87 restaurants to explore
Post-war black market turned sprawling 400-meter food street with 400+ shops in Ueno.
Burger offshoot from Fire House with signature sweet apple compote and hand-cut fries.
Underground Vietnamese spot in Yurakucho where crispy banh xeo pancakes and ¥500 banh mi draw lunch lines.
Tokyo's first Michelin-starred yakitori restaurant, where every cut of chicken gets the skewer treatment.
Viral ramen spot with gyokai-tonkotsu broth and thick char siu that went viral in 2024.
Michelin one-star vegetarian kaiseki hidden in a temple at the base of Mount Atago.
Early-morning omakase at Toyosu Fish Market with tuna auctioned that morning.
Ex-bistro chef's ginger shoyu ramen with hand-kneaded whole wheat noodles and wagyu rice sets.
South Indian restaurant near Tokyo Station serving dosas, curries, and seafood specialties (now closed as of April 2025).
Setouchi-inspired café with sourdough tartines and carefully sourced pastries.
Michelin one-star Austrian restaurant by Tokyo's only three-star Michelin-trained Japanese chef.
Convenience store chain with cheap, surprisingly good onigiri, fried chicken, and bento boxes open late.
Fast, affordable Thai shokudo where ¥980 lunch plates come with curry, salad, and soup.
Two-Michelin-star kaiseki, seasonal menu that celebrates peak ingredients with minimal intervention.
Three-day handmade Inaniwa udon, silky and delicate, served with tempura or curry dips.
Maze of 200+ micro-bars in 4-stool alleyways, each with its own theme, master, and regulars.
Iconic izakaya with yakitori and fresh soba in a Kill Bill-featured setting, open until 3:30 AM.
Izakaya with hand-wrapped gyoza in 10+ varieties, from classic to seasonal specialties.
Michelin-rated gyoza shop near Iidabashi serving the same hand-wrapped dumpling recipe since 1954 — expect queues.
Three Michelin stars for Chef Harutaka Takahashi's morning-market sushi precision.
Michelin Bib Gourmand Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki with yakisoba, no reservations, lines always present.
Retro drinking alley with 20+ izakaya serving Hoppy (beer-flavored shochu mix) and slow-cooked beef stew.
Michelin one-star French cuisine using Japanese ingredients, open counter where you watch Chef Koga work.
24-hour tonkotsu ramen in individual booths where you customize broth richness and spice level.
Fukuoka's famous tonkotsu ramen chain - creamy pork broth and thin noodles at ¥800-1,300.
Seafood izakaya where you grill fresh shellfish tableside, housed in a fishing-port atmosphere with live fish tanks.
Historic first Michelin-starred ramen restaurant, now at Yoyoji-Uehara location.
Award-winning tonkotsu ramen specialist — 18-hour pork bone broth with creamy, buttery flavor that's spread globally.
Edo-style soba since 1881, serving hand-cut noodles unchanged for over 140 years.
Nagano soba specialist in Azabujuban, famous for walnut sauce and refined tempura.
Michelin one-star Thai restaurant by Nagoya chefs, handmade curries with fresh coconut milk.
Michelin-recognized udon spot in Shinjuku serving handmade noodles and crispy tempura — expect a queue but worth the wait.
Michelin-recognized kappo counter in Kagurazaka serving fresh seafood directly from Uwajima fishermen.
Tokyo's iconic tonkatsu since 1965, serving kurobuta pork so tender you can cut it with chopsticks.
Thick, chewy Sanuki udon with wavy noodles you queue 45 minutes to get.
Japan's cheapest gyudon chain - beef rice bowls, karaage, and set meals for ¥350-800.
Tokyo's legendary tsukemen (dipping ramen) — rich chicken and 5-seafood broth that simmers for 13 hours.
Newly opened Okubo ramen shop with thick noodles in rich seafood-pork broth.
Three Michelin stars for Chef Hidetoshi Nakamura's minimalist kaiseki focused on ingredient essence.
Standing sushi bar from Hokkaido with seasonal seafood plates at under ¥700 each.
Three Michelin stars for Chef Seiji Yamamoto's seasonal kaiseki rooted in Japanese tradition.
Michelin-recognized pork gomtang with crystal-clear broth, 100 bowls served daily in Tokyo's Koreatown.
Nostalgic post-war alley of 60+ yakitori and horumon joints in a 1950s time capsule.
Michelin Bib Gourmand curry counter with one dish: pork vindaloo for ¥1,000, served with unlimited rice.
Michelin-starred Italian counter where the chef crafts pasta with Japanese ingredients and dashi.
Six-seat shoyu ramen temple in Nishi-Shinjuku — 2020 Tokyo Ramen Shop of the Year, reservation-only, weekdays only.
Michelin-recognized chicken shoyu ramen in Shinjuku - Tabelog Top 100, must book ahead.
Lunch-only ramen counter making house-made noodles with homemade chicken broth and no food additives.
Two Michelin stars for Chef Virgilio Martínez's altitude-based Peruvian cuisine in Tokyo.
Michelin one-star kaiseki with a sushi chef's precision and Shanghai influences.
Michelin 3-star French dining in the Four Seasons with Chef Daniel Calvert's contemporary omakase menus.
Michelin Bib Gourmand izakaya in Shinjuku serving simple, rustic grilled fish and vegetables with extensive sake.
Michelin-starred 100% buckwheat juwari soba, milled in-house, served chilled or hot.
New ramen spot with additive-free double broth of chicken, niboshi, and skipjack.
Michelin Bib Gourmand ramen with legendary tantanmen and shoyu soba at ¥1,000.
Michelin Bib Gourmand South Indian curry with spiced chicken and lamb, served over Taiwanese braised pork rice.
24-hour ramen in Golden Gai with aggressively fishy dried sardine broth that divides people instantly.
Legendary omakase sushi where a master chef decides every piece, served in rapid succession.
Two-Michelin-star sushi restaurant branch of legendary Sukiyabashi Jiro in Roppongi Hills.
Legendary counter-only omakase in Toyosu Market where sushi chefs source from the day's catch.
Two-Michelin-starred Edomae sushi in a basement counter, sourcing daily from Toyosu Market.
One Michelin star sushi counter with seven seats carved from 150-year-old Nara cypress.
Three-Michelin-star intimate eight-seat sushi counter with legendary chef Takashi Saito.
Tokyo's only three-Michelin-star sushi restaurant — 14 pieces served counter-style with 150-year-old vinegar rice.
24-hour sushi chain with fresh affordable toro and kaisendon rice bowls at counter seating.
Japan's #1 sushi chain where made-to-order quality plates start at ¥100, with premium uni and toro at ¥330.
60-year-old no-frills yakitori under the tracks in Yurakucho - charcoal-grilled skewers from ¥160 per piece.
Two-Michelin-star tempura counter in Ginza, led by Master Chef Fumio Kondo with 50+ years experience.
Two-Michelin-starred tempura where liquid nitrogen in the batter creates impossibly light, translucent crisps.
Michelin-starred Hong Kong dim sum shop where crispy baked pork buns cost under ¥600.
New ramen spot from the former Motsuke owner, additive-free niboshi broth with house-made noodles.
European-style curry simmered for 140 hours with 36 spices, wagyu beef and beef tongue variations.
Tokyo's most famous tonkatsu since 1965, pork so tender it cuts with chopsticks.
Tokyo's old-school tonkatsu legend since 1939, counter seating facing the open kitchen.
Packed yakitori izakaya where thirty grilled chicken skewers cost ¥319 each.
One-Michelin-star yakitori omakase, twelve seats, hardest reservation in Tokyo since 2007.
Street-food market where you queue for grilled tuna skewers and tamagoyaki at a dozen legendary stalls.
Historic tamagoyaki specialist in Tsukiji Market where the omelette sandwich sells out daily.
Tokyo's most famous monjayaki restaurant on Monja Street, staff cooks each dish to perfection.
Alley of 80+ monjayaki restaurants where you cook savory pancakes on tabletop griddles.
Iconic 1923 tempura restaurant in Shinjuku, famous for tiger prawns and seasonal vegetables.
Conveyor belt sushi in the heart of Shibuya where a plate of nigiri costs ¥110 and arrives via high-speed chute.
A5 Japanese black wagyu yakiniku with wine pairings, spread across three floors in the heart of Shibuya.
24-hour charcoal-grilled Japanese wagyu and offal with 70+ dishes on menu, 5 minutes from Shinjuku Station.
One-star Michelin yakitori counter in Nihonbashi — 16-course omakase of charcoal-grilled chicken skewers using game fowl.
Japan's oldest gyudon chain since 1899 - beef rice bowl in 3 minutes for ¥300-900.
Smoky post-war alley under the JR tracks where Tokyo office workers order skewered chicken over beer since the 1950s.
