Restaurants in Tokyo are known for shokunin, the people who focus on a single skill to the point of obsession. These chefs dedicate their lives to the smallest details of a cuisine: the optimal temperature for the oil when frying tempura, the perfect texture for sushi rice, the ideal sear on grilled unagi. This long-term commitment separates Tokyo from the other great dining cities in the world, and it has fostered a lot of continuity in the restaurant scene; some of the earliest restaurants in Tokyo also served sushi, tempura, and unagi, along with soba, sukiyaki, and other specialties still represented in restaurants today. Though Tokyo is infamous for a few highly regarded spots that are impossible to get into without an introduction by a regular, visitors will find more than enough to love across the massive dining metropolis.
As sakura season fades into the rear view, markets welcome fresh and tender bamboo shoots, which you’ll spot around the city in takenoko gohan. Fava broad beans, the precursor to edamame, are prepared simply, either grilled or boiled and served with sea salt. Seasonal seafood to seek out includes katsuo skipjack tuna, traditionally seared over burning straw and served with grated ginger, garlic, and soy sauce; aji horse mackerel, breaded and deep-fried served with julienned cabbage and rice; and asari littleneck clams, steamed with sake at an izakaya or served as spaghetti vongole at Italian restaurants.
We update this list quarterly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Tokyo dining scene.
New to the map in May 2025: Julia, which stands out for its marriage of modern French cuisine and Japanese wine, run by a married couple; the famous Taimeiken in the historic Nihonbashi district, serving the omuraisu made famous in Tampopo; and Tsujihan, where the seafood donburi qualifies as Insta-bae, something that looks good on Instagram and also lives up to the hype.
In this latest refresh, we’ve revamped our write-ups to include even more relevant info for diners, including a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 (or the equivalent in yen), to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
Yukari Sakamoto is the author of Food Sake Tokyo and offers guided tours to markets in Tokyo. She is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, a sommelier, and a shochu advisor.
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AloJapan.com