Good Eatin’ | Tokyo City Guide
A bustling fish restaurant run by British expat Andy, set under the arches of Yūrakuchō Station. If you’re looking for an easily accessible (due to the English language menus) izakaya, this is a great place to drink beer and eat seafood with your colleagues after work.
A nice place to grab a western style breakfast. This is especially true if you’re up early due to jetlag, as it opens at 8:30am rather than the more common 10am or 11am most other brunch places favour. Just get there early as the queues can get crazy, especially at the weekend.
This Japanese branch of the ever popular New York eatery, does killer blueberry pancakes. Having eaten in both, I think the Tokyo outlet is better than the original. Another place that opens early(ish).
A 1-Michelin star tempura restaurant, and regarded as one of the best of its kind by those in the know.
The world's first Michelin star Ramen restaurant, and one of the cheapest starred restaurants you’ll find. You’ll need to start queuing at 7am if you want to get a ticket for dinner.
A French, Japanese fusion restaurant with three Michelin stars to its name. The ambiance is refined, the food is delicious, and the service is faultless. No wonder it’s ranked one of the top 100 restaurants in the world. I’ve been here twice and wouldn’t hesitate going back a third time.
If you’re tired of sushi and ramen and looking for traditional European fare, I love this small local bistro (and neighbouring wine bar) run by a young western couple. They do a delicious brunch on the weekends as well, although you may want to book in advance as it’s tiny and tends to get busy. It’s just off the Meguro River, so a perfect place to stop off on a Sat/Sun morning walk to Nakamegero and beyond.,
This 2 star restaurant specialises in Preruvian food, cooked with Japanese ingredients and sensibilities. Its sister restaurant in Lima was at the top of the 50 best list in 2023, so you know you’re in for something special.
I SO want to go to this restaurant, as I’m in awe of interactive artists TeamLab. Not sure what the food is like, but they basically projection map visuals onto the walls and table while you eat, telling a story of your meal.
Be prepared to queue for an hour, to get lunch at this super cheap Michelin star restaurant. They specialise in sardine dishes, and the one I had was bloody tasty. So much so I’ll be back for more on my next trip out.
This new kid on the block is the second noodle joint to win a coveted Michelin star. You’ll probably end up queuing for an hour to get lunch, and be done in less than 20 minutes. But if you like ramen, it’s worth it.
Another Tokyo restaurant on the 50 best restaurants in the world list—and probably my favourite fine dining restaurant in Tokyo. This one can be booked online, making it slightly more accessible for visitors. Can’t wait to go back.
This pizza restaurant at The Mandarin Oriental just got named one of the top 50 pizza restaurants in the world. With only 8-seats it’s really difficult to land a reservation. I looked every day for a week before finally grabbing a single seat cancellation, so you may have to ditch your friends and go solo if you want to try their innovative tasting menu. It’s a fun experience, but I still prefer PST.
Short for Pizza Studio Tamaki, this pizza joint has taken over from Savoy and Seirinkan as my favorite pizza in Tokyo and arguably one of the best in the world. I remember chatting to the owner about 4 years into their opening (having worked at Seirinkan for many years), as he explained that he felt he was about 2 years away from cracking the perfect pizza. He explained that once customers left he’d experiment with different combinations of flour (a mix of Italian and Japanese) and water to make the perfect dough. It’s this focus on experimentation and perfection which I love about Japan. I ate there twice on my last visit, and would happily go back again.
Made famous by the movie, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, this is the top spot on most visitors' culinary tips to Tokyo. Just remember that the place is small, you need to book by phone months in advance, and Jiro has a slightly spiky reputation towards non Japanese speaking diners.
A Michelin Star sushi restaurant, which has trained some of the best sushi chefs in Tokyo, including the legendary Takashi Saito of Sushi Saito, the top rated Sushi restaurant in the city. While dinner here is expensive, the lunch omakase is surprisingly affordable.
While visitors flock to Sukiyabashi Jiro, local Tokyoites regard Sushi Saito as the best sushi restaurant in town. You might have to be introduced by a former diner to secure a reservation, and will probably need to extend your mortgage to pay for the privilege.
If you’re looking for vegan Ramen, then this is the place to come. Tucked in the basement of Tokyo station, it can be a little hard to find, but worth the search. Another popular place is Afuri, which has several locations around Tokyo and offers a Vegan option amongst their more meat based stocks.
This restaurant feels like a small piece of Kyoto, in the heart of Tokyo. Set in a beautiful landscaped garden in the shadow of Tokyo Tower, this restaurant specialises in traditional Kaiseki food, with a heavy focus on Tofu. It’s a pretty magical place to eat, although it might be worth going with a Japanese speaking friend to help navigate the menu and cultural expectations.
This lovely little neighbourhood ramen joint makes its broth from tuna bones rather than pork or chicken, making it one of the few pescatarian friendly ramen joints in Tokyo. It’s close to Kiyosumi Gardens and Museum of Contemporary Art if you’re in the neighbourhood and looking for a quick bite.