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@Home Café
Wanna walk on the wild side of Tokyo's fetish for kawaii (cuteness)? Try being served coffee by girls dressed as French maids! You'll be welcomed as go-shujinsama (master) the minute you barge into this café. The anime-esque staff, decked out in Victorian pinafores, is drowning in kawaii ; titillating, perhaps, but it's no sex joint. Maid cafés are where Akihabara's otaku (geeks) get their kicks. Dishes like curried rice are even topped with smiley faces. Seconds, anyone?
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Akiyoshi
If in the mood for yakitori, Akiyoshi is an approachable, ebullient place to partake. The open grill at centre stage ignites a festive, sociable space. The chefs work quickly to help move traffic along, but that doesn't mean you can't sit comfortably through several small courses and at least one conversation. There is no English menu, though ordering is simple with the picture menu.
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Asakusa Imahan
It's fitting that the original branch of Imahan, the city's most famous chain of shabu-shabu restaurants, is located at the heart of Shitamachi. While sitting at low tables on the tatami mats, you can get happy on sake while letting your meat and seasonal vegetables simmer away. Although it's certainly an expensive affair, a meal at Imahan is the most dignified way to enjoy this much-revered Japanese culinary treat.
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Asterix
Lunch at Asterix is a smashing deal, but dinner has its own merits - not as rushed, so you can linger over your wine while you mull the meal that is pleasantly dulling your senses just so. Portions here are large, but the dining room is petite, so reservations are advised. The menu is in French but not English, which may or may not make things easier on you.
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Barbacoa Steakhouse
True, the speciality at this Brazilian-style steakhouse is the slab of steak, but Barbacoa also makes a kind concession to herbivores with its all-you-can-eat salad bar. This place also gets a great view of the bay and bridge.
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Beer Bar Bitter
This backstreet restaurant in Kagurazaka can be tough to find (hint - look up!), though like all hidden establishments, it is certainly worth the effort. In addition to the standard Japanese pub offerings, Bitter has a number of traditional European staples on the menu including steamed mussels and shepherd's pie, though don't let these culinary concoctions distract you from the impressive Belgian beer menu.
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Ben's Cafe
Local Waseda students and expats come to Ben's to quell cravings for bagels or Belgian beer - or just to chill. The patio out front is a good place to sip wine and watch life amble by on warm evenings. Ben's also hosts poetry readings and art exhibitions by local artists, and it has wi-fi access.
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Birdland
Commanding legions of yakitori -loving followers, Birdland is something of a destination for anyone in need of some seriously gourmet grilled chicken. Although yakitori comes in all shapes, sizes, colours and organs, you won't have a difficult time ordering here - simply choose from one of several set courses and experience first-hand how many different ways there are to cook up a bird.
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Botan
Botan has been making a single, perfect dish in the same button-maker's house since before the turn of the last century. Sit cross-legged on bamboo mats as chicken nabe (鍋; meat cooked in broth in an iron pan with vegetables) simmers over a charcoal brazier, allowing you to take in the scent of prewar Tokyo.
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Café Artifagose
Follow your nose towards the yeasty scent of baking bread, and you'll wind up at Café Artifagose where strong coffee and fine cheese and bread are your reward. If the neighbourhood shops tempt you more than a leisurely lunch does, pick up a pastry for later.
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Caffé Michelangelo
Stylish Daikanyama is exactly the locale this Parisian-style café is meant to occupy. The smart set comes here to be seen, but you could just as easily blend into the background. Sidewalk seating makes it a fine summertime lunch stop, with lovely reasonably priced lunch sets to enjoy with wine.
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Canal Café
When summer evenings in the capital hang heavy with humidity, you may long for a cold glass of white wine and a light meal by the riverside. Sadly, Tokyo has a regrettable dearth of alfresco restaurants with breathing room, though rare canal-side spots like this Iidabashi institution do exist. The speciality here is wood-fired thin crust pizzas and Italian pastas such as scallop and shrimp in a light cream sauce, though the real reason you're here is to savour a cocktail while soaking up the European atmosphere.
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Chalet Swiss Mini
Somehow this odd little school and café works. Nestled among the temples and shrines on a hill in Shitamachi, which was spared of the bombing during the war, it looks just like a Swiss chalet on a Hollywood movie set. It serves, not surprisingly, very good fondue, pastries and sandwiches, often to children who are just being let out of class upstairs.
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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).
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Christon Café
Irreverent in the most orthodox sense of the word, this cathedral-like izakaya fetishises the Catholic aesthetic and turns this dining experience into something your inner goth will love. Reservations are definitely required to feast on small plates to share with your brethren under gigantic altars and doleful images of the pietà.
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Coucagno
Few restaurants in Tokyo can claim more stunning views than the highly praised Coucagno, which occupies the 40th floor of the Cerulean Tower, one of the most dramatic buildings in both Shibuya and Tokyo. From such lofty heights, the Shibuya street scene looks as if it's populated by tiny ants, though attention quickly shifts to the food once the chef gets going. As you'd expect, everything from the delicate sauces drizzled across your roast duck to the perfect crust atop your crème brûlée is indeed a class act.
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Dada Café
This retro café, which is housed in a 70-year-old tenement building straight out of the Shōwa Era, is a charming spot to reminisce about a Tokyo most of us have never known. While taking tea and noshing on immaculate spreads of honest Japanese cooking, take a moment to reflect on the Zen-like beauty of your surroundings.
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Daiba Little Hong Kong
Among the quirky attractions of Odaiba is this kooky replica of the Hong Kong streets, complete with a recorded soundtrack of simulated street noise, neon signs, souvenir shops and restaurants slinging gyōza (dumplings) and yum cha .
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Daidaiya, Minato
Although Asian fusion is all the rage outside Japan, it's still catching on in Tokyo. Of course, it's hard not to fall in love with this culinary mish-mash, especially once you've realised the benefits of eating rich Thai curries alongside innovative sushi rolls and savoury Chinese dumplings. Although the food at Daidaiya is always creative and daring, it pales in comparison to the restaurant's eye-arresting ultramodern interior.
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Daidaya
Unabashedly cool with modern Balinese-style design accents from floor to ceiling, this ultrasophisticated Asian fusion restaurant offers a nouvelle take on this already inventive cuisine. Dishes like Kyshu-style sausages with homemade wasabi-mayonnaise are individually crafted works of art, and are presented in slow but steady stages to allow for the maximum amount of appreciation.
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Daikokuya
The long line snaking around the building should tell you something about this much-loved tempura place before you even catch the unmistakable fragrance of it. Sneak off to the other branch around the corner if the line seems to put too much distance between you and your ebi tendon (shrimp tempura over rice).
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Daiwa Sushi
Lines are pretty much unavoidable at Tsukiji's best and most famous sushi bar, but once you're past the noren (curtains) and your first piece of sushi hits the counter, gratification is inevitable. Unless you're comfortable ordering in Japanese, the chef's sushi sets are a good bet, which can easily be ordered by simply pointing at the 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.
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Delhi
Tropical cultures tout the numerous benefits of eating spicy foods; among them, the flushing of toxins when one begins perspiring with the endorphin rush (or pain, as the case may be). For those who like it hot, Delhi serves a fiery Kashmir curry. Patrons with milder tastes will find equally delicious options on the menu.
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Den Rokuen-Tei
Modern twists on seasonally changing Japanese izakaya (pub/eatery) dishes are matched with an array of wine, beer and sake cocktails. Private tatami (woven floor matting) rooms are available, but at this relaxed, stylish perch on the top of Parco 1, the lovely open-air terrace is the prime property.
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Din Tai Fung
This Taiwanese-style dim sum is the perfect choice for anyone who likes to try a little bit of everything. Whether you're partial to traditional steamed dumplings and rich custard creams or more adventurous dishes such as chicken feet and fried rice flour balls, we guarantee you'll eat your fill here. There's no English menu, but this being dim sum, just inspect the carts as they whisk by your table and simply grab what looks good.
