopus balls – no, not those balls). The place doesn’t have much in the way of ambience, but, then, what tako yaki place does? Be careful: the balls are served piping hot and you can easily burn your mouth if you’re not patient. It’s near Kitano Tenman-gū.
reviewed
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Azami
Located on the ground floor of the Museum of Kyoto, on the northeast side of the building, this chicken specialist serves a wide variety of excellent dishes in a fairly traditional Japanese atmosphere. Choices range from yakitori to tsukune (chicken meatballs) to a healthy chicken salad. If you don’t mind sitting on tatami, downstairs rooms are highly recommended.
reviewed
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Aburaya-Shokudō
Just down the steps from the main gate of Kurama-dera, this classic old-style shokudō (all-round restaurant) reminds us of what Japan was like before it got rich. The sansai teishoku (¥1750) is a delightful selection of vegetables, rice and soba topped with grated yam.
reviewed
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Nodaiwa
This fifth-generation shop has been serving melt-in-your-mouth unagi in this location since the 1960s. There’s usually a line out the door, but once you take a seat beneath the country-style beams and tuck into your ojū ( unagi over rice in a classic lacquer box) or shirayaki-don (grilled unagi ) set lunch, you’ll understand.
reviewed
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Edogin
Fat pieces of superfresh sashimi and sushi draw the crowds at this little hole-in-the-wall spot just up the way from Tsukiji Central Fish Market. The lunchtime teishoku ( 定食 ) is a steal at ¥1000, especially since the fish comes from up the street. Though there’s nothing in the way of atmosphere, the locals who come here to eat provide the colour you need.
reviewed