Osaka
Opening on to a typically narrow Ame-Mura lane, artsy Banco serves good coffee (espresso ¥330), panini, pizza and salumi. Stop by for lunch or evening…
Must-see restaurants in Japan
Nagasaki
Fine cake shop across from Megane-bashi; castella (dense sponge cake) supplier to the Japanese imperial family.
Odaiba & Tokyo Bay
In one of the old Terrade Warehouses on Tennōzu Isle, this bakery sells tasty croissants, muffins and danishes, as well as light lunches of soups and…
Central Honshū
Simple and tasty wood-fired pizzas are served in this cute pizzeria with pot plants and umbrella-covered decking out the front. Takeaway is also available.
Izu Peninsula
Touristy diner serving Shimoda red snapper burgers and shrimp avo burgers along with a few bottled beers. It's just behind the harbour museum at the port.
Tokyo
Pick up grilled sausages, currywurst and imported beer on your way to Inokashira-kōen, just a block away.
Osaka
Beneath Hankyū Umeda Station is a long string of Japanese and international restaurants, as well as shops selling cakes, pastries and chocolates.
Sapporo
The Susukino branch of crab speciality restaurant Kani-honke. Look for the big red crab sign out front.
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Ramen shops abound throughout Tsuruoka; this cheap and cheerful place is popular with locals for its flavoursome broth and late-night hours.
Downtown Kyoto
This charming French bakery is a good spot to pick up delicious pastries and home-baked bread while perusing the shops on Teramachi-dōri.
Hokkaidō
A branch of Kussharo-ko's Ainu restaurant Marukibune, inside Akanko Onsen's Ainu kotan, with venison and other Ainu specialties.
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
A great spot to pick up fresh sushi on the way through Kamaishi, the Sunfish market also has a few small restaurants on the 1st floor.
Ehime Prefecture
At the turn-off to Yōkaichi is this friendly Japanese diner that prepares a tasty two-choice lunch menu and good, strong coffee.
Northern Higashiyama
At the National Museum of Modern Art, this indoor-outdoor cafe is a great spot for a pick-me-up while museum-hopping in Okazaki.
Izu Peninsula
Run by friendly older women, this popular road stop offers up a good range of simple dishes from sashimi set meals to noodles.
Niigata Prefecture
This long-established eatery serves slightly flatter-than-usual teuchi (handmade) soba every which way.
Kansai
Beautiful valley views and home cooking, including noodle and tempura dishes. Look for the plastic food display.
Kii Peninsula
By the gorge in central Ryūjin, this unexpectedly eclectic indoor-outdoor cafe serves pizza, curry and coffee.
Izu Peninsula
Across from the ocean, this sun-drenched beach cafe does cheap and cheerful meals, beer, cocktails and coffee.
Okinawa & the Southwest Islands
A family-run grocery in Hirara, with a buy fresh, shop local vibe.
Kansai
Good in a pinch, this buffet-style restaurant is right near Gekū and, with 25 dishes to choose from, there's bound to be something to please everyone…
Kyūshū
One of the village's few stand-alone restaurants, Yūchan has a variety of grilled and fried options: okonomiyaki (savoury pancake), yakitori (grilled meat…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This department store attached to Shinjuku Station is a good bet when you're in need of a quick bite and don't want to brave the streets outside…
Osaka
This long-running Thai place serves fairly authentic versions of the standard favourites such as green curry and tom yum kung, and does a great-value…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
A rooftop night market that spans the Asian continent, Asia-yokochō has vendors dishing out everything from Korean bibimbap to Vietnamese pho. It's noisy,…
Kii Peninsula
This complex south of the beach has a fish market on the 1st floor where you can get kaisen-don (raw seafood over rice; ¥980 to ¥3300); there are a few…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Pariya's deli counter conveniently serves meals all afternoon. Grab a tray and choose one main, one salad and one side dish (or two salads and a side for…
Kii Peninsula
This convenient shokudō (all-round, inexpensive restaurant) serves standards like katsu-don (fried pork cutlet on rice), represented by plastic food…
Kansai
One of Yoshino's larger restaurants, Harukaze serves both local specialities and shokudō (all-around, inexpensive restaurant) staples such as noodles and…
Osaka
A casual, English-speaking joint serving pizza by the slice, wraps, bagels, desserts, bubble teas and brunch-time pancakes, plus poutine (a Montreal…
Osaka
This organic all-you-can-eat restaurant serves mostly Japanese cuisine with a focus on seasonal foods and vegetable dishes. The 'drink bar' is an…
Harajuku & Aoyama
This large outlet of the health-food chain Natural House has a deli serving (clearly marked) vegetarian bentō (boxed meals) and a fresh-juice counter. You…
Osaka
Two floors beneath the Hilton Osaka there are eight reasonably priced restaurants. Among those worth trying here is the tempura specialist, Shinkiraku.
Kōbe
If you're really hungry (and hankering for bay views), the buffet at this giant seafood restaurant in Kōbe Harbor Land will do the trick. There's a huge…
Osaka
There is a good variety of restaurants under the distinctive cylindrical Maru Building, serving Korean and Indian cuisine as well as yakitori and tako…
Kyūshū
Hirado beef compares well in taste with other wagyū varieties. Try it at this spacious and comfy spot for yakiniku (Korean-style grilled beef)…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Above Odakyū Shinjuku Station (right outside the south exit ticket gates), this youth-oriented department store has a bunch of budget-friendly restaurants…
Kōbe
This dated mall underneath the Crowne Plaza Hotel (and attached to Shin-Kōbe Station) is good in a pinch, with several restaurants to choose from,…
