Restaurants in Tokyo
With more Michelin stars to its credit than any other city, this bustling Japanese metropolis might be the cuisine capital of the world. There are hundreds of thousands of restaurants in Tokyo rearing to entice expats, and most locals stand by the fact that it's difficult to find a bad meal.
Don’t miss Kaiseki, the elaborate and expensive Japanese cuisine themed around the four seasons, or overlook the abundance of different mid-range eating styles like sukiyaki noodle dishes, deep-fried tempura, mouth-watering tonkatsu pork, and yakitori chicken grilled on skewers.
It goes without saying the sushi is fantastic, too. Newly arrived expats will find it served in a myriad of combinations, with rare fish you may never have encountered before. At lunchtime, grab a Japanese bento box and find a quiet spot to watch the city rush by.
That being said, as easy as it is to find a fantastic place to wine and dine, it's almost equally as hard to find a restaurant that has an English menu. For many, there's nothing worse than watching plates of food go by not knowing what they are or how to order them.
For those with food allergies or food phobias (the Japanese have a very diverse palate) it can even be dangerous. What you just pointed to and ordered could have looked like tuna sashimi when in fact you realize too late that you have just eaten uma, raw horse.
And please, watch those table manners! Eat your sushi Tokyo style - with your fingers. When eating noodles pick up the bowl and drink from it, using the chopsticks to get at the chunky bits. It’s okay to slurp too – in fact it will enhance the taste of the food.
In most restaurants in Tokyo you are given a moist cloth called an oshibori before eating – use it to wipe down your hands and face. As for tipping, don’t do it. Your kind gesture will be met with confusion in all likelihood.
With an abundance of cuisine and several thousand restaurants to choose from, what follows is a subjective list, although all have a few important things in common:
Ramen
Ramen is more a food group than a restaurant, but nonetheless, this simple staple can be found on almost every street, denoted by small linen curtains above the doors called noren. Most shops post photos of their menu outside or just inside the doors.
Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish which consists of Chinese style wheat noodles served in a broth with toppings of sliced pork, dried seaweed, green onions and kamaboko (the pink and white fish paste puree). It is a hearty filling dish that is eaten all over Japan. A bowl of ramen usually costs less than $10 and you can find ramen shops open all hours of the day and night.
At ramen shops you will most likely encounter a vending machine that shows photos of each item with a price next to it. You put your money in, select your food choice and a ticket pops out which you hand over to the person waiting for it. You will be seated and your food brought to you. At the end of your meal you leave. No bill, as you’ve already paid.
And of course, don’t forget to hit the button for beer. Ramen and beer make a perfect pair!
Tensei
If you are looking for a tempura restaurant, you cannot go wrong with Tensei. The restaurant is tiny, up a narrow set of stairs and is comprised of two small private rooms and a counter of eight seats. When you make your reservation, ask to sit at the counter so you can watch the tempura chef hand craft each and every piece made from the freshest ingredients available. The owner is extremely friendly; but dinner can be expensive - so try it first for lunch.
Tensei Restaurant
Tel: 03-5786-2228
Angolo
This sophisticated Italian restaurant is as beautiful as the food is delicious. The menu changes with the seasons and always includes a large selection of fresh pastas. The waiters are Italian and very knowledgeable about the food and wine offered. Dinner can be expensive but the lunch set is very reasonable.
www.angolo.co.jp
Tel: 03-5447-7055
Kafir Lime
This Thai restaurant is directly behind Omotesando dori on a small back street in Harajuku. You can tell this place is serious by the smell of hot chillies when you enter. The restaurant has an open kitchen so you can watch them prepare your food. Low prices and excellent food keep this place packed for lunch and dinner.
Kafir Lime Restaurant
Tel: 03-3400-2918
Anniversaire Café
While in Omotesando, check out Anniversaire Café. This is not Tokyo's greatest gastronomic feat, but it is one of the best places to sit and people watch due to its location directly in front of a pseudo wedding chapel in the middle of Omotesando dori. Every half hour, the bells ring, the trumpets play and a newly married couple emerge from the chapel and parades right in front of your table. Sit with a bottle of wine and an order of spicy fries or a latte and a piece of tiramisu and watch the happy couples.
www.anniversaire.co.jp
Tel: 03-5411-5988
Heiroku Sushi
This conveyor belt sushi restaurant has been around for 35 years. Located in the middle of Omotesando dori this sushi restaurant is the perfect place for sushi fanatics as well as those new to the raw fish world. Small plates that cost $3 to $5 continuously circulate; you pick up the plates that look good to you. At the end of the meal your plates are counted and tallied. Bring cash, as they don’t take credit cards.
www.heiroku.jp
Tel: 03-3498-3968
Chez Pierre
In the market for French food and romance? This Tokyo institution has stayed the course; Pierre is there to greet you when you enter his small bistro and he’ll explain the menu so that you want to order everything.
Chez Pierre Restaurant
Tel: 03-3475-1400
Azabu Juban
This Savoy based pizzeria has 10 seats around a pizza oven. You may need to wait to get in, but it’s worth it.
Azabu Juban Restaurant
Tel: 03-5770-7899
Surprisingly, Tokyo makes a mean hamburger, here are two favourites:
Rigoletto Bar and Grill
This joint jumps on Friday and Saturday night. A huge bar sits in the middle of the restaurant and the menu is casual and inexpensive. The burgers are the best, but make sure to bring some wipes!
Rigoletta Restaurant
Tel: 03-6438-0071
Authentic
As the name implies, Authentic really gets the burger right. From the classic cheeseburger to the Godzilla sized Authentic burger,you can’t go wrong eating at this small Akasaka burger joint. This place can pack them in and it’s not unlikely to see a line out front, but if you’re looking for the real deal, this is it.
Authentic Restaurant
Tel: 03-3505-8584
Don’t miss Kaiseki, the elaborate and expensive Japanese cuisine themed around the four seasons, or overlook the abundance of different mid-range eating styles like sukiyaki noodle dishes, deep-fried tempura, mouth-watering tonkatsu pork, and yakitori chicken grilled on skewers.It goes without saying the sushi is fantastic, too. Newly arrived expats will find it served in a myriad of combinations, with rare fish you may never have encountered before. At lunchtime, grab a Japanese bento box and find a quiet spot to watch the city rush by.
That being said, as easy as it is to find a fantastic place to wine and dine, it's almost equally as hard to find a restaurant that has an English menu. For many, there's nothing worse than watching plates of food go by not knowing what they are or how to order them.
For those with food allergies or food phobias (the Japanese have a very diverse palate) it can even be dangerous. What you just pointed to and ordered could have looked like tuna sashimi when in fact you realize too late that you have just eaten uma, raw horse.
And please, watch those table manners! Eat your sushi Tokyo style - with your fingers. When eating noodles pick up the bowl and drink from it, using the chopsticks to get at the chunky bits. It’s okay to slurp too – in fact it will enhance the taste of the food.
In most restaurants in Tokyo you are given a moist cloth called an oshibori before eating – use it to wipe down your hands and face. As for tipping, don’t do it. Your kind gesture will be met with confusion in all likelihood.
With an abundance of cuisine and several thousand restaurants to choose from, what follows is a subjective list, although all have a few important things in common:
- They are all located within areas that expats live and frequent
- They are all within a 10 minute taxi of one another
- Expats will have a very good meal at any one of them
- They all have English menus or photos of their food displayed outside
- They all serve lunch, a fantastic way to sample food for a tenth of the dinner price
Recommended cuisine and restaurants in Tokyo
Ramen
Ramen is more a food group than a restaurant, but nonetheless, this simple staple can be found on almost every street, denoted by small linen curtains above the doors called noren. Most shops post photos of their menu outside or just inside the doors.
Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish which consists of Chinese style wheat noodles served in a broth with toppings of sliced pork, dried seaweed, green onions and kamaboko (the pink and white fish paste puree). It is a hearty filling dish that is eaten all over Japan. A bowl of ramen usually costs less than $10 and you can find ramen shops open all hours of the day and night.At ramen shops you will most likely encounter a vending machine that shows photos of each item with a price next to it. You put your money in, select your food choice and a ticket pops out which you hand over to the person waiting for it. You will be seated and your food brought to you. At the end of your meal you leave. No bill, as you’ve already paid.
And of course, don’t forget to hit the button for beer. Ramen and beer make a perfect pair!
Tensei
If you are looking for a tempura restaurant, you cannot go wrong with Tensei. The restaurant is tiny, up a narrow set of stairs and is comprised of two small private rooms and a counter of eight seats. When you make your reservation, ask to sit at the counter so you can watch the tempura chef hand craft each and every piece made from the freshest ingredients available. The owner is extremely friendly; but dinner can be expensive - so try it first for lunch.
Tensei Restaurant
Tel: 03-5786-2228
Angolo
This sophisticated Italian restaurant is as beautiful as the food is delicious. The menu changes with the seasons and always includes a large selection of fresh pastas. The waiters are Italian and very knowledgeable about the food and wine offered. Dinner can be expensive but the lunch set is very reasonable.
www.angolo.co.jp
Tel: 03-5447-7055
Kafir Lime
This Thai restaurant is directly behind Omotesando dori on a small back street in Harajuku. You can tell this place is serious by the smell of hot chillies when you enter. The restaurant has an open kitchen so you can watch them prepare your food. Low prices and excellent food keep this place packed for lunch and dinner.
Kafir Lime Restaurant
Tel: 03-3400-2918
Anniversaire Café
While in Omotesando, check out Anniversaire Café. This is not Tokyo's greatest gastronomic feat, but it is one of the best places to sit and people watch due to its location directly in front of a pseudo wedding chapel in the middle of Omotesando dori. Every half hour, the bells ring, the trumpets play and a newly married couple emerge from the chapel and parades right in front of your table. Sit with a bottle of wine and an order of spicy fries or a latte and a piece of tiramisu and watch the happy couples.
www.anniversaire.co.jp
Tel: 03-5411-5988
Heiroku Sushi
This conveyor belt sushi restaurant has been around for 35 years. Located in the middle of Omotesando dori this sushi restaurant is the perfect place for sushi fanatics as well as those new to the raw fish world. Small plates that cost $3 to $5 continuously circulate; you pick up the plates that look good to you. At the end of the meal your plates are counted and tallied. Bring cash, as they don’t take credit cards.
www.heiroku.jp
Tel: 03-3498-3968
Chez Pierre
In the market for French food and romance? This Tokyo institution has stayed the course; Pierre is there to greet you when you enter his small bistro and he’ll explain the menu so that you want to order everything.
Chez Pierre Restaurant
Tel: 03-3475-1400
Azabu Juban
This Savoy based pizzeria has 10 seats around a pizza oven. You may need to wait to get in, but it’s worth it.
Azabu Juban Restaurant
Tel: 03-5770-7899
Hamburgers in Tokyo
Surprisingly, Tokyo makes a mean hamburger, here are two favourites:
Rigoletto Bar and Grill
This joint jumps on Friday and Saturday night. A huge bar sits in the middle of the restaurant and the menu is casual and inexpensive. The burgers are the best, but make sure to bring some wipes!
Rigoletta Restaurant
Tel: 03-6438-0071
Authentic
As the name implies, Authentic really gets the burger right. From the classic cheeseburger to the Godzilla sized Authentic burger,you can’t go wrong eating at this small Akasaka burger joint. This place can pack them in and it’s not unlikely to see a line out front, but if you’re looking for the real deal, this is it.
Authentic Restaurant
Tel: 03-3505-8584
