Restaurant Guide: Tokyo

Food + Restaurants by Courtney Hardy



Tokyo is a food obsessed city. And Zack and I are food obsessed people, so it was a match made in heaven. Sushi for breakfast, ramen from the Akihabara District, and so much more.

Below I’m detailing some of the best places we tried during or visit:

LUNCH + DINNER

GORYONSAN

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: 5:30pm – 11:45pm daily
• Address: 1-6-3 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku , Tokyo Villa First Shibuya B1 (entrance is located downstairs)
• Credit Card Accepted

We arrived in Tokyo in the evening, and as tired as we were from traveling, I’m so glad we decided to go out and do a little exploring. Lucky for us, Zack’s friend, Mie, lives in Tokyo and set up a GREAT dinner for our first night.

Goryonsan serves up some amazing skewers and tons of other delicious share plates. We let Mie do the ordering, so I couldn’t begin to tell you everything we tried, but it was DELICIOUS.

GENKI SUSHI

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: 11:00am – 11:30pm daily
• Address: 24-8 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0042, Japan
• Credit Card Accepted

Yes, this place is a little touristy, given that it’s located right next to Shibuya Crossing, but it’s sushi that’s served via conveyer belt. It’s fun, cheap, and you’re a tourist so ENJOY.

Order your items via the touchpad screen in front of you and wait for it to arrive on the conveyer belt. We ended up getting 8 plates of sushi for $7 USD.

IChiran ramen

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: open 24 hours
• Locations all over Japan

Ichiran is a famous ramen chain with locations all over the country, so if you don’t get to try it in Tokyo, chances are you’ll find it wherever you are in Japan.

The entire experience is so unique – you order from a vending machine which gives you a ticket, then you are seated in individual booths (like a bar with dividers so each person has privacy). It’s meant to allow you to have no distractions and fully immerse yourself in the food. Once you are seated, you will be able to customize your ramen even more (spiciness level, toppings, etc.).

YAROU RAMEN

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm daily
• Address: 3 Chome-2-11 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021, Japan

Look, we ate A LOT of ramen. 1. Because it’s delicious, and 2. because it was the perfect way to warm up. Yarou Ramen is located in Akihabara, and they are known for their giant bowls of ramen. We didn’t even order the largest size and we could barely put a dent in it! Pictures just don’t capture the size.

BREAKFAST + CAFES

sushi dai

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: 5:30am – 2pm (or until sold out)
• Address: 6 Chome-5-1 Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo 135-0061, Japan
• Located on 3F – 3rd floor of Block 6
• CASH ONLY

Yes, sushi for breakfast.

I shared a detailed breakdown of everything you need to know about Sushi Dai on my Tokyo Guide, so check that out there. All I can say is this is a MUST. By far one of our top experiences from our entire Japan trip.

reissue

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: 10:00am – 6:00pm daily
• Address: 3 Chome-25-7 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan

This cozy cafe creates incredible 3D Latte Art that’s almost too cute to drink.

burnside street cafe

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: 9;30am – 9:00pm daily
• Address: 4 Chome-29-9 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan

I read about this cafe while planning our trip and wanted to check it out. I mean, fluffy pancakes…I was intrigued. The pancakes were definitely tasty, and there were a variety of flavors to choose from however I would probably say if there’s a long wait to be seated, it’s not worth it. It’s also important to note that each person MUST order a plate off the menu.

alfred Tea

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm daily (Shinjuku Location)
• Address: 3 Chome-38-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan
• Credit Card Accepted

Alfred Tea Room is one of our favorite places in Los Angeles. We have a location within walking distance of our apartment, and we visit almost every weekend. It was founded here in LA, but they now have a few locations in Japan, and we really wanted to visit one during our trip. I’m so glad we were able to make it happen.

BARS

golden gai

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: Bars begin to open around 8:00pm
• Address: 1 Chome-1-6 Kabukicho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0021, Japan
• Most bars are cash only

Located in Shinjuku, Golden Gai is an area about the size of a soccer field with over 250 small bars. And when I say small, I mean most can only fit about 5 people at a time!

While it may seem a bit run down – think small alleys and eclectic decor – many of the bars are rather upscale and most charge some sort of cover. It’s definitely an experience you won’t find anywhere else!

MARKETS

tsukiji fish market

IMPORTANT INFO
• Hours: 10:00am – 2:00pm, closed Wednesdays
• Address: 4 Chome-10-16 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
• Bring cash

The outer market is a great place to try local foods and shop for souvenirs. Went into more detail on this in my Tokyo City Guide.

A few more tips for dining out in Tokyo:
• Many restaurants are quite small so be prepared to wait.
• Always have cash on hand – we were surprised by the amount of places that didn’t accept credit card.
• No tipping.
• Be open to trying new things! It will make your experience so much better!

Looking for places to eat in Kyoto? CLICK HERE.
And don’t forget to check out the rest of my Japan City Guides:

JAPAN: THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
TOKYO CITY GUIDE
KYOTO CITY GUIDE
IWAKUNI, MIYAJIMA ISLAND, OSAKA

– Courtney