Tokyo Restaurants: Reviews & Recs

[Route246]

(My first post...)

If you were told that you would only be able to dine at one or two restaurants in the Tokyo/Kawasaki/Yokohama area for the rest of your life, which one(s) would you choose? This is akin to asking what book would you take with you on a desert island if you could only have one book to read. I've been travelling regularly to the Tokyo area and there are two places that I never fail to visit. Oddly enough, both are in Yokohama.

First favorite has to be Katsuretsuan (muliple locations in Yokohama) http://www.katsuretsuan.co.jp/ and my second favorite is Yukichi Honten (Konandai) http://www.yukichihonten.yokohama.walkerplus.com/

Katsuretsuan - Tonkatsu is one of my favorite Japanese foods. There is great tonkatsu available all over Japan. It's not that difficult to prepare, the pork and panko (bread crumbs) are pretty much available to any shop so the key differentiator is the oil and the sauce. Assuming that the competence of the preparation is also easily matched, the areas where Katsuretsuan have every other place beat is in their combination of oils and their sauce. One day, I watched them mix up their oil at the Yokohama Diamond store while sitting at the counter. I counted seven different oils going into the fryer. They didn't like my watching but they had no choice in the matter since I was eating dinner at the time. All I can say about the sauce is, you have to try it to believe it. The sauce is as close to a perfect taste as I have ever encountered. Very understated, moderately fruity and extremely delicious over the shredded cabbage (extra helpings, no charge).

Yukichi Honten - Sushi is also one of my favorite Japanese foods. Yukichi Honten is all about the fish. The fish here is on par with any of the high end places in the Ginza or Akasaka without the Y50000 omakase price tag. Just one taste of the saba here will convince you that something special is going on. I have never tasted saba that was so free of that fishy, oily aftertaste.

Both of these places are long time established, have not varied much at all in their presentation, menus and storefronts. If you were to sum up both establishments, the word would be "competent" to describe them.

I would like to hear others' favorites in the Kanto area. I'm especially interested if someone knows of a very good tempura shop and a very good eel shop.

[thelobster]

That's an interesting question, and a tough one. Personally, I might choose Cicada in Nishi-Azabu, which has a great wine list and fantastic, modern food from various Mediterranean countries - from Portugal to Morocco.

Second would be the Suehiro branch of Donjaca in Shinjuku, which makes a wonderful dish called maguro kimchee yukke - raw tuna with sesame oil and bits of kimchee. They also have great bamboo shoot dishes in season, and good chicken.

[Hiroyuki]

I have already answered a similar question.

Tonkatsu: Sankin in Yotsuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo

http://gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/0000719013/P000817/

Orthodox, beautiful tonkatsu. Just my preferences.

Tempura: Tsunahachi, headquartered in Shinjuku.

http://www.tunahachi.co.jp/

I've been to the branches in Shibuya and Akasaka, both of which seem to have been closed.

Well-established tempura restaurant. You won't regret eating there.

[thelobster]

I have already answered a similar question.

Tonkatsu:  Sankin in Yotsuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo

http://gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/0000719013/P000817/

Orthodox, beautiful tonkatsu.  Just my preferences.

Tempura:  Tsunahachi, headquartered in Shinjuku.

http://www.tunahachi.co.jp/

I've been to the branches in Shibuya and Akasaka, both of which seem to have been closed.

Well-established tempura restaurant.  You won't regret eating there.

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I like Tsunahachi - I think they have good quality for a discount chain - but if someone were coming all the way to Japan for tempura I think I might recommend one of Tsunahachi's "upper-class" branches, like Tsunahachi Rin in My City Shinjuku, or maybe Tsunahachi Sui in Caretta Shiodome.

By the way, their website is www.tsunahachi.com, and they do have a Shibuya branch, which is still in business.

[thelobster]

Oops, sorry I see they also have a website at tunahachi.co.jp, but not at tunahachi.com, for some reason.

[Route246]

I think I will target Tsunahachi. As I stated in the original message, I am really looking for competent eateries and not necessarily fancy or high end. If you know Katsutetsuan, then you will know exactly what I'm talking about. Hopefully, Tsunahachi will meet those simple criteria.

I have already answered a similar question.

Tonkatsu:  Sankin in Yotsuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo

http://gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/0000719013/P000817/

Orthodox, beautiful tonkatsu.  Just my preferences.

Tempura:  Tsunahachi, headquartered in Shinjuku.

http://www.tunahachi.co.jp/

I've been to the branches in Shibuya and Akasaka, both of which seem to have been closed.

Well-established tempura restaurant.  You won't regret eating there.

←

I like Tsunahachi - I think they have good quality for a discount chain - but if someone were coming all the way to Japan for tempura I think I might recommend one of Tsunahachi's "upper-class" branches, like Tsunahachi Rin in My City Shinjuku, or maybe Tsunahachi Sui in Caretta Shiodome.

By the way, their website is www.tsunahachi.com, and they do have a Shibuya branch, which is still in business.

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[Route246]

I've been to both of these places. Uosan is really good if you're on a budget and want good value. Kaikaya is really good to get some specialty fish dishes. I like both very much but they are really polar opposites in their approach. Both are difficult to get seating for dinner.

Uosan Sakaba in Monzen Nakacho 03-3641-8071

Kaikaya in Shibuya http://www.kaikaya.com/

Personally, I like Uosan because I like to eat and drink a lot without spending a lot of money. Kaikaya is great because of the exotic preparation of the seafood dishes.

Any other ideas for unique, eclectic fish restaurants (non-sushiya) like these two in Tokyo?

Thanks for the help.

[Hiroyuki]

I found one izakaya that may match your criteria:

Tokiwa Shokudo in Machiya, Arakawa ward

ときわ食堂

http://kuro-buta.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns&...7!999.entry

Again, sorry, I've never been there.

[Route246]

Hiroyuki-san,

Thank you very much for this reference.

[Hiroyuki]

I found these:

Tsukiji Ichigu located at Azabu Juban

Tsukiji Nakashima located at Akasaka

Both of them are directly managed by Nakajima Suisan, a seafood distribution company located at Tsukiji.

They both look like good restaurants.

I feel guilty for posting about restaurants I've never been to, so no more posts from me.

[Lucil]

where are the good quality sushi places in tokyo.

list all those low , mid and high end ones..

thanks in advance..

i only know kyubei and sukiyabashi jiro for the high end ones...

[robyn]

Check out Zagat's Tokyo edition to begin with.

You're talking about so many places - I don't think anyone knows where to start.

Do you live in Japan - or are you planning a trip there? Do you speak Japanese? Any particular neighborhoods you're interested in? Robyn

[larrylee]

One sure-fire way to get good sushi is to go straight to Tsukiji, say around 7 AM, and find the restaurants that are busy at that time. This worked quite well for us, and I never did find the name of the place we went to.

However...

Two places I wanted to go to but could not, and appear to be regularly held in high regard, are:

Daiwa Sushi

Building 6 Chuo-ichiba

5-2-1 Tsukiji

Chuo-ku

Tokyo

Tel: + 81 (03) 3547-6807

Tsukiji station (Hibiya line)

http://www.economist.com/cities/displayobj...m?obj_id=490392

Kyubei

8-7-6 Ginza

Chuo-ku

Tokyo

Tel: + 81 (03) 3571-6523

Shimbashi station (Ginza & Hibiya lines)

http://www.economist.com/cities/displayobj...0317&city_id=TK

Edited November 26, 2006 by larrylee (log)

[cookaburra]

My wife and I will be in Japan from 25 December-about 15 January.We will spend most of our nights in Fuchi Shi(Tokyo) where my wife's father lives,a night in Shinjuku while a few nights will be spent somewhere in the Northern part of Honshu on a tour.

We will depart Japan from Narita and will be looking to spend some time in a must do restaurant or dining experience for our last day.Either lunch in Shinjuku or dinner somewhere near Narita.

Also if anyone has any ideas for what I can do during my days/nights spent in Fuchu Shi I will be very grateful .

I am a passionate chef interested in tasting all kinds of food,especially if it is unique and uses new ideas or concepts.I also like traditional foods such as those featured in Kaiseki Ryori.

I realise these kinds of restaurants may demand the highest prices so am preparing myself for that.But at the same time I am hoping there are some other must do dining places that may save me a few yen.

Either way, could someone please give me their suggestions or reccomendations on their must do foodie haunts.I realise this sort of topic must have been discussed in the past in these forums so any links from the past will also be very useful to me.

Arigatou Gozaimasu

[thelobster]

Do you know where you'll be in Fuchu (i.e. your nearest train station)? Fuchu station itself is only 25 minutes from Shinjuku, so there's no reason you can't spend a lot of time exploring central Tokyo during your visit. There are also a few big towns out near Fuchu - Hachioji and Kichijoji, which are more or less accessible depending on which train line you're on, or if you have a car.

This site: http://www.mustangsonline.org/living/West_...rants/index.htm describes an interesting-sounding place called Ukai Toriyama (near the bottom of the page) that's located in a mountainside garden. The Bento.com website has plenty of listings for Kichijoji and Shinjuku. I'd recommend checking out Shunju (grilled chicken, good sake) and Tsunahachi Rin (excellent tempura) to start with - both are in the restaurant complex at the top of Lumine Est on the east side of Shinjuku station. I'm sure other people here will come along with other suggestions.

I've heard that there's a good sushi restaurant in Narita airport - does anyone know it?

[cookaburra]

Do you know where you'll be in Fuchu (i.e. your nearest train station)?  Fuchu station itself is only 25 minutes from Shinjuku, so there's no reason you can't spend a lot of time exploring central Tokyo during your visit.  There are also a few big towns out near Fuchu - Hachioji and Kichijoji, which are more or less accessible depending on which train line you're on, or if you have a car. 

This site: http://www.mustangsonline.org/living/West_...rants/index.htm describes an interesting-sounding place called Ukai Toriyama (near the bottom of the page) that's located in a mountainside garden.  The Bento.com website has plenty of listings for Kichijoji and Shinjuku.  I'd recommend checking out Shunju (grilled chicken, good sake) and Tsunahachi Rin (excellent tempura) to start with - both are in the restaurant complex at the top of Lumine Est on the east side of Shinjuku station.  I'm sure other people here will come along with other suggestions. 

I've heard that there's a good sushi restaurant in Narita airport - does anyone know it?

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Thanks for getting the ball rolling.

I shall check out those websites for sure and will also look into the other restaurants mentioned.Great reccomendations.

This will be my 3rd time in Japan .Each time just spending 2-3 weeks in the country.

Although I am not a stranger or newcomer to Japan my times in Japan were more than 5 years ago so I still appreciate anyone's suggestions as my knowledge is a bit outdated.

Coincidently,I was taken to Tsunahachi Rin the 1st time I was in Japan.Good choice.And my wife has eaten at Ukai Toriyama, but that was about ten years ago.So that is good to hear someone else expressing interest in the same place in more recent times.

Some places I have been to already include.......Soybean Farm,the narrow walkways of Kichijoji,Yamato sushi restaurant at Tsukiji,Ume no hana tofu restaurant in Tachikawa,Torigin yakitori ya in Ginza to name a few.

Look forward to some more suggestions.Thank you

[robyn]

One general suggestion. Many of the higher end restaurants in Tokyo serve lunch - and lunch is frequently a lot less expensive than dinner. So by having your main meal at lunch - you can "have your cake" (great meals) and "eat it too" (save a few yen). Also - you can plan some days around Tokyo sightseeing and dining without having to worry about getting back to Fuchu too late. Robyn

[torakris]

I definitely recommend Ukai Toriyama, I have been there twice and will be taking my parents there when they come this spring. It is a wonderful kaiseki experience in a gorgeous setting but with out the typical kaiseki prices.

Fuchu isn't too far from either Tokyo or Yokohama. Do you know what train line you will be on?

EDITED to add

Ukai Toriyama's Japanese homepage

a nice English review with pictures

Edited December 1, 2006 by torakris (log)

[smallworld]

I third the Ukai Toriyama suggestion. It's not exactly kaiseki but the food is good and the overall experience is fantastic. A bit hard to get to, but it is near Mount Takao so you can make a full day of it. The mountain (more of a big hill, really) is beautiful, has a unique history, and views of Tokyo and Mt. Fuji from the top. You can do an easy hike to the top, or take a cable car.

Plan it well and you can get two meals out of the trip- Takao is known for its yamaimo (mountain yam). The two most popular dishes are mugitoro (grated yamaimo poured over barley rice) and tororo soba (soba noodles with grated yamaimo). The base of the mountain has several soba shops offering mugitoro and tororo soba, I recommend Takahashiya (Japanese).

Ukai Toriyama is very popular though, and you'll be there in a very busy season, so I'd recommend you make a reservation soon. If it doesn't work out try Kurochaya, which is similar but a bit more rustic, and not too far from Fuchu.

Kurochaya's website is here. The English page doesn't seem to be working, but check out the Japanese pages for the pictures.

You should also do a morning visit to Tsukiji fish market, and follow that with a sushi breakfast. No specific restaurant to recommend, but they are all priced more reasonably than what you'd pay for a lunch or dinner elsewhere. And extremely fresh. There's no longer any special need to go to Tsukiji super early, since the tuna auctions are now closed to the public. But the place is still better the earlier you go, so you might want to do it when you're staying in Shinjuku- it's a quick subway ride away.

In Kichijoji, a cheap and fun meal is fry-it-yourself kushi-age (deep-fried food on skewers) at Kushiya. You choose the skewers you want from a buffet and fry them in a vat of oil at your table. Not haute cuisine, but loads of fun and costs a fraction of what you'd pay at fancier kushi-age restaurants (2500 Yen for all-you-can-eat). Here is a coupon for 500 Yen off.

Do check out previous threads about Tokyo recommendations too, there's a lot of good stuff. Links anyone?

[cookaburra]

Many thanks to all who have helped so far with advice and links.

I love soba but one of the few foods I actually dislike are yamaimo.I cant stand the neba neba (sticky) foods such as torroro konbu,okra,natto etc.However my wife still loves all that food so we may still get some soba at Takahashya if we confirm Ukai Toriyama.

I've never had kushiyaki so that could be interesting.

Great idea Robyn to have our main meal at lunchtime.

Torakris I will be on the Nambu and Keio lines.

[robyn]

Many thanks to all who have helped so far with advice and links.

I love soba but one of the few foods I actually dislike are yamaimo.I cant stand the neba neba (sticky) foods such as torroro konbu,okra,natto etc.However my wife still loves all that food so we may still get some soba at Takahashya if we confirm Ukai Toriyama.

I've never had kushiyaki so that could be interesting.

Great idea Robyn to have our main meal at lunchtime.

Torakris I will be on the Nambu and Keio lines.

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Any particular food you especially want to try on the high end? I can recommend a couple of the places we ate at in Tokyo. One sushi - one tempura. Also - do you speak any Japanese? If you don't - I assume your father-in-law does - and I'd recommend taking him along for his translation skills. We went to very few places in Japan where any English was spoken - and - although my husband learned a little before we went - I was happy on those occasions where we had company who spoke Japanese. Robyn

[cookaburra]

Any particular food you especially want to try on the high end? I can recommend a couple of the places we ate at in Tokyo. One sushi - one tempura. Also - do you speak any Japanese? If you don't - I assume your father-in-law does - and I'd recommend taking him along for his translation skills. We went to very few places in Japan where any English was spoken - and - although my husband learned a little before we went - I was happy on those occasions where we had company who spoke Japanese. Robyn

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[robyn]

Shojin Ryori sounds interesting.I believe some Bhuddist temples also offer lodging.Anyone know more about this?

I would also like to sample a good selection of sake.Of course in connection with some appropriate food or snacks so I don't end up on the wrong train home. Anyone able to pass on any interesting sake threads or links?Does anyone know of a tasting place or nomi ya where some English is either written on the menu or is spoken by the staff? 

As my wife is  Japanese, the language is her native toungue.So she is my number 1 translator which helps me find some non touristy things.But as she only came to live in Australia with me 10 years ago her knowledge on whats new is limited.Hence my posting of this request for information.

In my pocket size book called "Quick-Guides Diner's Guide to Japan " by Boye De Menthe,it also mentions Ryotei,which seems like kaiseki ryori.Anyone no more about this or where it exists.Is Ukai Toriyama a ryotei venue?

Another aim of mine whilst in Japan is to try any foods(espcially seafood) which are not available in Australia or the Southern hemisphere for that matter.That would probably include any foods which do not transpot well.Thus rendering the idea of exporting such items impossible.

I love seaweeds so aim to taste as many varieties as I can.Any ideas.......?

Any links to nabemono restaurants?Or favorites?

Sorry to ask so many q's.Appreciate any comments.

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I'm no expert - but high end sushi restaurants are probably the best for exotic fish. As for seaweeds - we found they were a popular offering in the department store food basements. So that might be your best place to sample. Robyn

Edited December 4, 2006 by robyn (log)

[JasonTrue]

I can't think of many restaurants that specialize in nabemono... though I guess there's chanko-nabe, which is kind of its own genre.

However, if you go out of Tokyo to almost any rural ryokan, especially at a hot springs place,, you're almost sure to have some kind of nabe with dinner. I can't think of one ryokan dinner or onsen experience that lacked for one.

[smallworld]

Oh, chankonabe is a great suggestion! There are a number of chankonabe restaurants in Tokyo run by former sumo wrestlers, mostly in Ryogoku (where the sumo stadium is). I think there's a sumo tournament in January, so you could watch sumo and follow that with a chanko dinner. If you don't manage to get sumo tickets, Ryogoku has an excellent museum (Edo Tokyo Museum) that is definitely worth a visit if you have any interest in the history of Tokyo.

Two more nabe places are in the Kanda Awajicho area: Botan, serving tori-suki (sukiyaki made with chicken instead of beef) and Isegen, which specializes in ankou-nabe (nabe made with monkfish/angler fish). I've been to Isegen and had the full course, with monkfish served in a variety of ways. I really enjoyed it. Both places are housed in charming old buildings and offer food that is hard to find elsewhere. The neighborhood has a couple famous old soba shops (Yabusoba and Matsuya) and a Japanese sweets shop (Takemura), so you could start the evening with an appetizer of soba, move on to nabe, and finish up with dessert at Takemura. The place is known for its age-maju (deep-fried mochi filled with red bean jam) and oshiruko (sweet red bean soup) and the tea they serve changes each month to reflect the season. A visit to any of these places is highly recommended.

I have no idea what foods here are not available in Australia, but perhaps unagi, anago and dojo (freshwater eel, conger eel, and loach) fit the bill? Tokyo has good restaurants serving all three, and I think Asakusa is especially well-known, especially for dojo. It's an area you will almost for sure be going to anyway since it is the home of Asakusa Jinja, perhaps Tokyo's best-loved tourist spot.

Hokke is another fish hard to find elsewhere, and although it's caught in Hokkaido you can find it all over Japan.

Tokyo is known for its tsukudani (seaweed and seafood simmered with soy sauce and mirin). The airport and department store basements are easy places to find it. It lasts a long time so is a good thing to bring back home with you.

You will probably also be able to find excellent local seafood (and seaweed) in Northern Honshu. Any idea where exactly the tour will take you?

You may have to go to Kamakura for Shojin ryouri, which is OK because it's a lovely day/overnight trip from Tokyo.

Don't know too much about sake, I'm afraid. But the Tokyo Food Page has info about sake retailers and sake pubs. Again, your Northern Honshu tour might offer some sake possibilities.

Ukai Toriyama is not a Ryotei. I've never been to one- they are extremely expensive and many don't serve walk-ins, prefering costumers to be introduced.