Top 10 Tokyo Restaurants
Tokyo has thousands of restaurants. From my time living there and subsequent visits I’ve been to an extremely small percentage of them. So with complete disregard for statistical significance, here is the definitive list the best 10 restaurants in Tokyo.
ittadakimasu!
10. Ippudo
Like Kitkats, Baseball and Gary Lineker ramen came to Japan from abroad and was fully embraced by the Japanese, and it’s a ramen restaurant that kicks things off at number 10.
Location: 4-9-11-1F, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
www.ippudo.com
9. Yottekoya
2 ramen restaurants in the top 10 might seem a little excessive when there is so much food variety in Tokyo. To be honest it probably is, but none the less Yottekoya in Shinjuku has snuck onto the list at number 9 off the back of its marvelous super garlic ramen.Yottekoya’s regular ramen is pretty tasty but the garlic one is something a bit special, particularly if you’re trying to keep a cold at bay. It launches into a four pronged garlic offensive - whole fried garlic gloves, grated garlic, crushed garlic and a dark threatening garlic sauce. It’s also pretty good value with ramen and a plate of gyoza costing about £5. If you’re still not convinced Garlic Central lists all manner of garlic benefits, including effective natural mosquito repelling qualities.
Location: 3-35-13 Shinjyuku, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo
http://www.yottekoya.com/8. Cha Cha Hana
If you’re looking for a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks then you’re best off heading to an Izakaya.Izazakaya’s come in all manner of forms, and at the trendier yet reasonably priced end of the izakaya spectrum is Cha Cha Hana. It’s in Shinjuku and it’s lovely.
Location: 1-1-1, Kabukicho, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo
7. MOS Burger
Low rolling its way in at number 7 is MOS burger. The partially informed might doubt the inclusion of MOS at number 7, foolishly mistaking it for a Japanese version of McDonalds. However the MOS Cheeseburger is pound for pound the best burger in the world.MOS burger is a huge chain and is now the second-largest fast-food franchise in Japan after McDonald’s so you should have no trouble finding them.
Location: 2-14-3-1F, Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
www.ninjaakasaka.com
6. Ninja Akasaka
If you want to have your food served to you by a bloke dressed up as ninja, there are not too many options. Thankfully Ninja in Akasaka fits the bill. Normally I wouldn’t go in for this themed restaurant malarkey but unlike other themed restaurants in Tokyo the food is really good, and our ninja was rather amusing, performing an array of “ninja tricks” whilst bravely battling with the English language.
5. Coco Curry
Delicious, katsu curry barrels unashamedly in at 5 in the form of Coco Curry. Like MOS burger this is a huge chain in Japan but surprisingly few in Tokyo however there is one in Shibuya.They used to have a challenge where if you could eat 1300g of curry and rice in 20 minutes you got the meal for free. Sadly this no longer exists, but with chicken katsu curry costing only £4 it’s not a deal breaker.
4. Kisoji
Kisoji in Shinjuku’s specialty is sukyaki which is cooked at your table by waitresses in Kimono. Considering the quality and service, lunchtime is an absolute bargain with prices for a big suyaki set course with a small dessert starting from about £15.If times are too tight for that you can get this huge sashimi course which comes with tempura, miso soup, rice, dessert and a few other bits and bobs for just 1500 yen (about £7).
Location: Shinjyuku New Fuji building 4-6F, 3-17-5 Shinjyuku, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo
www.kisoji.co.jp
3. Teppanyaki Akasaka
If you like your steak with a nice view, take a trip to the 37th floor of the ANA hotel for some teppanyaki at Akasaka.Whilst the evening prices are for Johnny Money Bags with dinner course prices starting at £70, the same courses are a fraction of the cost at lunch.The lunchtime fillet steak course is only £20 and is absolutely delicious. For an extra £5 the chef will chuck a live prawn on the hot plate, cooking the unfortunate chap alive. This possibly takes freshness to an unnecessary level but it was very nice.
Location: ANA Intercontinental Hotel 37F
www.anaintercontinental-tokyo.jp/e/rest/akasaka.html
2. Tsukiji Fish Market
The business end of the list starts with Tsukiji Fish Market. Not actually a restaurant but a collection of restaurants and the biggest wholesale fish market in the world. If you like sushi and you’re in Tokyo you’d be a bit of a fool not to come here.
Location: Tsukiji Fish Market
4-13-15, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
www.tsukiji-market.or.jp
1. Gokirakutei
With hundreds of brilliant chefs in Tokyo it would seem a little odd to claim the best restaurant in Tokyo is one where you cook the food yourself, but … erm that’s pretty much what I’m doing in putting cook-it-yourself-super-restaurant Gokirakutei at number 1.This isn’t a massive show of arrogance or misplaced confidence in my cooking ability, but rather a salute to a restaurant which deliciously fresh ingredients, a convivial atmosphere and more character than you can shake a stick at. It’s also really good fun and pretty hard to balls up the cooking of okonomiyaki or fried rice.Gokirakutei is in Yoyogi Uehara and just round the corner from my old flat when I used to live in Tokyo, which perhaps has also influenced its lofty position in this top 10.
The tables all have a built in gas powered teppan (iron plate) to cook on. You can choose from a variety of ingredients and try you’re hand at okonomiyaki, fried rice or fried noodles. All are easy to cook but the friendly staff can help if disaster strikes.There are loads of these sort of do-it-yourself okonomiyaki places all over Japan, but I’ve never been to one that matches Gokirakutei in terms of taste or atmosphere. All in all a must to eat at if you’re in Tokyo.
Location: 1-32-18-1F, Uehara, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
gochisosama deshita!
~being reviewed by oishiioishii.net
