41 Best Restaurants in Tokyo - The Ultimate Tokyo Gourmet Guide to Must-Try Dishes

Unagi, or eel, is enjoyed all over the world, but the kabayaki cooking style is unique to Japan.
The eel is quickly and skillfully prepared, then coated with a sweet and savory sauce made from soy sauce, sugar, and mirin, and grilled over charcoal. The result is absolutely delicious.
Unadon, which is kabayaki served over rice, originated in Nihonbashi during the Edo period.
Why not try kabayaki in its birthplace?

Sushi is now famous worldwide, but the style of nigiri sushi—placing sliced fish on vinegared rice—started in Edo-period Tokyo.
Back then, nigiri sushi was about the size of a rice ball and sold at food stalls, making it a kind of fast food.
You can still enjoy Edomae sushi, which keeps the traditions of the Edo period, in modern Tokyo. Give it a try!
Edomae sushi uses red vinegar, so the rice has a slight reddish tint. The toppings are also seasoned to bring out their flavor.

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and eaten with dipping sauce and condiments. Like nigiri sushi, soba was a popular fast food during the Edo period.
Three famous soba shops—Yabu, Sarashina, and Sunaba—were known as the “big three” in Edo times, and you can still find soba restaurants that follow their traditions today.
Yabu is the only one of the three that started and grew up in Tokyo.
Soba shops in the Yabu tradition are known for their strong flavors, both in the noodles and the dipping sauce.
If you spot a soba shop with “Yabu” in the name while in Tokyo, step inside and give it a try.

Tempura is made by coating fish, vegetables, and other ingredients in a light batter and deep-frying them.
Like sushi and soba, tempura was enjoyed as a kind of fast food during the Edo period.
As tempura became more popular, people started using higher-quality ingredients and batter made with flour and eggs, making it even better.
Edo-style tempura, which spread in Tokyo, uses a thin batter so you can really taste the ingredients. It’s usually eaten with dipping sauce.
Many places still serve tempura in the Edo style today.
Try authentic tempura at a specialty restaurant in Tokyo.

Kawachiya is a long-established restaurant with the look of a traditional Japanese inn. Inside, you’ll find a refined atmosphere and a beautiful courtyard. The restaurant is famous for its unagi dishes, but also serves carp and other river fish. With over 400 seats, there’s a spacious main dining hall and plenty of private rooms. If you’re visiting Taishakuten Temple, it’s convenient to enter from the approach side. The main dining hall has approx 120 seats, so you can relax and enjoy your meal.

This long-established eel restaurant has been around since 1907 and is conveniently located near JR Yamanote Line Otsuka Station. You can enjoy classic unaju (grilled eel over rice), as well as a variety of eel dishes like umaki (eel omelet), tempura, and skewers. They also offer a great selection of sake from all over Japan.
The biggest draw here is the rare “Kyosui Unagi,” often called the “phantom eel” because so few restaurants in Japan serve it. You can try it as kabayaki (grilled with sauce), shirayaki (grilled without sauce), or unaju.
Don’t miss their hitsumabushi, where the eel is grilled until crispy and you can choose between sauce or salt. Another highlight is the “Goku Unasoba,” a ramen with a rich broth made from eel bones. Both are popular lunch-only dishes.

This is an eel restaurant located in Roppongi Hills.
In Tokyo, it’s common to steam the eel before grilling, but here, they stick to the “jiyaki” style, grilling the eel directly over charcoal without steaming.
Their special sauce, made with Mikawa mirin—a rare ingredient in Tokyo—also gets great reviews and really brings out the flavor of the eel. The most popular dish is a rice box topped with both “shiroyaki” (plain grilled eel) and “kabayaki” (sauce-grilled eel), so you can compare the two.

Located inside Toyosu Market, where the freshest seafood gathers, Sushi Dai is a famous spot that always has a line. Because it’s in the market, they’re very particular about what they buy. If the head chef isn’t satisfied with a fish, they won’t purchase it, even if it’s the same type as usual. Instead, they carefully select the very best ingredients available. Rather than focusing on the origin or brand, they pick out what’s truly delicious at that moment and serve it at its peak.
One of the best things about Sushi Dai is watching the lively chefs prepare seasonal Edomae sushi right in front of you, and enjoying each piece one at a time.

This sushi restaurant is just a 4-minute walk from the East Exit of Shinjuku Station, one of Tokyo’s main terminal stations. With the concept of “evolving sushi,” they serve sushi that’s carefully crafted by skilled chefs, focusing on taste, aroma, texture, and appearance. It’s not just a meal, but an entertaining experience.
All dishes are served as a course. You can enjoy all-you-can-eat nigiri made with domestic fresh bluefin tuna for 2 hours. The course starts with 16 alternating dishes of nigiri—like fatty tuna, medium-fatty tuna, lean tuna, marinated tuna, and toro-taku rolls—plus seasonal Japanese dishes. After that, you get unlimited fresh bluefin tuna nigiri. It’s a truly luxurious course.

A true Edomae-style sushi restaurant offering an omakase experience.
With the concept of “a little bit of luxury,” the chef serves Japanese cuisine centered around sushi made with carefully selected seasonal ingredients. You can enjoy about 25 different pieces, alternating between nigiri and small side dishes, all served in small portions.

This long-standing soba shop has been dedicated to soba for over 230 years since its founding in 1789, during the Kansei era of the Edo period.
Their specialty is “sarashina soba,” made from the pure white core of the buckwheat grain, with no husk or bran mixed in.
It has a gentle sweetness and a smooth texture that’s easy to slurp. In the Edo period, it was even served at Edo Castle and samurai residences.

Founded in 1884, this classic soba restaurant is housed in a two-story wooden building that’s been designated a Tokyo Historic Building. It has a dignified, historic feel, but also a casual atmosphere that makes it easy to drop in.
On the first floor, there are two sliding doors—one for the entrance on the right, and one for the exit on the left.

Jindaiji is a famous soba area with nearly 20 soba shops. Among them, “Yusui” is one of the most popular.
The soba is handmade in the shop using Japanese stone-milled buckwheat flour. By selecting the best buckwheat from different regions of Japan for each season, they serve the finest soba all year round.

Tempura Kondo is dedicated to showing customers the true deliciousness of tempura. Their tempura, with its perfectly thin and light batter, continues to impress food lovers in Ginza.
Traditionally, Edomae tempura focused on seafood, and vegetable tempura was rarely found at high-end restaurants. But Chef Kondo wanted to establish tempura as a cuisine in its own right, so he started using carefully selected local vegetables and created courses featuring only tempura.

Located in Nezu, a neighborhood where old and new blend together, “Hantei Nezu” is housed in a building that reflects this mix of eras, with glimpses of the old peeking through the new iron fence.
Inside, you’ll find a charming atmosphere and a wide variety of kushikatsu made with carefully selected ingredients and a special blend of four oils. The skewers are light yet flavorful. Enjoy classics like “shrimp wrapped in shiso,” “Yanaka ginger wrapped in meat,” and “stuffed lotus root,” as well as seasonal skewers and more.

Founded in 1887, this tempura restaurant is a beloved Asakusa specialty. Their tempura is fried to a golden brown using only sesame oil, and their rich, sweet-and-savory sauce has remained unchanged since the restaurant opened.
There are many types of tendon (tempura rice bowls), but the most popular is the “shrimp tendon” topped with four large shrimp tempura. They also offer a variety of tempura and à la carte dishes.

This special restaurant is located in Omotesando, one of Tokyo’s most sophisticated areas. Step inside and you’ll find a luxurious and elegant space, featuring a 150-year-old Kanazawa merchant house and Art Deco furnishings.
Here, you can enjoy dishes made with the finest ingredients, including “Ukai’s specially selected Japanese Black beef” and fresh seafood. One of the highlights is the chef’s table, where you can watch the chef’s expert skills as they prepare your meal right in front of you. This makes the food taste even better.

This stylish and elegant restaurant is softly lit with downlights. They grill rare branded beef and grass-fed beef on a 6.15-meter-long teppan. All seats, including private and semi-private rooms, are set up so you can watch your food being cooked right in front of you.
They offer a wide range of options, from premium steak courses to reasonably priced à la carte dishes, making it easy to use for any occasion.

Opened in 2007 by Yoshiteru Ikegawa, the head chef of “Torishiki ICHIMON.”
This famous yakitori restaurant has been featured in many media outlets and has held a Michelin star for over 10 years. It’s even called “Japan’s hardest-to-book yakitori restaurant.”
The yakitori, crafted with expert skill, is perfectly balanced in flavor, texture, and aroma—truly a must-try.

Fucha ryori is a type of shojin cuisine. It was introduced to Japan about 300 years ago by Zen Master Ingen from Ming China, who founded Manpuku-ji Temple in Uji, Kyoto. The word “fucha” means “serving tea to everyone,” and refers to a meal where everyone gathers for tea, followed by a meal in the spirit of equality.
At “Fucha Ryori Bon,” you can enjoy seasonal fucha cuisine prepared with unique methods, based on the Zen philosophy of “food as medicine.”

Founded in 1760, this is the sister restaurant of the long-established chicken restaurant “Tamahide” in Ningyocho, famous as the birthplace of oyakodon.
You can enjoy Tamahide’s traditional yet evolving flavors in a stylish setting inside Tokyo Skytree.
Their oyakodon is carefully crafted, with attention to the flavor and texture of the chicken and even the firmness of the rice.

This Japanese restaurant offers delicious cuisine with a stunning view from 220 meters above the city. They serve unique dishes that combine traditional Japanese cooking with modern techniques and ingredients.
The weekday lunch kaiseki “Hōju” is a great value, featuring colorful appetizers, steamed dishes, and desserts. For dinner, you can enjoy seasonal kaiseki courses that showcase the best ingredients of each season.

This popular yakiniku restaurant is known for its melt-in-your-mouth lean meat and secret marinade. The slightly sweet marinade, which pairs perfectly with both the meat and rice, has been passed down from “Onuki,” a long-established yakiniku shop in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, for 45 years. The rich flavor and sweetness of the carefully selected domestic black wagyu is enhanced even more by the marinade.
The staff, who know the meat inside and out, will even advise you on the best way to grill it, so you don’t have to worry about overcooking your premium beef.

This yakiniku restaurant is run by Heijoen, a long-established shop with 50 years of history that buys whole cows.
You can enjoy the highest grade wagyu, from famous Japanese brands to carefully selected varieties. They also have a great selection of wine, so try pairing your wagyu with a glass of wine.

This yakiniku restaurant drew attention even before opening, as it’s owned by celebrity Hiroyuki Miyasako and promoted by popular YouTuber Hikaru. Since opening in Shibuya in March 2022, it’s become known as “Japan’s most talked-about restaurant,” thanks to its high-quality menu and rave reviews from celebrities and YouTubers.
All the meat, both wagyu and crossbred beef, is carefully selected by expert buyers. The menu features dishes like “Special Salted Tongue” and “Miyasako Harami with Gyugujou’s Special Salt Sauce,” perfected by Miyasako himself. Once you try them, you’ll want to come back for more.

Located on the site of the famous “Kisentei” rakugo theater from the Meiji to Showa eras, this restaurant is known for dishes made with Ningyocho Imahan’s black wagyu. On the first floor, you’ll find “Kisentei,” a teppanyaki steakhouse where you can watch your meal being prepared right in front of you. On the second floor, “Ningyocho Imahan” serves sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, and other Japanese dishes.

Founded in 1895, this long-standing restaurant has been loved by locals and tourists alike for 130 years.
Their signature sukiyaki is made with carefully selected female black wagyu from all over Japan, chosen by expert buyers. As a certified Kobe beef dealer, they source Kobe beef from two contracted farms in Hyogo Prefecture. They also pay special attention to the vegetables, using premium Senju green onions and thick, aromatic shiitake mushrooms that pair perfectly with the sauce.

Sugimoto is a long-established butcher shop from Nagoya, famous for its sukiyaki. Here, you can enjoy sukiyaki made with carefully selected Matsusaka beef and seasonal vegetables, all cooked in their secret sauce.
You can also try Nagoya’s specialty “gyu-mabushi” and a variety of colorful Japanese set meals in a modern Japanese setting.

Yoyogi-Uehara is known for its high-quality restaurants, and this place stands out for its dishes that go beyond just being delicious—they’re truly moving.
Owner-chef Shusaku Toba creates imaginative dishes that aren’t bound by any category. Both lunch and dinner are served as omakase courses, with a fresh approach every day. They also offer drink pairings that perfectly match the food.

Located in the basement of “the GARDEN,” a complex with unique shops like a stylish flower shop and a bookstore with a special theme, this is a hidden fine dining spot.
The blue-gray, solid, and chic space is designed to minimize visual distractions, so you can focus on the food. Here, Chef Yuichi Mukasa serves sophisticated, modern, and beautifully presented Italian cuisine.

Located on the second floor of Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Ginza, this restaurant is conveniently close to famous spots like Kabukiza and Ginza Mitsukoshi.
The interior, with its light wood accents, feels like a European mansion. The restaurant is surrounded by windows, offering a bright and open atmosphere. You can enjoy your meal while watching the bustling streets of Ginza below.
Both lunch and dinner are available as courses or à la carte. The menu is Italian-based but features creative dishes using seasonal ingredients, so you can enjoy something new each time.

Located on the basement floor of “Tokyo Station Ichibangai,” right outside the Yaesu Underground Central Exit, “Tokyo Ramen Street” brings together 10 of Tokyo’s top ramen shops.
Each shop offers a different style of ramen, so you can try a variety of flavors.
In addition to classic and popular menu items, there are also exclusive dishes you can only find here, so you can fully enjoy the unique charm of each shop.

This ramen shop features a refined Japanese-style interior. The soup is made from Japanese pork bone broth, layered with several types of seafood stock, with grilled flying fish (“yakiago”) as the main ingredient. The result is a rich, delicious soup with the elegant flavor of premium yakiago.
The noodles are the same type used in Sano ramen, famous for its hand-kneaded blue bamboo noodles. The uneven, wavy noodles pair perfectly with the soup.

Just past the gate of Shinjuku Golden Gai, you’ll find “Nagi,” a ramen shop specializing in niboshi (dried sardine) ramen.
The main menu features “Sugoi Niboshi Ramen” and “Sugoi Fisherman Tsukemen.”
The highlight is the soup! They use a unique blend of over 20 types of niboshi from all over Japan, creating an incredibly rich, niboshi-packed soy sauce broth. Each bowl uses over 60 grams of niboshi!
Just one sip fills your mouth with the aroma of niboshi. The flavor is strong, but it’s so addictive you’ll want to drink every last drop!

Founded in 1975, Marugo is one of Akihabara’s most popular tonkatsu shops. Their tonkatsu is all about attention to detail—the sweetness and flavor of the carefully selected pork, the tenderness, the fine texture, the way the fat melts, the juicy meat, and the crispy breadcrumbs. It’s even been featured in the Michelin Guide Tokyo’s Bib Gourmand.
Their “Special Loin Katsu” and “Special Fillet Katsu” are thickly cut and slowly cooked at low temperature. They take a little time to prepare, but are definitely worth trying at least once.

A popular tonkatsu shop in Ueno, known for its signature white-breaded tonkatsu, slowly fried at low temperature. The coating is crispy, while the meat is tender and juicy, with a gentle flavor that lets you enjoy the sweetness of the high-quality fat.
The menu is simple: “Loin Katsu Set” and “Fillet Katsu Set,” each available in large or regular sizes. Sets include rice, cabbage, miso soup, and pickles. The sauce is not too sweet and has a clean finish, bringing out the flavor of the meat.

Founded in 1927, Ginza Bairin is a famous tonkatsu shop. The founder, who was a pharmacist, is also known for developing the original tonkatsu sauce.
They use carefully selected ingredients, such as tender Kagoshima black pork and “Tsuyahime” rice from Yamagata, which pairs perfectly with tonkatsu.

Founded in 1894, this udon shop has been loved for five generations, with locations in Gunma’s Tatebayashi, Nihonbashi, and Haneda Airport.
The Ginza branch, located behind Kabukiza on Matsuyadori, has a luxurious atmosphere to match its location.
Their udon, made with Gunma wheat, is sweet, chewy, and has a firm texture.

The Ginza branch of “TsuruTonTan UDON NOODLE Brasserie,” an overseas expansion of the popular udon chain “TsuruTonTan,” known for its freshly made, freshly cut, and freshly boiled noodles.
Located inside Tokyu Plaza Ginza, with an Edo Kiriko-inspired exterior that stands out at the Sukiyabashi intersection, this stylish spot is especially popular with young people and international tourists.

Opened in 2011, this udon specialty shop in Shinjuku is just a few minutes’ walk from the south exit of Shinjuku Station. It’s so popular that even on weekdays, there’s often a line outside, especially with international tourists.
They never make their udon in advance. Each bowl is made to order, with noodles kneaded for the day, cut after you order, and boiled in plenty of water. The noodles are silky smooth and have a springy, chewy texture—truly delicious.

A beer restaurant offering over 200 types of beer from around the world, along with dishes from various countries.
To help you enjoy the beers even more, the interior features five different bar counters, each recreating the atmosphere of a different country.
You’ll find rare beers here, including popular Belgian brews, small-batch American beers, and German varieties.

Located on the 40th floor of the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel in the heart of cosmopolitan Shibuya, Bellovisto offers stunning views of the city from 150 meters above ground. Here, you can enjoy cocktails crafted by world-class bartenders, Japanese whisky, and a selection of fine drinks and seasonal snacks.

Located on the 41st floor of Shiodome City Center, a high-rise at the entrance to Shiodome Sio-Site, Bar&Lounge MAJESTIC boasts breathtaking night views and original cocktails.
The panoramic night view, with Tokyo Tower right in front, is truly spectacular. Professional bartenders, who have competed in various contests, serve a wide range of original cocktails-classic drinks with a modern twist. The wine list includes over 2,000 bottles, mainly from France and California.

Located behind Kabukiza, just a 2-minute walk from Higashi-Ginza Station Exit 3, “Kissa YOU” is a classic coffee shop loved by locals and kabuki fans alike. The retro interior, spread over two floors, is filled with the charm of the Showa era.
They serve drinks like coffee, tea, and kombu tea, as well as nostalgic Western-style dishes such as Napolitan spaghetti and hamburg steak.

Opened in 2017 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Tsukiji Hongwanji, this café is located inside the temple’s information center, based on the concept of an “open temple.”
With large windows offering a great view of the main hall, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and sweets in a calm atmosphere. In November 2022, the café was renovated with more seating and now also serves as a book café where you can read Buddhist texts.
The most popular item is the limited-quantity breakfast set “18-Item Morning Meal.” Inspired by the 18th vow of Amida Buddha, it includes rice porridge, miso soup, and an amazing 16 small side dishes.

Founded in Kyoto during the late Muromachi period, Toraya is a long-established shop famous for its yokan and other Japanese sweets.
At the Ginza branch, you can enjoy exclusive menu items like “Yaki Tate Yahanotsuki,” a freshly baked confection filled with sweet red bean paste, made to order.
For the first time at a Toraya shop, there’s a counter (reservation required) where you can watch the artisans make wagashi right in front of you. There’s also an open terrace with greenery and a water feature, creating a relaxing space.