Ueno & Yanesen
Part of the gallery and event space Hagiso, run by students from Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai), this is a good all-rounder for meals, drinks and…
Must-see restaurants in Tokyo
Tokyo
This is Kōenji's signature nomiyagai (eating and drinking strip), a collection of shabby (and cheap!) yakitori (chicken, and other meats or vegetables,…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Along either side of the street popularly known as Hoppy-dōri – ‘hoppy’ is a cheap malt beverage – are rows of izakaya (Japanese pub-eateries) with…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This fabled soba shop, once located in Manhattan, now serves its handmade buckwheat noodles at this small, elegant shop on a Roppongi side street. It's a…
Ueno & Yanesen
Kama-age udon (wheat noodles served straight in the cook pot) is the speciality at this popular restaurant. It's part beautifully restored brick warehouse…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Confectionary Toraya was founded in 16th century Kyoto; clients have included the Imperial Court. But its specialty, yokan, is pretty simple: adzuki (red…
Asakusa & Sumida River
The house speciality at this eccentric shack-like joint in the shadow of Tokyo Sky Tree is te-uchi udon (handmade wheat noodles); other dishes to sample…
Asakusa & Sumida River
When sumo wrestler Koto-ga-ume retired he opened this restaurant specialising in chanko-nabe, the protein-rich stew that rikishi (sumo wrestlers) eat by…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Traveller favourite Kaikaya serves seafood, much of which is caught in nearby Sagami Bay, in a variety of styles. The whole casual set-up is a homage to…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
'No meat, no life' is the catchphrase of this rustic and hip restaurant specialising in grilled steak, lamb and chicken. The cuts of meat are good and…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Rokurinsha's speciality is tsukemen – ramen noodles served on the side with a bowl of concentrated soup for dipping. The noodles here are thick and…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Offering an appealing melting pot of international dishes – from salade niçoise to a Philly cheese steak – made with fine local produce, this spacious…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Chef Yoshikawa Rimpei's bistro serves French food with some Moroccan flavours in the mix (everyone orders the housemade, charcoal-grilled merguez with…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
A collaboration between coffee shop Fuglen, Michelin-starred restaurant L'effervescence and Osaka-based bakery Le Sucré Coeur is naturally the perfect…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Literally ‘Memory Lane’ (and less politely known as Shonben-yokochō, or ‘Piss Alley’), Omoide-yokochō started as a postwar black market and somehow…
Ebisu, Meguro & Around
Higashi-Yama serves beautiful modern Japanese cuisine; the interior, a rustic take on minimalism, is stunning too. The restaurant is all but hidden, on a…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This counter shop sells seriously good pastéis de nata (Portuguese egg tarts) along with savoury snacks like bifanas (seasoned pork sandwiches) – more…
Ebisu, Meguro & Around
Champion is one of Tokyo's best spots for yakiniku – literally 'grilled meat' and the Japanese term for Korean barbecue. The menu runs the gamut from…
Tokyo
The chefs here, who train in Thailand, turn out seriously good Thai dishes (though maybe not quite spicy enough to count as truly authentic) served with…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
What happens when a former Ginza sushi chef turns his attention to – of all things – hamburgers? You get fish burgers and anago (seafaring eel) hot dogs…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Since 1801, Komagata Dozeu has been simmering and stewing dojō (Japanese loach, which looks something like a miniature eel). Dojō-nabe (loach hotpot),…
Harajuku & Aoyama
This pioneering macrobiotic restaurant has been running since 1976, long enough to see many a Harajuku trend come and go (and to see some famous visitors,…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This cosy, white-walled ‘hawker-style Asian canteen’ is a small slice of Singapore. Hainan-style chicken rice, Singapore’s national dish, is the…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
The speciality here is the least glamorous part of the meal – the rice, which comes from an organic farm the restaurant manages in Niigata Prefecture. It…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Freshly caught seafood from the nearby Izu Peninsula is the speciality at this upscale, yet unpretentious, restaurant. The dinner courses, which include…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Mucha-an is in an old wooden ryokan transported from across town to the gardens at Chinzan-sō. The soba (buckwheat noodles) are made in-house: go for…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Along a languid stretch of what was once the outer moat of Edo Castle, this is one of Tokyo’s best al fresco dining spots. The restaurant serves tasty…
Tokyo
A legitimate candidate for eighth wonder of the modern world is Tensuke's tamago (egg) tempura, which comes out batter-crisp on the outside and runny in…
Tokyo
Tokyo has taken to organic cafe Rose Bakery's no-fuss style of dining. Vegetarians and those with a love for British cakes and baked goods are well served…
Asakusa & Sumida River
The old Ryōgoku Station has been transformed into this touristy, sumo-themed food hall with souvenir shops and 11 different restaurants on two floors. In…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Tonjiru, a home-cooking classic, is a hearty miso soup packed with root veggies (such as burdock root, daikon/radish, potato and carrot) and chunks of…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Most yakitori restaurants fall into the 'cheap and cheerful' category. Not Birdland: here chefs in whites grill heirloom free-range chicken (from Ibaraki…
Harajuku & Aoyama
This food truck – our vote for Tokyo's best – is kitted out with a real wood-burning kamada, an old-fashioned cauldron-style rice cooker. And the…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Nagi, once an edgy upstart in the ramen world, now has branches around the city. This tiny shop is one of the originals, located up a treacherous stairway…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This cavernous old Edo-style space (said to have inspired a memorable set in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill) is a Tokyo dining institution, with other less…
Tokyo
Work your way through Inokashira-kōen and then end up at this little tavern – whose name means '10,000 stars' – at the far tip of the park, just steps…
Agaru Sagaru Nishi-iru Higashi-iru
Harajuku & Aoyama
This chill little restaurant serves Kyoto-style food (deceptively simple, with the ingredients – always seasonal – taking centre stage) without pretense…
Ebisu, Meguro & Around
This rustic-chic noodle joint alongside the Shibuya-gawa, with ties to Osaka's famous Kuro-mon market, is one of Tokyo's best spots for Kansai-style udon …
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This kaiten-zushi (conveyor-belt sushi restaurant) iis known to be far better than average, so there's nearly always a queue. Go at nontypical meal times …
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
In the evening, Nakajima serves exquisite kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine) dinners. On weekdays, it also serves a set lunch of humble iwashi (sardines)…
