Food in Tokyo: A culinary journey through Japan's capital city

Get ready for the gastronomic experience of a lifetime: when it comes to eating and drinking, few places in the world can compare to Tokyo. The number, range and quality of places is outstanding, with practically any world cuisine you can think of available alongside all the usual – and many unusual – Japanese dishes. The city’s range of places to dine runs the gamut from simple noodle bars up to high temples of gastronomy, where the eye-popping beauty of the food on the plate is matched by an equally creative approach to interior design.

Japanese staple dishes

With Japanese food now popular across the globe, most visitors will, before even setting foot in the country, have sampled at least a couple of its main staple dishes. However, any national cuisine is best tasted in its homeland, and chances are that it’ll be cheaper here, too.

Sushi

Unless you’re totally disgusted by the thought of raw fish, you absolutely have to give sushi a go during your time here. The name refers not to the fish, but to the vinegared rice it (or other ingredients) are laid upon; simple raw fish is actually known as sashimi. At a traditional sushi-ya, each plate is freshly made by a team of chefs working in full view of the customers. Choices include tuna (maguro), salmon (sāmon), shrimp (ebi), eel (unagi), scallop (hotate) and egg (tamago); order by pointing, or going for a set (mori-awase; usually served at lunch). 

Kaiten-zushi shops, where you pluck your selections from a conveyor belt, are an inexpensive, convenient way of sampling the cuisine; plates are colour-coded according to price, and the total number of plates is totted up at the end. You’ll be served green tea with your meal, and expected to pour your own soy sauce, into which some stir wasabi (already included beneath the fish in some sushi); note that it’s the fish, not the rice, which is supposed to be dipped into the soy.

Noodles and ramen

There are three main types of noodle to try in Tokyo. The first two usually go side by side in simple noodle restaurants: soba, a thin, grey noodle made from buckwheat powder; and udon, a fatter, white noodle made from wheat flour. These come with all sorts of toppings, and in either a hot or a cold broth (the latter usually a bit more expensive). King of the noodles, however, is ramen, a Chinese-style yellow noodle served in dedicated, often atmospherically steamy establishments; this can come in a soy or miso-based broth, and the additional ingredients vary. 

It’s not unusual for long lines to form outside hit ramen stalls and there are scores of blogs devoted to the quest for the best bowl – English ones include ramenadventures.com. Lastly, tsukemen is a sort of ramen in which the broth is served separately – often lukewarm, and with less liquid to slurp, many prefer it in the summertime.

Okonomiyaki, monjayaki and oden

Savoury okonomiyaki are fast gaining currency outside Japan. Restaurants specializing in this pancake-like dish have tables featuring hot plates; sometimes the batter and ingredients are brought out for you to cook yourself. Fillings can vary, but seafood, noodles and veggies are popular choices. Tokyo has its own variant, known as monjayaki; with a far looser consistency than okonomiyaki, this is always a DIY job, though staff will do the necessaries for you if you ask. 

A popular winter dish (though available all year round) is oden, large chunks of simmered tofu, daikon (radish), root-vegetable jelly, seaweed, hard-boiled eggs and fishcakes, traditionally eaten with a smear of mustard; oden is best eaten in izakaya, though convenience stores also sell it.

Grilled meats, cutlets and tempura

Yakitori are delicious skewers of grilled chicken, sometimes served alongside other meats, offal and vegetables. Traditionally seen as something of a non-gourmet, working-class meal, it has recently undergone a popularity explosion; inexpensive places to enjoy it include the atmospheric stalls under the tracks at Shimbashi and Yurakuchō. Similar to yakitori are kushiage: skewers of meat, seafood and vegetables, coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. 

If your tastes turn to pork, then you’ll not want to miss out on tonkatsu, larger cuts of meat also coated in breadcrumbs and usually served on shredded cabbage with a brown, semisweet sauce. This forms part of the king of comfort foods – katsu-karē, a breaded cutlet (usually pork) served with Japanese-style curry, sometimes served on a bed of rice. Lastly, there’s tempura, a series of battered, deep-fried comestibles including okra, shrimp (particularly tasty) and sweet potato; some restaurants serve a few varieties on a bed of rice (tendon).

How to eat in Tokyo on a budget

Tokyo isn’t exactly paradise for budget travellers, but as far as food goes there are some very good ways to stretch your yen. Most head straight to the city’s chain convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, AM/PM and Lawson, which sell snacks and meals round the clock; these include sandwiches and pastries, plus more intrinsically Japanese sustenance such as oden and onigiri (rice wrapped in lavered seaweed, with various fillings). 

Not quite as numerous, but still found in all parts of town, supermarkets sell sandwich fodder and other staples such as bentō sets (rice with all manner of other ingredients, in a plastic tray) and super-cheap fresh noodles; note that in the hours before closing they tend to lop up to half of the price off sushi and other bentō. 

If you want to eat out, try a standing noodle bar; these are usually referred to as a sobaya or udon-ya, though in practice the vast majority sell both; it can be tricky to operate the Japanese-only ticket machines. However, the best value is to be had at Tokyo’s fast-food chains, almost all of which supply English-language menus. All of the following can be found in every single part of town; just ask around.

Travelling to Tokyo doesn't necessarily involve a huge expense. Read our guide to free things to do in Tokyo and see for yourself.

Kaiseki-ryōri: gourmet experience in Tokyo

Gourmands will not want to miss the opportunity to sample Japan’s finest cooking style, kaiseki-ryōri, while in Tokyo. A kaiseki meal consists of a series of small, carefully balanced and beautifully presented dishes, the ingredients reflecting the seasons, served by a waitress in a kimono on exquisite china and lacquerware. 

It began as an accompaniment to the tea ceremony and still retains the meticulous design of that elegant ritual. While a kaiseki dinner can be hugely expensive, a kaiseki bentō (boxed lunch) is a more affordable option. Apart from recommended restaurants such as Kakiden and Tōfuya-Ukai, top hotels are the best places for enjoying this style of cuisine.

Tokyo for vegetarians

It may be the capital of a historically Buddhist nation, but Tokyo is a surprisingly challenging place in which to be vegetarian. The problem stems from the fact that, although the average Japanese eats far less meat than the average Westerner, vegetarianism is extremely rare here: you might ask for a vegetarian (saishoku) dish in a restaurant, and still be served something with meat or fish in it. 

For example, the popular tofu dish hiya yakko (a small slab of chilled tofu topped with grated ginger, spring onions and soy sauce) is usually sprinkled with flakes of bonito (dried tuna). If you’re a committed vegetarian, things to watch out for include dashi stock, which contains bonito; bread and cakes, as these can contain lard; and omelettes, which can contain chicken stock. The good news is that places specializing in vegetarian and vegan food in Tokyo are on the rise.

There are many things to consider when planning your trip to Tokyo. Luckily we've compiled the most important aspects for your convenience: check out our guides on getting around Tokyo, where to stay in Tokyo and when is the best time to visit Tokyo.

Explore Tokyo's bustling market-style eateries

A trip to Tokyo is not complete without a night out at one of the city’s many yokochō. These market-style areas often focus on food and drink, and many are packed with dozens upon dozens of minuscule eateries. With smoke and steam rising from the open-air “kitchens” (often nothing more than a small grill), they can be hugely photogenic. 

English-language menus and signage are rare at these places, but many places specialize in a particular type of food, making selection and ordering a simple exercise in walking around and pointing. Almost all stalls will sell beer, as well as sake. 

The most famous yokochō in Tokyo is Shinjuku’s Omoide Yokochō, but Ebisu Yokochō down south is very good too (and covered, which is handy when it’s cold or rainy), and there are several under the tracks south of Tokyo station. However, there are atmospheric yokochō all around the city – just ask around for the nearest one.

Maids and butlers: Tokyo’s quirky cafes

Tokyo’s weird and wonderful maid cafés range in style from seedy to sci-fi via the unashamedly kitsch. Some visitors assume a link exists with the sex industry, but the majority of venues are actually rather tame, with nothing bar the weirdness to worry about. The deal is usually the same: costumed girls (and sometimes guys) serve up food and drink in an excruciatingly “cute” manner, their voices screeching a full two octaves above their natural pitch. 

There’s usually an hourly fee, and you’re also expected to order some food or drink from the menu. Keep an eye on the other customers, too: the mix of office groups, courting couples, old sleazebags and lonely young men can be a fascinating window onto contemporary Japanese culture, though remember that you’re not usually allowed to take pictures. Recommended places to try include Mai:lish, and the Maidreamin branches in Akihabara and Shibuya. 

The success of maid cafés spawned a male equivalent: the equally interesting butler cafés, where handsome, dressed-up young chaps (often Westerners) serve coffee, cake and wine to an exclusively female clientele. Though the format is essentially the same as that for the maid café, butler cafés tend to be fancier and are often rather more expensive. A good one to try is Swallowtail Café in Ikebukuro; if you’d like a butler café with a difference, head to Dawn Avatar Robot Café near Ginza.

Discover the сharm of Japanese tea сeremonies

Tea was introduced to Japan from China in the ninth century and was popularized by Zen Buddhist monks, who appreciated its caffeine kick during their long meditation sessions. Gradually, tea drinking developed into a formal ritual known as cha-no-yu, the tea ceremony, whose purpose is to heighten the senses within a contemplative atmosphere. 

In its simplest form, the ceremony takes place in a tatami room, undecorated save for a hanging scroll or display of ikebana (traditional flower arrangement). Using beautifully crafted utensils of bamboo, iron and rustic pottery, your host will whisk matcha – the strong powdered form of green tea – into a thick, frothy brew and present it to each guest in turn. 

First, eat the accompanying sweet (wagashi), then take the bowl in both hands, turn it clockwise a couple of short twists and drink it down in three slow sips. While teahouses are a homage to the art of tea drinking, tearooms can be any room where tea is served (although the two are often interchangeable). The Imperial and Ōkura hotels have traditional teahouses in which tea ceremonies are held. Some of the most appealing places to take tea are the city’s parks, where small tearooms often serve your brew with a small sweet treat. The best are located in: 

• Hama Rikyū Teien
• Shinjuku Gyoen
• Happōen
• Kyū Iwasaki-tei Gardens
• and Kyū Furukawa Gardens

Japan’s tea culture embraces many types of tea. Bancha, the cheapest grade of tea is for everyday drinking and, in its roasted form, is used to make the smoky hōjicha, or mixed with popped brown rice for the nutty genmaicha. Medium-grade sencha is commonly served in upmarket restaurants, while top-ranking, slightly sweet gyokuro (dewdrop) is reserved for special occasions. Although usually reserved for tea ceremonies, thick and strong matcha is often available in regular tearooms.

While taking part in a tea ceremony is one of Tokyo's unique experiences, the city holds an inexhaustible array of things to do. Explore our carefully compiled list of the best things to do in Tokyo and choose the ones you would like to experience.

Tokyo's Koreatown: dive into delicious Korean cuisine

There’s a point as you walk north from Kabukichō where you’ll notice that the Japanese characters on shop signs are matched or replaced by hangul – Korean script. Welcome to Tokyo’s Koreatown, where you can not only pick up K-pop boy-band music or posters, but also tuck into excellent Korean cuisine. 

Apart from yakiniku (beef or pork strips sizzled atop a grill at your table), bibimbap (rice topped with vegetables, egg and meat) and kimchi (the fiery fermented cabbage pickle) there’s a vast range of other Korean dishes to sample, including bindaeddeok (pancakes made with yellow mung beans); sundubu (tofu stews); and samgyetang (chicken in a herb and ginseng soup). 

For tasty Korean staples, try Han Sarang; for barbecued meat, Saemaeul Sikdang is your best bet. Both are near Shin-Ōkubo station, within walking distance of central Shinjuku.