There must be hundreds of such articles, but now I’ve lived in Tokyo over 10 years, I want to make my own list of restaurant recommendations to share with friends and whoever stumbles here.

All these restaurants I’ve personally visited, and a great many of them I’ve been to over 20 times. I truly believe in their quality!

Sections

1. Japanese
   1. Sushi
   2. Grilled Fish
   3. Yakitori
   4. Unagi
   5. Soup Curry
   6. Shabu-shabu
   7. Japanese Curry
   8. Okonomiyaki / Monja
   9. Udon/Soba
   10. Oden
   11. Izakaya
2. Non-Japanese Food
   1. Chinese
   2. Taiwanese
   3. Singaporean
   4. Indian
   5. French
   6. Italian - Pizza
   7. Greek
   8. American - Burger
   9. British - Fish and Chips

Japanese

Sushi

The iconic Japanese dish is best enjoyed in Tsukiji (築地) itself, the original home of the fish market that has now moved to next to Shin-Toyosu, but fear not the outer marker is still alive and kicking, which are basically restaurants outside of the market. There are an abundance of restaurants in Tsukiji but I normally still go to the chain Sushzanmai’s main branch, in the outer market that is open 24 hours and is reasonably priced for the level of sushi you get. There are in fact 10 of these in that area, but I still believe this specific store is the best of the chain in Tokyo. Always go for a counter seat for the best experience, to see your sushi chef at work!

If you want even cheaper sushi, but are prepared to stand whilst you eat, and are willing to queue for a while, check out my other recommendation. It’s called Sushi Cho and closes in the evening so no late night sushi available here.

If you are in Tsukiji in the daytime and want a coffee spot, I recommend Turret Coffee (https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1313/A131301/13162482/), named after the small vehicles used to zip around the fish market.

Grilled Fish

Fish is such a staple in Japan cuisine, that it's worth trying a variety of fish in different forms, whether that is raw (sushi/sashimi) or grilled like these restaurants.

Yakitori

Yakitori (焼き鳥) is grilled (yaki) chicken (tori, lit. bird meat) and they are small pieces on skewers grilled over a charcoal fire. You can also get non-chicken sticks such as with vegetables on but the main stay is chicken. most izakayas also server yakitori. You will always be asked if you want it coated in a salty-sweet sauce (tare) or just with a bit of salt on (shio).

Unagi

Unagi (うなぎ) restaurants serve grilled freshwater eel, most commonly in a savoury sweet sauce. The recommendation below is specifically Hitsumabushi (ひつまぶし) from Nagoya where the eel are bight size pieces in the sweet sauce, served over rice. There are topics served with it including seaweed, onions, wasabi and then a dashi tea you can pour over it (to make chazuke).

Soup Curry

Famous dish from Hokkaido but now has become quite popular across Tokyo. It's the best meal to pack in your vegetables, and the vegetables are in a light curry flavoured soup and served alongside saffron rice. You are always asked to pick the spiciness level you want, as well as which broth, rice size and what additional topics you would like to add. There are vegetable only ones or ones with chicken or pork. I normally like to take the vegetable one but add chicken toping to ensure I get my full share of vegetables. Some of the worst places tend to skimp on the vegetables.

Shabu-shabu

Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ) is a Japanese hot pot dish consisting of thinly sliced meat and vegetables that you cook yourself in a light broth in your own hotpot dish per table.

Japanese Curry

Curry (カレー) was said to have been brought to Japan from India by the British. But it was heavily adapted to Japanese tastes to make it the dish it is today that barely resembles any kind of Indian curry. The most popular served outside of Japan is Katsu curry which is breaded deep-friend cutlet (chicken or pork), served with the Japanese curry sauce. But if you open the menu at a place like CoCo Ichibanya, you will see many more options. They all are served with the Japanese sauce and rice, and you can pick the spiciness level you would like.

Okonomiyaki / Monjayaki

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is quite well known, being a Japanese teppanyaki savoury pancake dish grilled on a hot plate originating from Hiroshima/Osaka. But what is less known is Monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き), which uses more dashi broth to make it runnier, a bit like a grill of melted cheese look. It originated in Tokyo, in Tsukishima so this is where people come from across Tokyo to eat it.

Udon / Soba

Oden

Be sure to try the sake; they serve oden along with many other assorted dishes

Izakaya

This is quite a modern Japanese izakaya offering a variety of small dishes

Non-Japanese Food

You may think Japan would not do good Western food, but Japan has many Asian and Western restaurants serving high quality dishes that will not disappoint!

Chinese

Taiwanese

Singaporean

Indian

French

Italian - Pizza

Savoy moved locations within Azabu Juban but they remain a good spot for an Italian style thin crust pizza that doesn't break your wallet. Lunch is just ¥1,100 for a pizza, salad and ice tea.

Greek

American - Burger

British - Fish and Chips