Struggling to pick your must visit Tokyo eateries? Then you’re in the right place. Let Mike from The Chetventure Podcast be your local guide!
After visiting new Tokyo eateries every week for the last 5 years, Mike has come up with his 5 hidden gems including 1 wild card option which span a range of Japanese styles and budgets.
Every street corner I turn I find signs for local ramen, soba, udon, tonkatsu, sushi, tempura — I could go on forever! With over 220 Michelin star and over 1,100 restaurants per 100,000 people (data taken from 2015) it’s clear a local guide who’s had time to explore the hidden gems is needed in Tokyo!
Sumibi Kappo Shirosaka
Style: Omakase - when you leave yourself in the hands of the chef to receive something seasonal and inspired.
What will you discover?
An experience of Japanese seasons which are marked and intense. A transient moment of the chef's inspiration. Pure elegance.
The thing to look forward to:
The dynamic menu will take you on a journey of what’s available locally to the chef and never repeats.
Price: $100-150 per person
Where Akasaka
Akasaka, Tokyo
Opinion
An absolute must visit if you want to experience the spirit of Japan through food.
Tsukiji Sushidai Honkan
Style: Sushi - no list of Japanese restaurants would be complete without a mention of sushi!
What will you discover?
An unassuming restaurant that’ll have you feeling part of the institution in no time as you squeeze in with only 8-10 others at a time! Though seating is limited, popularity is limitless though it’s absolutely worth waiting in the queues.
Things to look forward to:
The Omakase course (selected by the chef on the day) consists of 11 sushi topped generously with fish and miso soup.
Maybe 11 pieces of sushi doesn’t sound like much?
But these are nigiri (a type of sushi with rice), that said when I’m feeling gluttonous I do tend to order one or two extra nigiri sushi even once the course is finished!
Try and get a seat at the counter to get the full ‘chef’s table’ style experience as they explain each ingredient and method to you.
Price: Around $35 for omakase course
Where: Tsukiji Fish Market
Opinion:
Delightful culinary experiences in the heart of Tokyo’s old fish market for a reasonable price
Jackpot Ebisu
Style: Izakaya (bar) Fusion
What you will discover
A classic Izakaya squeezed into the bustling downtown area of Tokyo which, during the warmer months, has its windows and walls flung open allowing the chatter of the street to pour in.
What to look forward to
Their specialty is deep fried oysters. However, I would highly recommend “ebi mayo” (prawn in Japanese mayonnaise sauce), grilled lamb chops, maguro (raw lean tuna) salad and ribs.
Ok, I eat a lot, but only at places I love. Oh and did I mention the drinks?
Lemon sours (shochu liquor with lemon syrup) served in glasses as large as your face! You are bound to walk out with happy wallets and happy memories.
Price: Around $30-40 person
Where: Ebisu, which is a buzzing, trendy area of Tokyo.
Opinion:
High quality food at a reasonable price in a fun part of Tokyo.
Kushimura Yakitori
Style: Yakitori - literally it means ‘grilled bird’, it uses all parts of the chicken and is served as skewers of 4 to 5 pieces.
What you will discover
A classic Tokyo Yakitori experience with the owner, an old man (ojisan) standing inside at the entrance to welcome you to a jovial and friendly atmosphere in the restaurant. In the heart of the buzz stands the chef surrounded on 3 sides by charcoal embers and the counters where you can eat!
What to look forward to
You can try almost every single part of the chicken from the fatty tail to the heart. Kushimura also sets itself apart by highest quality chicken cooked over hot charcoal for an authentic flavor. It never disappoints and the chicken is always perfectly cooked!
To top it all off, you can look forward to Sake which is usually served in a ceramic “tokkuri” placed within a container made of bamboo. Seeing such a thing, it’s impossible not to order several more to ensure an intoxicated yet thoroughly delicious and enjoyable evening!
Price: Around $40 per person
Where: Roppongi
Opinion:
An endlessly varied menu of grilled bites and skewers only an Olympic eater could attempt the entirety of.
Wild Card Option: Bistro Oyasaito
Style: Fusion
What will you discover?
A place off the beaten path, tucked away in a hidden alley. I discovered it quite by accident whilst sniffing my way around Tokyo like a hungry dog to unearth this gem. Once you enter, you are greeted by a warm ambience generated by the mild colors; a counter made from a single piece of gnarled wood and an open kitchen where a single chef works away calmly and methodically.
Things to look forward to:
Ingredients rarely found in Tokyo, like sweetbread! Sweetbread, contrary to what you may expect, is not a sugar-coated loaf but the thymus or pancreas of a calf or lamb. Here they prepared it as a deconstructed pie covered in a creamy sauce!
Price: Around $30-40
Where: Trendy Kagurazaka, well known for its many quaint restaurants hidden away in narrow alleyways.
Opinion:
A warm and welcoming restaurant with only the best ingredients. One of my favourites not least for the surprising dishes!
The Jouren Challenge
For all those who are staying in Tokyo for a little longer try to achieve Jouren status! Jouren means to be ‘a regular’ but its so much more than that!
Often, Journe need not order their own food and even leave without paying! In some restaurants you can often find a bottle of whisky or shochu with a label with the Jouren’s name written across it, sitting on the shelves or behind the bar!
I can only dream that I build as close a relationship with one of the upcoming restaurants that I too will be able to take on the same title!