street food in Tokyo

Hi folks.

Can anyone give me an idea of the location for some great street food in Toyko ? I will be there at end of March 2018.

I'm not too sure if there are any specific areas to look out for. I will be staying near Tokyo tower.

Would love to sit in a quiet (not too sure that's going to happen in a large city !!) back street bar for some sushi and a few cold beers.

Any info you be much appreciated.

Philip

To me sushi isn't really street food. What is wrong with a restaurant? I mean there are so many cheap and good and informal restaurants and izakaya's in Japan. Sit down and relax and take your time when you eat. Or is that what you mean with street food and "back street bar"?

I agree, Sushi is not street food to me either. There are plenty of places all over town where you can get Sushi and a couple of beers. If you are alone, sit at the, so that you can watch the chefs whilst eating. Conveyor Belt Sushi restaurants are also fun.

Izakaya's are great for skewers, snacks and beer. One busy famous area is "Piss Alley" in Shinjuku, which is overall a great area for food. Have a look at this food blog for more information https://migrationology.com/japanese-yakitori-memory-lane-piss-alley/

Tokyo doesn't really have much of a tradition of street food, and what you can find isn't very good.

One interesting thing to do when you visit Tokyo is to explore the many different cuisines that aren't really popular outside Japan. For example, tonkatsu (pork cutlet), okonomiyaki (savory seafood pancakes), kushiage (deep-fried skewers of meat and vegetables), takoyaki (fried octopus dumplings), yakiton (grilled pork on skewers), and yakitori (grilled chicken). Some of these are served in izakayas, and others have their own specialty restaurants. Here's a starter guide to some of these cuisines - what they are, where to find them and what to order: http://bento.com/japanesecuisines.html

I'd say the whole of Japan doesn't have a lot of real 'street food''..apart from special events,festivals etc.Its not like Thailand.....

Lots and lots of small restaurants of every type,everywhere...some good suggestions above (even if some of these are really Osaka specialities,they are also sold in Tokyo now ;-)

I am pretty sure the OP was indicating separate thoughts when he asked for 'street food' and 'sushi in a back treet bar', not 'street food sushi.'

Yes, street food is not so much a Japanese thing. And a lot of bars (izakaya) don't do sushi, even if they do serve plenty of raw fish.

wateenmooiedag
nathalie2
unamideanest
lucapal
shelemn

Many thanks for your information and suggestions. I'm just starting to research this topic and your assistance is gratefully recieved.

Philip

Ok,you're welcome.Don't worry,you will eat well in Japan!

Well.... I guess I disagree that Japan doesn't have street food. Sure, it doesn't have people wandering in carts selling food on the street, but it's chocked full of alleys where little kiosks or hole in the walls sell food that you eat sitting on a chair on the sidewalk or even yes, the street. Sometimes there isn't even a chair and you sit on the curb. I would call that street food.

Unfortunately, you won't find these places to be quiet. They tend to be fairly noisy. The exception is under the overpasses for the trains. Those places tend to be fairly quiet. You won't find much Sushi at these places. You do find a lot of Yakitori.

Well.... I guess I disagree that Japan doesn't have street food. Sure, it doesn't have people wandering in carts selling food on the street, but it's chocked full of alleys where little kiosks or hole in the walls sell food that you eat sitting on a chair on the sidewalk or even yes, the street. Sometimes there isn't even a chair and you sit on the curb. I would call that street food.

Unfortunately, you won't find these places to be quiet. They tend to be fairly noisy. The exception is under the overpasses for the trains. Those places tend to be fairly quiet. You won't find much Sushi at these places. You do find a lot of Yakitori.

Well why don't you tell us where to find all this street food. It seems pretty limited. Far less ubiquitous than the food trucks we know have in the US. I read somewhere that eating and walking in Japanese culture is frowned upon.

overandunder
shelemm

Many thanks to you both for your reply. I'm looking forward to tasting some authentic Japanese food and I wasnt too sure where the "best" locations were in Tokyo and hence my post.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Philip

I agree that Tokyo doesn't really have "street food culture" the way that some other parts of Asia do, but you do get something of that kind of vibe often in places with close proximity to railway lines.
Ameyoko, (Ueno - Okachimachi) Akihabara, Yurakucho, and Shimbashi and probably the pick of the Yamanote line stations for "street food".

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