Restaurants in Tokyo
Tokyo is jam-packed with restaurants and snack bars. Quality shabu-shabu (hotpot) bubbles away at Zakuro in Akasaka. The sushi is fresh in Ginza and Uchisaiwaicho, and the beer frothy at the strip of cheap izakaya (snack bars) under Yurakucho's train tracks. Scour Nishi-Azabu and Ebisu's backstreets for traditional places full of character, such as Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu, the inspiration for the restaurant in Tarantino's film Kill Bill. Last orders are often 10.30pm, but many Roppongi restaurants serve food until 5am. Service is included and tipping is unnecessary.
Mon Cher Ton Ton
Flash teppanyaki
Mon Cher Ton Ton dishes out teppanyaki (grills) in an ostentatious gold
Roppongi setting. Business clientele watch from communal counters as the
chefs cook seafood, meat and garlic chips on hot plates, while a stream
trickles around the tables. The Kobe beef is a speciality and the wine is
high-end. Regulars know to book ahead.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 5pm-11pm; Sat, Sun & public hols 5pm-10.30pm
Address
3-12-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 3402 1055
Nakata
Traditional sushi bar
One of Tokyo's oldest sushi bars, Nakata serves the city's finest and
freshest fish. On the menu are tuna, abalone, sea urchin and scallop on
rice, but no California rolls. The decor of this Uchisaiwaicho restaurant is
simple, with light wood panelling and sliding doors. Service is impeccable,
whether to businessmen or lunching ladies.
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Opening Hours
Daily 11.30am-9.30pm
Address
Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Main Building, 1-1-1 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8558
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 3503 6026
Sabatini di Firenze
Taste of Tuscany
Tokyo's elegant Sabatini di Firenze is a sister restaurant of the well-known
Florence eatery. Located on the 7th floor of the Sony Building, diners enjoy
views over Ginza while feasting on delicious Tuscan cuisine. Try the
handmade pasta, cooked to al dente perfection, washed down with a glass of
Italian wine. Dinner reservations are recommended.
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Opening Hours
Daily 11:30am-3:30pm and 5:30-10:30pm
Address
5-3-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 3573 0013
Inakaya
Busy grill eatery
Inakaya is a lively Roppongi robatayaki eatery, where customers choose
their ingredients and watch them being cooked. Local diners pick from
mountains of vegetables, beef and seafood, and the hard-working chefs yell
when it's ready. Dishes are passed from grill to diner on giant wooden
paddles. Sake, served in wooden boxes, makes a great accompaniment.
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Opening Hours
Daily 5pm-11pm
Address
4-10-11, 1F Yamaki Bldg, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 5775 1012
Zakuro
Japanese hotpots
Zakuro in Akasaka, part of a 50 year-old local chain, serves high quality
shabu shabu (hotpot). On the walls are artworks by the likes of Japanese
artists Shiko Munakata and Shoji Hamada. Polite, kimono-clad hostesses serve
shabu-shabu, tempura, and teriyaki beef to Tokyo's well-heeled set.
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Opening Hours
Daily 11.30am-3pm & 5pm-10pm
Address
1/F Akasaka TBS Garden, 5-1-3 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 3582 6841
Transport
Akasaka metro
Umaya
Actor's rustic dining-room
Famous traditional Japanese theatre actor Ichikawa Ennosuke has opened
several rustic Umaya restaurants in Tokyo, including this branch in
Shinjuku-ku. The menu is known for its hearty recipes from Kyushu, such as
one-pot nabe meals and skewers of grilled meats.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11am-11pm; Sat 11am-10pm; Sun 11am-5pm
Address
15-1-2 Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 5771 6331
Miyashita
East meets west
The simple modern furnishings and muted colours allow the food to take centre
stage at Miyashita, a fusion restaurant in chic shopping centre Omotesando
Hills. The seasonally-changing menu features European classics with a unique
Japanese twist; a cooking style known as yoshoku. Try the
French-inspired ginger and onion soup or seafood and macaroni gratin.
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Opening Hours
Daily 11am-12am (last orders 10.30pm)
Address
Omotesando Hills, 3rd floor, Omotesando Dori, Tokyo 41210 Jingumae
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 5785 0707
TY Harbour Brewery
Favourite for classic dishes
Perched on Tokyo Bay, TY Harbour Brewery has views over a calm urban canal.
This Higashi-Shinagawa restaurant serves a daily-changing menu of dishes
like lime marinated prawns, and eringi, shimeji and maitake mushroom pizzas.
The pared down dining-room, with its industrial fittings, attracts a
fashionable crowd. Couples order sake nightcaps at Waterline, the floating
bar.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11.30am-2pm & 5.30pm-10pm; Sat & Sun 11.30am-3pm & 5.30pm-9pm
Address
2-1-3 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0002
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 5479 4555
Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu
Theatrical late-night dining
The inspiration for the restaurant scene in Quentin Tarantino's film Kill
Bill, it is easy to imagine samurai sword-fighting at Gonpachi in
Nishi-Azabu. Lanterns festoon the wood-panelled interior, where chefs
prepare soba noodles and skewers of meat. Diners watch them cooking from the
bar, balcony, or private rooms enticingly hidden behind sliding doors.
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Opening Hours
Daily 11.30am-5am
Address
1F/2F, 1-13-11, Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0031
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 5771 0170
Ubcra
Upmarket snack bar
Ubcra boasts a trendy Ebisu location, polished wood floors, brown leather
booths and floor-to-ceiling glass. Its izakaya (snack bar) fare consists of
grilled ginkgo nuts, tempura and grilled skewers (yakitori). The set menus
are strictly for more the adventurous diners. Ubcra is also a shochu
specialist, serving a wide selection of this Japanese spirit.
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Opening Hours
Daily 4pm-5am
Address
1-3-11 Ebisu-nishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0021
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 5428 5027
Transport
Ebisu JR and metro
Restaurant Kurosawa
Celebrated film director's food
Fans of Seven Samurai film director Akira Kurosawa love this shrine to
his memory. Restaurant Kurosawa serves dishes modelled on food Kurosawa ate
in his own home, such as pork and beef from Kagoshima, and homemade soba
noodles. The Nagatacho restaurant is also decorated to resemble a Kurosawa
film set.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm & 5pm-11pm; Sat & public hols 12pm-10pm
Address
2-7-9 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0014
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 3580 9638
Shin-hinomoto
Tempura under the tracks
Underneath the Yamanote railway tracks, Shin-hinomoto's British owner, Andy,
serves sashimi, tempura, deep-fried chicken, and more. Andy buys the
ingredients for his dishes fresh from Tsukiji Market each day. Visitors book
an upstairs table, where the crowd is a mix of foreign diners and Japanese
locals, and the trains rattle through above.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 5pm-12am
Address
2-4-4 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8405
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 3214 8021
Transport
Yurakucho JR or Hibiya metro
Harajuku Gyoza Lou
Pork dumplings four ways
Harajuku Gyoza Lou in the heart of Harajuku is hip yet unpretentious. It
draws a young crowd with its straightforward menu on the wall. Cooks serve
four types of delicious pork dumplings (gyoza)- boiled or fried and with or
without garlic - from the central, U-shaped counter. Wash them down with
beer or sake.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 10am-3am; Sun 10am-11pm
Address
6-2-4 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 3406 4743
Transport
Harajuku or Meiji-jingumae metro
Midori-zushi Ginza
Delicious slivers of fish
Midori-zushi manages to pull off the rare combination of reasonable prices
and uncompromising quality. Sushi is melt-in-the-mouth fresh and features
fatty tuna, salmon and eel on rice, and huge rolls. This Ginza restaurant is
highly popular, and echoes to the sound of chat. Diners arrive early to
avoid the queues.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11am-3pm & 4.30pm-10pm; Sat & Sun 11am-10pm
Address
1/F Ginza 7-108, Ginza Korida dori, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Telephone
+81 (0) 3 5568 1212
Transport
Ginza metro or Yurakucho JR
Vegetable Dining Daichi
Vegetarian lunchboxes
Vegetable Dining Daichi in Kamiyacho serves delicious, seasonal vegetarian
dishes in a modern Japanese space. On split levels, this minimalist
restaurant has slate floors and wooden sliding doors. Its lunch sets - such
as a thick Japanese curry or the bento box of tiny vegetarian dishes - are
great value. Business regulars book ahead.
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Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11am-3pm; daily 5pm-11pm
Address
2F Kamiyacho Prime Place, 4-1-17 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001
Transport
Kamiyacho metro
