Best Food in Tokyo - Spending a holiday in Japan is nothing without trying their tasty food, especially when you plan to stay in Tokyo. There are so many best foods in Tokyo, so you should spare your time only for restaurant-hoping.
From street food to restaurants, you can find all of them in Tokyo! But, FYI, Tokyo is so big so you can narrow down your search for the best food in Tokyo based on the area. The best area to search for delicious cuisine is Ginza, Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Tsukishima.
So, are you ready to read our list of best food to eat in Tokyo?
(Read More: Things to do in Dotonbori Osaka)
We are really sure that almost all the foods in Tokyo are already famous in the world. Even though you have tasted all these foods, it is time to taste the authentic ones in Tokyo. Here’s the list of best food to eat in Tokyo for your holiday:
If you are in Japan, it is impossible not to eat ramen at least once a day. It is the best food in Tokyo especially when the weather is a little bit cold. The ramen’s broth is very tasty and warm, that’s why it is going to be people’s favorite food when it is cold. You can choose your condiments: noodles or udon. They will serve the ramen with a variety of broths and meats, like seafood, beef, pork, and more. Not to forget the egg, nori, and vegetables to complement your ramen!
Who doesn’t know and doesn’t love sushi?! Sushi is a combination of rice and mostly fish. No matter how often you eat sushi back in Singapore, you should try having one in Japan. The fish will be fresh and how they make it will be different. Thus, the taste will be very authentic. Eat your sushi with shoyu and wasabi!
Japanese Curry mostly consists of meat, potatoes, and carrots. You can pair Japanese Curry with rice, udon, or even bread. The curry sauce of Japanese curry is so authentic. You can find Japanese Curry with the kind of meat that you love: chicken, beef, or porks.
Yakitori is chicken meat skewered with some kind of a thin wood and then baked. To make it tasteful, the chicken meat is seasoned with salt and sweet ketchup, so it makes a delicious taste when it goes to your mouth. The juicy chicken meat will help you enjoy the yakitori even more. You can find this best food in Tokyo very easily, at a variety of prices.
Crave for some crispy foods? Then go find tempura, the best food in Tokyo that is made by frying. You can find all kinds of tempura here, from seafood tempura to vegetable tempura. The condiments are covered with certain flour that will make it crispy and tasteful.
Japan is famous for its wagyu beef. So, it is the best food in Tokyo that you should absolutely try. You can find so many kinds of wagyu beef: Kobe Beef, Omi Beef, and more. The reason why you Japanese Wagyu Beef is the best is because they are so rich in flavor and the texture is just perfect. Don’t be surprised as Japanese Wagyu Beef is also famous for its expensive price among all wagyu from all over the world.
Do not confuse Soba with Ramen, although the form is almost similar. Soba means flour in Japanese, made in the form of thin noodles, almost like ramen. Soba is made from Japanese buckwheat and then served with broth that is called Sobatsuyu. It is made from skipjack fish’s broth. You can eat soba with condiments, like tempura.
Unagi is freshwater eel, which they serve as a fillet and combine it with some ingredients like sake, sauces, mirin, and more. It can be cooked by smoking, fried, or even made as a soup’s condiment. FYI, you can’t eat raw unagi just like when you eat other kinds of fish on sushi because unagi has toxins in its blood.
(Read More: Best Cities in Japan)
So, here is the list of restaurants where you can enjoy the best food in Tokyo!
The first best food in Tokyo would be Sushiro, the most favorite sushi place in Japan. It is so loved by people, right now it has up to 520 branches in Japan. Shocking, right?
Sushiro is famous for its delicious taste, plenty of variety for its sushi dishes, and affordable price. With plenty of sushi choices and the price that is so reasonable, Sushiro is a fit for everyone.
Sushiro is also very friendly to tourists. You don’t need to worry about language here, because you can just order your sushi with a machine. The instructions to use the machine are available in English.
Not only the sushi, but other menus in Sushiro are delicious too. You can try their ramen (in so many kinds of broths and sauces), miso soup, or tempura. Close your meal by ordering something sweet: pastries, crepes, and some sweet beverages.
Harajuku Gyoza Lou is the next best food in Tokyo. The place is actually a dumpling restaurant that serves fried dumplings and steamed dumplings. The price for the gyoza is very affordable. For 6 gyozas, you will only need to pay ¥290.
Relax, there are still more in here. You can complete your eating experience in Harajuku Gyoza Lou by ordering some dim sum (fried or steamed, both are available!). If you like, you can order beer and sake too.
Be prepared before you visit Harajuku Gyoza Lou because their tasty gyozas will invite so many people during meal time or snack time. Don’t be surprised when you see a long queue in front of the place and don’t give up on buying at least one portion of gyoza!
As we all know, one of the best foods in Tokyo is ramen. So, visiting Oreryu Shio Ramen is mandatory, especially for ramen lovers.
Once you arrive at Oreryu Shio Ramen, you will face the large menu, complete with pictures that look so tempting. You can choose what you prefer on your ramen, whether you want it cheesy or spicy. Hey, if you want to order both, we won’t judge you at all! But, before you go nuts, just remember that ramen often comes in a big bowl. Make sure you can handle it.
The place is very cosy too. The lighting is fit with the interior theme, which is mostly light brown colored. Even better, you will be accompanied by good music while you’re eating there.
Miyako has been open since 1978 and serves people with the best food in Tokyo! Miyako Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar is still people’s favorite today as well. Right now, Miyako has two branches.
If you are a sushi lover, we really recommend you to visit Miyako. But, sushi is not their only best dish. You can also try their rice bowl, udon, soup and salad, or bento box.
The menus for the sushi are various too. There is a special roll menu that you should try. Before you start your meals, you can order for starters, like their calamari or tempura. Very tasty!
If you think the best food in Tokyo is only Japanese cuisines, you are entirely wrong. In Savoy, you will taste the great Italian food! Pizzas are their specialty.
You can find so many toppings for the pizza that it is definitely going to make you confused while you are ordering. You can also witness how the pizza in Savoy is made, and watching it will make you even hungrier than before.
To make your experience unique and memorable, they pair their pizza with jazz music! The swinging jazz from the place will be playing on your ears on your way home.
(Read More: Best Hotels in Tokyo)
Ao will serve you the best food in Tokyo that is a combination between traditional and modern. Here, you can find Kaiseki cuisines (the traditional one) and also some modern Japanese cuisines that are created with authentic Japanese ingredients.
Meanwhile, Ao is a very homey place to enjoy the best food in Tokyo. The deep fried maki is very tempting. You must also try their miso cream cheese.
Sake is a way to complete your dinner in Ao. When you order one, you’re going to see the sake cups that are specially made by talented artist Toru Higoruchi. It has an Edo-kiriko pattern.
There is an exclusive place to taste the best food in Tokyo. In Ise Sueyoshi, you will only find five seats! It is going to be an intimate experience for the visitors. This restaurant is made by Chef Yuuki Tanaka who once worked in someone’s restaurant before he opened Ise Sueyoshi.
Chef Tanaka’s restaurant is focusing on Kaiseki, traditional Japanese cuisines. The multi-course cuisine is changing monthly and they only use seasonal ingredients.
Even though there is meat in Kaiseki, you can choose the vegetarian or vegan menus if you don’t eat meat. Don’t forget to also taste their rice wine. It is a perfect combination with Tanaka’s Kaiseki.
The best food in Tokyo also comes in the form of traditional Japanese cuisine. If you are looking for the most recommended one in the city, Ohara is the answer. It is a michelin-starred restaurant, so doubting the taste of the dishes there is very unnecessary.
So many ingredients are used here and all the final dishes are served in a bowl. You can find barracuda, salmon roe, and more kinds of fish. The unique thing about Ohara is that their menu is changing gradually. So, visiting the place over and over will only enlarge your experience in traditional Japanese cuisines.
Our next best food in Tokyo is a michelin-starred restaurant. Tamawarai will welcome you with delicious soba! The owner grows buckwheat himself and makes the best soba you will ever taste in Tokyo. It is very chewy because it has a different recipe than other soba in the city.
A variety of soba menu is in your hand to choose from. You can pick between hot and cold soba and eat it with tempura or tofu. The soy sauce will also make your soba taste more wonderful.
Tamawarai is a small place, so being patient to get a seat there is the key to get their delicious soba.
The next best food in Tokyo is placed in Grand Hyatt Tokyo: Kozue. Anyway, you won’t only enjoy the food, but also the view, especially at night!
You can expect delicious Japanese modern cuisines in Kozue because they have talented chefs. You can choose to spend lunch or dinner here, where both eating sessions have different menus. But it is guaranteed that from starters to desserts, your palate will be dancing in happiness.
For our Muslim friends, Kozue is also a safe choice because they have dishes that don’t contain of alcohol or porks. Vegetarians will also love this place because they have plenty of choices on vegetarian dishes.
Do you know that Bar Benfiddich is on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bar in 2022? Although it is pretty small, Bar Benfiddich is already famous around the world.
Before you visit, we recommend you to make a reservation first due to the small place and the big fans of it. In Bar Benfiddich, you will meet talented bartenders ready to amuse you with their works on beverages.
If you are lucky enough to have the bar seating, maybe you can talk to the owner. Back then he started the bar himself and served people with no menu. Well, you can imagine how creative he was!
The last recommended restaurant to taste the best food in Tokyo is Sougo. Located in Roppongi, Sougo is just what you look for if you are a vegetarian.
Yup, Sougo is a vegetarian restaurant. Did you know that their plant-based cooking style was made by Zen Buddhist monks? Well, eating here somehow isn't only tasteful, but also a little bit spiritual, don’t you think?
Even though they only serve vegetables, don’t expect it to be plain on the taste. It is actually very tasteful. Anyway, they also still use dairy, eggs, and fish broth to enrich the taste.
Hungry? Us too! Don’t worry, you can enjoy those places with the best food in Tokyo because Japan has already opened its borders for international travel since October 11th. Don’t be hasty! Take your time and plan your trip to Japan with Traveloka!