Where to Eat in Tokyo? A Selection of My Favorite Restaurants
When it comes to eating out, Tokyo has SO MUCH to offer. If you are looking for affordable and delicious meals in Tokyo, here is a list of my favorite restaurants. I have visited these places many times and have been pleased with the experience and prices.
Katsu Midori Meguro (回し寿司活 目黒店)
With its lively atmosphere, Katsu Midori is a kaiten sushi (回転寿司), or conveyor belt sushi restaurant, that has the best value in my opinion. The fish is very fresh and the cheapest plate of two sushi is ¥130, including the basic tuna (まぐろ), one of my favorites, with the largest slices I've seen for sushi. The variety of the sushi selection compared to other kaiten sushi is definitely one of the main reasons why this restaurant is so special to me. There is also a seasonal menu that is usually renewed every month, with new sushi as well as desserts.
If you are unsure what to choose, why not try sushi with grilled scallop (帆立エスニック焼 or あぶりほたて), eel (うなぎ) or Japanese squid (いか)?
I have taken friends and family to this restaurant many times, and it has never been a miss so far.
Be aware that the restaurant is very popular and you will most likely have to wait in line before you can enjoy your meal. If you go alone or with a buddy, the wait is usually 5 to 20 minutes, and you will be seated at the counter. The restaurant also has tables but only five of them, so if you are a group of 4-6 people, be prepared to wait 40-60 minutes (totally worth it).
Ordering is both easy and convenient. You use a tablet with an intuitive interface to select your order (English option available). After that, one of the sushi chefs prepares your sushi in front of you and even hands it to you personally.
I mainly go to the Meguro branch, but there are others in Tokyo such as in Shibuya (渋谷) or Musashikosugi (武蔵小杉).
Price range
¥1000-2000 per person.
Location
Tonkatsu Yamabe (とんかつ山家 上野店)
Tonkatsu Yamabe is a small restaurant located near Ueno Park, which prepares lunch or dinner set of tonkatsu (breaded and fried pork cutlet) accompanied with miso soup, rice and shredded cabbage.
There is always a line in front of this restaurant, a testament to its popularity for its cheap and delicious tonkatsu.
The standard item on the menu is the Rosu Katsu Teishoku (loin set menu) which costs about ¥800, but they offer other options as well such as Ebi-Fry (fried shrimp) and Aji-Fry (fried mackerel). If you are feeling fancy, they also offer loin of a higher quality as well as size.
Price range
¥800-1000 per person.
Location
Butagumi (とんかつ 西麻布 豚組)
Another delicious tonkatsu restaurant I would recommend is Butagami in Nishiazabu. It is more expensive than the previous suggestion, but you get to choose from a big variety of different cuts of pork (according to the amount of fat and the origin of the meat from different prefectures of Japan). Reservations are highly recommended, as there are not many tables in this small restaurant, but the staff are friendly and efficient, the menus are all available in English. The tonkatsu was absolutely delicious and melted in the mouth.
Price
¥3,000-¥5,000 per person.
Location
Ootoya (大戸屋)
Ootoya is a Japanese restaurant chain that offers a wide variety of authentic, healthy and inexpensive Japanese teishoku (meal sets). There is a wide variety of choices, and a seasonal menu that changes from time to time.
I think Ootoya is a great option for enjoying Japanese food other than the common sushi or ramen. There is something about this place and its food that makes it feel like “mom's cooking”.
My favorite dish is the fried chicken set with sweet and sour sauce (甘からだれの鶏唐揚げ定食). Something special this restaurant has to offer is that, apart from the standard white rice, it offers a rare “5-grain” option (see photo below), which I choose every single time.
In some restaurants, it is possible to order on a tablet, with an option in English.
Price
¥800-1200 per person.
Location
Several branches in Tokyo (Shibuya, Ginza, Shinjuku,…) and around Japan.
Torikizoku (鳥貴族)
Torikizoku is a widely-spread and a must-try yakitori izakaya. There is one branch near where I live and I love going there once every other week, especially on a Friday night when I am in the mood for some comfort food and looking for a fun way to start the weekend.
Every single dish and drink on their menu is only ¥350! And there is such a wide range of options to choose from. Not only the food is delicious, but it is also cheap and affordable for those on a budget. Another thing I like about Torikizoku is their use of fresh domestic ingredients and how promptly each meal is served to you.
My personal favorites are:
Chicken thigh with tare sauce (momo kizoku or もも貴族焼)
Mochi with cheese (mochi mochi cheese yaki or もちもちチーズ焼)
Stuffed green bell pepper with ponzu sauce (piman nikutsume or ピーマン肉詰).
Fried chicken with tartare sauce (chikin namba or チキン南蛮)
With these, I like to order the sesame oil-seasoned cabbage bowl (Kyabetsu or キャベツ) because it balances out all the meatiness of skewers. It is refreshing and fun to munch on while enjoying your drink. Plus, you can get a free refill!
For those who like to drink a lot, a good tip is to take their Mega highball or Mega Kin Mugi (beer), served in a huge glass for the same price as the rest of the drinks served in smaller glasses.
Price
¥1000-2000 per person.
Location
Several branches in Tokyo and around Japan.
Uobei Shibuya Dougenzaka (魚べい 渋谷道玄坂店)
Uobei is one of Shibuya's go-to places for a fun and cheap kaiten sushi experience.
It may not as fresh and tasty as Katsu Midori (my first recommendation), but it's still pretty good for the price. It’s certainly better than the average sushi in France, my home country.
They offer a great selection of sushi and other dishes such as deep-fried and soups, with price per sushi going as low as ¥110!
I think this restaurant is particularly great to try with kids. Even as an adult, I get excited to see my sushi arrive on a rail after ordering it on a tablet.
Price
¥800-1000 per person
Location
Torisanwa Koredomuromachiten (鶏三和 コレド室町店)
If you like oyakodon (親子丼), it is THE place to go in my opinion.
Oyakodon, literally "parent-and-child donburi", is a classical Japanese comfort food. It is a Japanese rice bowl dish, in which chicken, egg, sliced scallion, and other ingredients are all simmered together in a soup that is made with soy sauce and stock, and then served on top of a large bowl of rice.
The regular set includes a soup, a small side dish and a small dessert for ¥1300, a good price for the quality of the dish.
The restaurant is located in the COREDO shopping mall on the B1 floor. There is a movie theater (TOHO) a few floors above, if you feel like watching a movie after a good meal (I've done it several times).
Price
¥1200-1500 per person.
Location
Nabezou (鍋ぞう)
Nabezou is a restaurant specializing in Japanese hot pot, whether it's shabu-shabu or sukiyaki, offering all-you-can-eat courses for 100 minutes.
Japanese hot pot or nabe (鍋) is very easy and fun to eat and one of the favorite dishes of Japanese people in winter. It consists of a mixture of fresh vegetables, meat, seafood, tofu and seasonal ingredients, all to be cooked in a simmering soup broth in a pot.
What's really nice about Nabezou is that you can separate the hot pot in half, so it's possible to try both shabu-shabu and sukiyaki in one dinner, both of which are similar but also very different in terms of taste and eating style.
There are three all-you-can-eat options at Nabezou, starting at ¥3190 per person, depending on the type of meat you choose. While you order the meat at your table, there is a large buffet where you can choose vegetables, noodles and other things from a wide selection of ingredients.
The last time I went there was for a special occasion, so I chose the Japanese beef dish for ¥5390 per person, and it was a great experience! In the end, it's a good deal because you can eat Japanese beef as much as you want, and the beef slices are bigger and better quality than in the standard course.
The beef in the black plate is from the standard course while the one in the brown one is wagyu from the Japanese beef course.
Price
¥3500-6000 per person.
Location
There are 7 branches in Tokyo (Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ikebukuro) as well as in Kanagawa and Saitama.
Nihonbashi Kaisen Don Tsujihan Kagurazaka (日本橋 海鮮丼 つじ半 神楽坂店)
This restaurant serves delicious bowls of fresh seafood at incredible value for money. The fish is fresh and of high quality, and the portions are generous. The dining experience is also excellent, as you sit at a counter and can watch the master prepare your bowl in front of you.
Tsujihan's menu offers zeitakudon in four sizes - Ume, Take, Matsu and Tokujyo - increasing in quantity with additional toppings. Served with a small portion of sashimi with sesame sauce, each bowl of rice is accompanied by a tall stack of seafood including chopped tuna, salmon roe, whelks, prawns, geoduck, squid, herring roe, cucumber and scallions.
The funny thing about this dish is that after you've eaten two thirds of it, the restaurant staff will top off your bowl with a rich sea bream broth (called taidashi). So you get to enjoy your meal in two different ways!
Ume course
Be aware that the restaurant is small, with only 12 seats inside, so it's best to arrive early or be prepared to wait.
Price
Lunch set price starts at ¥1,250 per person (Ume course).
Location
There is also another branch located near Tokyo station in Nihonbashi.
TOMO (赤坂麺処 友)
This restaurant in Akasaka specialises in ramen made with chicken or fish broth. I tried the one with chicken - called tori-shio ramen - and it was really tasty and delicious. If you're in the area and looking for a local and delicious ramen, this is the place to go.
Price
¥1,000-¥1,400 per person
Location
To Conclude
This small selection is made of restaurants that I would take my family to or that I would 100% recommend to friends visiting Japan. If you happen to try them, I sincerely hope you will enjoy them as much as I did! I will update this list in the future as I discover new places, so don’t hesitate to check this article again.
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This article was originally published on December 11 2022 and updated on June 13 2024.
