Tokyo Restaurants: Reviews & Recs

[Blether]

Yeah, I'll confess - I was paraphrasing the name Domestic Goddess used in her diligent, well-written, informative and stimulating blog this week - and stirring in a direct translation of the Japanese equivalent evident at the Doyaji link (FYI they're using 'three layer belly'). I love that name, by the way, it could be a combination of 'doji' (a blunderer) and 'oyaji' (uncle, but colloquially 'old guy'); or it could be 'do' as in *very* and oyaji... tremendously good-humoured naming.

I like your headgear, by the way. Is that a traditional NY thing ? Also your Trang Tien (?) bridge photo - it's very atmospheric.

Yes, it's good if neighbours like Korea and Japan can make positive exchanges.

Thdad - yep, 'Winter Sonata' - 冬のソナタ (fuyu no sonata, or 'fuyusona' for short, in Japan) get your DVD's here !

I hope you have a good trip - let us know if you need more on the trendy front

Edited March 7, 2007 by Blether (log)

[larrylee]

Wow, I think nearly every TV show listed on that page was Korean.

Trang Tien bridge - yes, I have to get on the stick and post the rest of the pics from the trip to Southeast Asia. I'm procrastinating big time, but now we're veering off topic. :-)

[thdad]

I am back from my very brief visit to Tokyo. I was there from Friday~Monday. The first day was taken up with meetings, so I had only Saturday and Sunday to look around some of the restaurants that were recommended here and elsewhere.

I will write up about my Tokyo visit and post pictures later on, but here are some quick impressions:

* Steak is not big in Japan, as the most popular form of grilled meat appears to be 'hanbaga suteki' or hamburger steak. Mind you, this is not your average thin beef patty found in the States. Japanese style hamburger steak is quite thick and juicy -- I found it quite tasty.

* New York Grill at Park Hyatt - I ate there on Saturday for their weekend brunch. 6,200 Yen includes a glass of okay American champagne, a selection from the mains section of the brunch menu and the use of the appetizer and dessert buffet. I had the grilled chicken, which was quite nice with a crispy skin and moist breast. The appetizer buffet was your average selection of leftover ingredients repackaged nicely. The dessert section was nice, but not really high-end stuff.

* Natural/Organic buffet restaurants that serve Japanese home-style food appears to be the lastest trend in Tokyo. The place that we tried in Ginza was bursting with Japanese customers during dinner.

* The cost of eating out in Tokyo was actually lower than Seoul, helped by the depressed Yen, but also due to the fact that restaurants had to lower prices after the bubble economy burst during the early 90's.

Edited March 20, 2007 by thdad (log)

[larrylee]

Welcome back!

* Steak is not big in Japan, as the most popular form of grilled meat appears to be 'hanbaga suteki' or hamburger steak.  Mind you, this is not your average thin beef patty found in the States.  Japanese style hamburger steak is quite thick and juicy -- I found it quite tasty.

Not _all_ American burgers are thin patties. :-)

* New York Grill at Park Hyatt - I ate there on Saturday for their weekend brunch.  62,000 Yen includes a glass of okay American champagne, a selection from the mains section of the brunch menu and the use of the appetizer and dessert buffet.

Surely you must be mixing up Won and Yen... that's got to be a 6,200 Yen breakfast, right? For 62,000 Yen you'd better be getting, well a lot more than that!

[thdad]

Larrylee, thanks for the correction. 62,000 Yen would have bought me a couple of meals at Ducasse's restaurant in Tokyo and more hamburger steak!

Edited March 20, 2007 by thdad (log)

[Eduardo]

Hi, I'm going to Japan this coming August and I’m quiet lost about restaurants to go. I would really appreciate if you guys could give me some advice, in all ranges. We will be four days in each city, so we have plenty time to visit several places.

Thanks in advance. It would be a real pity to go so far away and skip the best places!! I promise to give advice back if you ever come to Spain

[sanrensho]

In addition to searching through previous threads on the topic, I suggest you indicate what kind of food you want to eat and gather suggestions accordingly: sushi, tempura, kaiseki, etc.

Price ranges will also be all over the map, so some indication of your budget will be helpful. Also, since there are so many good restaurants in Tokyo and it's such a sprawling city, it might be helpful to know where you are staying.

Edited June 21, 2007 by sanrensho (log)

[mkjr]

I loved Ten Ichi in the Kyoto station complex for Tempura. So fresh your mouth with burn, literally if you are not careful. Ask your hotel concierge to make a reservation at the bar or just wait for a seat to come up http://www.bento.com/kansai/rev/7033.html Around $45CDN each but well worth it.

[prasantrin]

It would also be helpful if you mentioned whether you speak Japanese or not.

[robyn]

Hi, I'm going to Japan this coming August and I’m quiet lost about restaurants to go. I would really appreciate if you guys could give me some advice, in all ranges. We will be four days in each city, so we have plenty time to visit several places.

Thanks in advance. It would be a real pity to go so far away and skip the best places!! I promise to give advice back if you ever come to Spain 

←

It's hard to tell what's best in a city like Tokyo. It's the largest city in the world. It has 35 million people and perhaps 100,000 restaurants. About the best you can do is what people here have already said. Where will you be - what would you like to eat - about how much do you want to spend - and do you speak Japanese (or will you be with people who speak Japanese).

Also - from Spain - how many time zones will you be traveling? From the east coast of the US - it is about 13 time zones. You're ready for lunch very early in the morning - and dinner at about noon . Robyn

[Eduardo]

Thanks for your replies. Well, we are very open-minded about food, so all your recommendations are more than welcome. As a fact, here in Spain most Japanese places bases their offer on Sushi, Sashimi, Tempura, and Tepanyaki. Trying good places for this kind of food will be great. Of course, we want to go for a kaiseki as well.

In Tokyo we will be staying at the Park Hotel Tokyo which I think is in Shiodome. In Kyoto, I think that we will finally go to the Hotel Granvia Kyoto, which is very close to the railway station.

Budget is not such a big problem. Ok, I don’t want all my meals to go up to $200 each, but it’s ok to try some top range places.

Sorry if I can’t be more precise, but I really don’t know very much about Tokyo and Kyoto, except for that I look forward very much to go there!!

BTW, I don’t know a single word in Japanese and we will be most of the time by ourselves

Thanks again!!!

Eduardo

[greenspot]

Hi Eduardo, I'm also reading up on restaurants for my holiday to Okinawa and Tokyo next week.

I found this thread helpful for sushi restaurants at the Tsukiji fish market, which is very close to your hotel. It's worth visiting early in the morning for a sushi breakfast.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=104099

Edited June 22, 2007 by greenspot (log)

[mkjr]

Thanks for your replies. Well, we are very open-minded about food, so all your recommendations are more than welcome. As a fact, here in Spain most Japanese places bases their offer on Sushi, Sashimi, Tempura, and Tepanyaki. Trying good places for this kind of food will be great. Of course, we want to go for a kaiseki as well.

In Tokyo we will be staying at the Park Hotel Tokyo which I think is in Shiodome. In Kyoto, I think that we will finally go to the Hotel Granvia Kyoto, which is very close to the railway station.

Budget is not such a big problem. Ok, I don’t want all my meals to go up to $200 each, but it’s ok to try some top range places.

Sorry if I can’t be more precise, but I really don’t know very much about Tokyo and Kyoto, except for that I look forward very much to go there!!

BTW, I don’t know a single word in Japanese and we will be most of the time by ourselves

Thanks again!!!

Eduardo

←

We stayed at the same hotels. The link I PM'd you will be exactly what you want and was prepared by locals. Interesting but Toronto is a big city also and I would be able to list off my 10 tops right away all over the city. I find that the response that you are getting seems to be what I initially got. I would also suggest that you get Kanji characters for the places also since a roman name is pretty much meaningless and useless when you are out on the street looking for a place IMO if the name of the place is not in roman letters.

[robyn]

Thanks for your replies. Well, we are very open-minded about food, so all your recommendations are more than welcome. As a fact, here in Spain most Japanese places bases their offer on Sushi, Sashimi, Tempura, and Tepanyaki. Trying good places for this kind of food will be great. Of course, we want to go for a kaiseki as well.

In Tokyo we will be staying at the Park Hotel Tokyo which I think is in Shiodome. In Kyoto, I think that we will finally go to the Hotel Granvia Kyoto, which is very close to the railway station.

Budget is not such a big problem. Ok, I don’t want all my meals to go up to $200 each, but it’s ok to try some top range places.

Sorry if I can’t be more precise, but I really don’t know very much about Tokyo and Kyoto, except for that I look forward very much to go there!!

BTW, I don’t know a single word in Japanese and we will be most of the time by ourselves

Thanks again!!!

Eduardo

←

The Granvia is actually *in* the train station (a very new - very large - train station - terrific contemporary architecture). There are dozens - maybe hundreds - of restaurants right there. If you go up the escalators to about the 6th floor - you will find many mid-priced restaurants - including a famous eel restaurant. Ditto if you go down to the "city" underneath the train station. I recommend using bento.com to locate places that might be of interest.

Also - the huge department store in the train station is an excellent place to do "take out" to bring to your room on nights you might be very tired. The food basements close at 8 pm - and everything starts to go on sale at about 7:30. We had a couple of excellent take-out meals from there.

If you don't speak Japanese - then I think your best bet for sushi in Tokyo is one of the numerous places in Tsukiji fish market - open in general for breakfast and lunch.

For tempura and other cuisines in Tokyo - take a look at the restaurants on top of Barney's (New York) in Ginza. I don't think anyone there speaks any more English than anywhere else in Tokyo (which is to say little or none) - but the chef at the tempura restaurant we went to there was good-humored about the situation (unlike many chefs - who are very serious).

Are you interested in cuisines other than Japanese during your trip? Robyn

[Ohba]

There are a lot of reviews at the following link. Also look into bars, as food on offer in Japan's drinking establishments can be of very high quality indeed, and the distinction between a restaurant and bar is often, erm, blurred. Even if you don't try out any of these places, it will make fun reading before your trip.

Metropolis

(By the way, you might need to navigate around the site a bit to get the full range of articles - no time to post the best link at the moment)

Edited June 26, 2007 by Ohba (log)

[robyn]

Thanks for your replies. Well, we are very open-minded about food, so all your recommendations are more than welcome. As a fact, here in Spain most Japanese places bases their offer on Sushi, Sashimi, Tempura, and Tepanyaki. Trying good places for this kind of food will be great. Of course, we want to go for a kaiseki as well.

In Tokyo we will be staying at the Park Hotel Tokyo which I think is in Shiodome. In Kyoto, I think that we will finally go to the Hotel Granvia Kyoto, which is very close to the railway station.

Budget is not such a big problem. Ok, I don’t want all my meals to go up to $200 each, but it’s ok to try some top range places.

Sorry if I can’t be more precise, but I really don’t know very much about Tokyo and Kyoto, except for that I look forward very much to go there!!

BTW, I don’t know a single word in Japanese and we will be most of the time by ourselves

Thanks again!!!

Eduardo

←

We stayed at the same hotels. The link I PM'd you will be exactly what you want and was prepared by locals. Interesting but Toronto is a big city also and I would be able to list off my 10 tops right away all over the city. I find that the response that you are getting seems to be what I initially got. I would also suggest that you get Kanji characters for the places also since a roman name is pretty much meaningless and useless when you are out on the street looking for a place IMO if the name of the place is not in roman letters.

←

The hotel concierges will give you either a card or something printed off the internet (like a mapquest) so your cab driver knows where to go. If you're walking - it's good to write out the phrase in Japanese - "excuse me - but do you know where [pointing to the map] is". Even then - some places are really hard to find (even if a cab driver drops you off right in front!). Many streets do not have names - or posted names - and the street numbering is frequently odd (the oldest place on the street is 1 - second oldest is 2 - etc.). So #1 and #2 can be a mile apart on a long street. Many restaurants are in multi-story buildings with lots of other restaurants - and some restaurants are down unnamed pedestrian alleys. If you don't know to walk down the alley - you can be in trouble when the cab driver drops you off. We had a reservation at one higher end sushi restaurant in Tokyo that was like this. I don't think we would have found it had we not been with a friend who speaks fluent Japanese.

Toronto is a large city - but Tokyo is *huge* - largest city in the world (about 35 million people) - with - reportedly - over 100,000 restaurants. I read a lot of western media stuff about Tokyo restaurants before we left - and I think most media people from the west tend to go to the same 25 restaurants. Which is a shame - very limiting. And "all over the city" really doesn't work in Tokyo - which is really spread out. Cabs are expensive - the streets are crowded - and although it's easy to get around on the subway - you want to avoid the subway at rush hour if possible.

To give you an idea of size - we had lunch with a son of a friend of ours who lives in Tokyo (and his family). He took us to his local neighborhood Chinese restaurant. Run by Iron Chef Chen. Now you'd think that an Iron Chef would be in the center of things in Tokyo. You'd be wrong. It was about a 35 minute subway ride from near Tokyo Station - in a small neighborhood at the end of the subway line (which still looked like New York City in terms of population density).

I am not very organized in terms of sightseeing. So on many days - we just kind of poked around in whatever neighborhood we happened to be in when we got hungry (which was frequently at weird times for the first week we were there due to extreme jet lag). Spain is only about 7 time zones from Tokyo - so the OP's jet lag shouldn't be so bad (but it won't be terrific - since you're talking east ---> west jet lag). But for people from North America (13 time zones or so) - you'll be hungry for lunch at about 6 am - ready for dinner at noon - and nodding off by dinner time. It is very disorienting.

This kind of approach - poking around in a neighborhood when you get hungry - really works well in Tokyo - since Tokyo has been called a city of neighborhoods. And I found that to be true. So I think in Tokyo one should for the most part work backwards. Where in the city am I going to be today for sightseeing - and then what restaurants might I want to try when I'm there Or do I just want to wing it? I highly recommend winging it. You might have to talk a lot with your hands - but you'll have a lot of fun.

Note that Kyoto is *much* smaller than Tokyo (only about 1.5 million people). It is the place to try traditional kaiseki if one wants to do traditional kaiseki. We did - and although it was visually gorgeous - it is basically a very ascetic meal. I think our 7 or so courses had about 300 calories - max. It is also pretty expensive. We dined at the branch of one of the most famous kaiseki restaurants in Japan - Kitcho - which happens to be in the Granvia in Kyoto. It is not as traditional in terms of decor as the "mother ship" - which is located a ways outside Kyoto. Nor is it as expensive (although dinner for 2 cost us almost $400). If one wants to dine at the original outside Kyoto - I suspect you're talking about $700-1000 for dinner for 2 - and reservations far in advance are essential. Also - people should keep in mind that very traditional restaurants tend to have very traditional seating. Like on the floor with your knees crossed. If you're like my husband (he's currently a candidate for a total knee replacement - too many years of running) - that is not a comfortable way to dine.

Note that I much preferred the non-traditional kaiseki restaurant Roan Kikunoi in Kyoto (we went there with a friend from eGullet - who recommended the place) - which is the downtown branch of another famous kaiseki restaurant. It was supposed to have French influences. Wouldn't call them French - but the meal was tastier and heartier than that at Kitcho (although not as visually exquisite - they did stuff at Kitcho like presenting a platter that looked like a Japanese tea garden - everything was made from veggies).

I also really liked the grilled eel restaurant in Kyoto - Edogawa - in the department store in the train station. No English spoken - but there is "plastic food" - which is the savior of the non-Japanese speaking tourist in Japan. If you are going to a high-end non-plastic food restaurant - most have fixed menus. And - if you don't speak any Japanese - it is good to ask the concierge to call the restaurant and explain the different fixed menus before you get to the restaurant - and to pre-order the one you want. I cannot over-emphasize how little English is spoken in Japan - even in restaurants.

Guess I should mention that Japanese restaurants in Japan tend to specialize. There are eel restaurants - sushi restaurants - tempura restaurants - noodle restaurants (many of which specialize only in soba or udon) - etc. - etc. We tried as many different kinds as we could. And we tried to avoid the thousands of restaurants that specialize in non-Japanese food (although we did have some great Korean BBQ). Simply because we wanted to learn about Japanese food on this trip - and not how the Japanese can do strange things with other cuisines (like Italian food). Who knew the Japanese had such a fascination with mayonnaise ?

Anyway - the OP didn't say how long his trip was. We were in Japan for 3 weeks - and we learned a lot during our stay (wasn't hard to do - since we knew almost exactly zero about Japanese food and dining when we left). I think the most important thing we did on our trip was to abandon any preconceptions we had - Japanese food and dining in Japan are very different than what we're used to in the west. Second most important thing we did was try to get together with everyone we knew or could possibly meet in Japan (everyone from our friend's son to people we met here). Meeting people who live in a country gives you insight into a country you couldn't possibly get on your own. Robyn

[prasantrin]

In Kyoto, O-men would be a good place for a non-Japanese speaker, specifically the one near Daimaru. The chef (maybe nephew of the owner?? I know his uncle owns the branch in New York, but I'm not sure if the uncle owns all of them or only the NY one) lived in NY for a bit during college--in Buffalo, so he speaks English quite well, and can help you with the menu.

It's also a famous Kyoto place for udon. We didn't have udon when we went, but had grilled sansho chicken, tempura, and 15??-grain rice (quite expensive for a bowl of rice--about Y600 or Y800 regular-sized bowl). It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't really expensive (total was about Y4000), and it was quite delicious. I think about the tempura often, and I think I might eat there again this weekend!

[sanrensho]

^^^Robyn does a nice job of summing up the situation in Tokyo. Great advice.

You might also want to investigate ramen, of which there are a dizzying array of styles and options in Tokyo, and find a shop that makes teuchi (handmade) soba.

The Western pastry scene in Japan can also hold its own, if you are interested in desserts.

Edited June 26, 2007 by sanrensho (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Toronto is a large city - but Tokyo is *huge* - largest city in the world (about 35 million people) - with - reportedly - over 100,000 restaurants.

←

The population of Tokyo is actually about 12 million. The population of i-tto san-ken (i.e., Tokyo and three prefectures, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba) is over 34 million.

Isn't it amazing that the Kanto region accounts for one-thirds of the total population of Japan?

[robyn]

^^^Robyn does a nice job of summing up the situation in Tokyo. Great advice.

You might also want to investigate ramen, of which there are a dizzying array of styles and options in Tokyo, and find a shop that makes teuchi (handmade) soba.

The Western pastry scene in Japan can also hold its own, if you are interested in desserts.

←

The western desserts all over (I am a big dessert fan) were fabulous. Anyone who loves dessert who can escape a major Japanese department store food basement without taking one home to his/her hotel room has more will power than I do . And just about every high end chocolate place in the world has a store in Tokyo (I happily munched on some goodies from Maison du Chocolate in Marunouchi/Tokyo while I was there).

A note to any traveler to Japan (or Berlin or similar places). Many of these cities were bombed to bits during WWII. Instead of looking for the quaint buildings of the past which no longer exist for the most part - look for all the great new stuff that has been/is being built - and how people actually live today. People told us before we went to Tokyo that it was an ugly city. It isn't (IMO). It's simply - for the most part - a very new city. Nothing wrong with that. Robyn

[shinju]

Just a quick note - we stayed at Granvia in Kyoto this March and really enjoyed the stay there. Be sure to go to their top bar (don't rember which floor, but high) for great view of Kyoto, live music and good drinks.

[Ohba]

I hope Robyn won't mind me adding a few comments to her excellent overview, not intended as contradictions, as such, but where my experiences diverge from hers.

Subways/rail

Yes they can be terribly crowded, but I think that's part of the fun of getting around in Tokyo, and it's the way that most locals do it. You can also heave a sigh of relief that it's not part of your daily commute. And usually, it's the easiest route to your restaurant. I hardly use taxis at all in Tokyo, though if you're planning on being out past 11.30 at night, you'll need them.

Toronto is a large city - but Tokyo is *huge* - largest city in the world (about 35 million people) - with - reportedly - over 100,000 restaurants. I read a lot of western media stuff about Tokyo restaurants before we left - and I think most media people from the west tend to go to the same 25 restaurants. Which is a shame - very limiting.

That's a really good point. Visitors should really try something a little outside the travel-guide recommendations. Tokyo is a great city for exploring the food scene, and few travel guides cover it at all well. Also be extremely suspicious if any recommendation claims a particular restaurant is the best of its type in Tokyo, or has the best [insert dish/food ingredient here] in the city.

I think Metropolis and Tokyo Food Pages do a pretty good job, because they're based in Japan and their reviewers seem to know their food. I suggest you also try at least one or two places on your own initiative. Ebisu/Daikanyama would be a good place to start, although there are so many other possibilities across the city. There is of course a lot of cloning, but there are many, many restaurants dedicated to turning out the best damn food they can, and they don't all charge a lot for the privilege, either.

And we tried to avoid the thousands of restaurants that specialize in non-Japanese food (although we did have some great Korean BBQ). Simply because we wanted to learn about Japanese food on this trip - and not how the Japanese can do strange things with other cuisines (like Italian food). Who knew the Japanese had such a fascination with mayonnaise?

I can sympathize with anyone who wants to eat Japanese only, though it's not my policy when I travel to restrict myself to the local food. And it would only be fair to mention that the quality of Italian and French food available in Tokyo can be high. Really, really high. There are dozens of high-end Italian places across the city, and many more that are inexpensive but still extremely good. Laugh if you like, but try it first, and then let's talk about mayonnaise.

If you are going to a high-end non-plastic food restaurant - most have fixed menus. And - if you don't speak any Japanese - it is good to ask the concierge to call the restaurant and explain the different fixed menus before you get to the restaurant - and to pre-order the one you want. I cannot over-emphasize how little English is spoken in Japan - even in restaurants.

Not many of the places I go to have fixed menus. And in addition to their a la carte choices, there are daily specials - no surprise there, really - which are well worth exploring, as Japan still highly values the fresh and the seasonal. So I personally wouldn't want to order ahead, but mainly because I hate the idea of my food being decided before I've even left for the restaurant.

A last couple of things that occurred to me, not related to Robyn's comments: for anyone in the habit of bar hopping, it's standard practice for a bar to accommodate only as many customers as there are seats in the bar. Bars often turn away customers they can't seat - a combination probably of not wanting to be overcrowded, and wanting to give the customers already there the best service they can. You will soon get the hang of which places allow standing customers and which don't. And there are of course the tachinomi bars, for standing-only - also worth checking out.

And I don't think anyone mentioned Obon yet, but if your August trip coincides with it, some places may close for up to a few days. There'll be a multitude of alternative choices though, so I'd say it's barely a consideration.

Edited June 28, 2007 by Ohba (log)

[mkjr]

....Toronto is a large city - but Tokyo is *huge* - largest city in the world (about 35 million people) - with - reportedly - over 100,000 restaurants.

←

Sure its large and its hard to get around but it is not that large (would love to know where you get the 35M?). Even taking into consideration Yokohama only gets you to maybe 16M. Central is only around 9.

That said to the OP, if you have concerns about getting lost, pick up a copy of the Tokyo City Atlas (its bilingual) and its pretty easy to navigate what many out there call unnavigatable. Sure finding the last block number can be a little tough but its a little overstated IMO. Its pretty hard to get lost in Kyoto.

EDITED TO ADD *** I think I found out that if you look at the huge area that surrounds Tokyo you can get to 35M*** That said, I think that you should really look at central Tokyo as a measure***

Edited June 28, 2007 by mkjr (log)

[prasantrin]

That said to the OP, if you have concerns about getting lost, pick up a copy of the Tokyo City Atlas (its bilingual) and its pretty easy to navigate what many out there call unnavigatable.  Sure finding the last block number can be a little tough but its a little overstated IMO.  Its pretty hard to get lost in Kyoto.

For getting from one station to another, there's the website called Hyperdia--punch in the stations, the time you want to arrive or depart, and it will give you clear instructions and options for how to get where you want to go. It's pretty finicky about spellings, though, so you might have to fiddle around with station names.

And having lived in Kyoto, I can say it's quite easy to get lost there except in the center of the city. The central area of Kyoto has a grid arrangement of streets, but the rest of Kyoto does not. Kyoto Station used to have a very very good tourist information office, but I heard it was closing. If it's still around, drop in and get a copy of Kyoto Visitor's Guide--it has excellent maps, especially of the downtown area, and it's free! (They have a website, too.)

Edited June 28, 2007 by prasantrin (log)

[robyn]

Just a quick note - we stayed at Granvia in Kyoto this March and really enjoyed the stay there.  Be sure to go to their top bar (don't rember which floor, but high) for great view of Kyoto, live music and good drinks.

←

We went to one of the bars in the Granvia - and they do have a cover charge (not unusual in Japan). About $5 a person. Not a reason not to go - it's just something that a potential customer should keep in mind. Robyn