Sushi Dai
Located in the famous Tsukiji fish market, Sushi Dai has a reputation as one of the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo. It’s also known for 3-4 hours long queues. The restaurant is open from 5 am to 2 pm, and the line usually starts around 3 am, yes that early!. We got there at 6 am, and we were seated at 10:30, the whole meal lasted about 45 minutes. One of the reasons for such long waiting times is that this place is very tiny inside and it does not accept reservations in advance. Beware that the line closes several hours before the closing time when enough people are lined up, and more people wouldn’t be able to make it in before they close at 2 pm. During our visit, the line closed at around 9. Inside the restaurant, everyone sits at the counter, so you get to observe the chefs preparing the sushi. The chef prepares and serves sushi one by one as it should be done, as it is best when is made to order. Sushi Dai definitely lives up to its reputation; our meal was outstanding. Of course you can have equally good or even better sushi in Tokyo; however, it will not be nearly as affordable. So if you are looking for an amazing sushi experience without a premium price tag, there is no better option.
Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten Shibuya
Umegaoka Sushi-no-Midori is a mid-range sushi chain with several outlets across Tokyo. It’s not the highest quality sushi, but it’s a good place to have on your list for a casual and affordable meal. Once you arrive, you have to collect the ticket from a machine with a number & wait until that number is called. It’s very popular among both Japanese and foreigners so either come outside the peak hours or be prepared to wait. They have a vast English menu with pictures, so ordering is straightforward.
Nakajima
Nakajima probably offers the cheapest one-star Michelin lunch in Tokyo. The menu is centred around sardines, which are prepared in 4 different ways – deep-fried with breadcrumbs, raw sashimi, simmered in soy stock or yanagawa nabe. The latter one was our favourite, a casserole dish of deep-fried sardines simmered in a bubbling stock with eggs and onions. Each set comes with rice, pickles and miso soup. You can also order additional side dishes, allowing you to try sardines prepared in different ways. If you want to avoid waiting in the queue, get there before opening. We arrived about 20 minutes before, and we were seated as soon as they opened. If there are only two of you, at lunch-time you will be asked to share a table.
Han no Daidokoro Kadochika
Han no Daikoro Kadochika specialises in Wagyu beef served Korean bbq style, meaning you will need to cook the meat yourself on a small grill at your table. The beef melted in your mouth and the Caesar salad and side dishes were very tasty. The Japanese red wine produced in Asahimachi of Yamagata Prefecture went perfectly with the meal. It’s a very foreigner friendly restaurant with an English menu and friendly servers who speak good English.
Tosawarayaki Ryujimmaru Akasaka
Tosawarayaki Ryujimmaru specialises in warayaki, a traditional straw-grilling technique originating from the Kochi prefecture. The burning straws provide a big flame which quickly sears the fish or meat on the outside, leaving the centre tender and juicy. Additionally, the burning straws add a delicate “smoked” aroma. The signature dish here is Katsuo no tataki, a seared bonito.
Address: 3-12-18 Akasaka | Dai 8 Arai Bldg. Akasaka-kan 1F, Minato 107-0052, Tokyo
Abura Soba Tokyo Abura Gumi Sohonten
Abura soba literally means “oil-noodles. It is a soup-less type of ramen which it is said to be created in the 1950s in Tokyo, then spread throughout the country. It consists of slightly chewy noodles with a shoyu soy sauce and pork fat placed at the bottom of the bowl. Typical toppings include green onions, boiled bamboo shoots, seaweed and roasted pork. Optionally you can add spicy miso, egg and fresh garlic. On the table, you will find additional condiments like vinegar, chilli oil, raw onion and yuzu chilli pepper. Then you mix everything with a sauce at the bottom and enjoy. One of the best parts of a bowl of abura soba is how customizable they are. This one is the biggest chain in Tokyo, and they serve utterly delicious ramen. There is no English name outside so just look for a signature red neon sign in the front. The menu here is straightforward, you have a choice of regular or spicy miso noodles at three sizes small (160 g), medium (240 g) or large (320 g), the price is the same for all the sizes. You then can add some optional toppings. They have an English menu for you to look at however you have to place your order via vending machine, which is only in Japanese. The staff is very friendly, and if they will see that you struggle they will offer you a hand. They don’t have a vegetarian option on the menu, but I ordered spicy miso ramen and just asked the chef to omit the pork fat and roasted pork, it was delicious, hands down the best ramen we had in Japan.
Ippudo Roppongi
Ippudo is a Japanese ramen restaurant chain with locations worldwide. The Ippudo classic Hakata style ramen combines tonkotsu broth with very thin, straight noodles. Tonkotsu broth is simmered for 18 hours and then left to mature for a 24 h at a low temperature, resulting in a creamy and smooth broth with a rich flavour. On the table, you will find a range of condiments including garlic, pickled ginger, spicy pickled greens and spicy bean sprouts.
Address: 4-9-11 Roppongi | 1F No.2 Odagiri Bldg., Minato 106-0032, Tokyo Prefecture
Akafudaya Benkei
Izakaya is kind of a Japanese pub, a place where the Japanese head in the evenings after work to relax with their co-workers and friends over a couple of drinks and some inexpensive food. It’s all about drinking, eating and having fun – Japanese style. The popular drinks in izakayas include cold beer, high ball and shochu, distilled spirits made from rice, barley or sweet potatoes. With your first drink, you will usually be served a small appetiser called otoushi, which also functions as a cover charge and will be included in your bill at a few hundred yen. Akasaka neighbourhood is filled with great izakayas, Akafudaya Benkei being one of them. It had a great lively atmosphere and a varied menu to suit everyone’s taste. The radish salad and beef tongue are highly recommended.
Grilled Pork Tavern Ginbuta Akasaka
This Izakaya specialises in grilled pork skewers, served either with salt or sauce. You will find every part of pork on the menu, from shoulder, bacon, liver and tongue to the more unusual like intestine, heart, cartilage and aorta. The menu also includes a variety of fried foods, fresh and pickled vegetables.
Gaburi Chicken Akasaka
A great place to stop by for Karaage, a Japanese fried chicken and a pint of cold beer or high ball. You can choose from six different cuts of meat, with options like neck meat, wings and gizzards along with several different optional dipping sauces. There are also some vegetarian options on the menu. The atmosphere inside was lively and buzzing.
Gindaco High Ball Sakaba Akasakamitsuke
Gindaco is a casual fast food chain specialising in takoyaki, delicious octopus balls served with different toppings. It has numerous branches in every area of Tokyo and a reputation for serving one of the best takoyaki in Japan, crispy on the outside with a gooey centre. The Akasaka branch has a great happy hour menu until 18:00 with a pint of beer for 290 Jpy instead of 480 Jpy and highball for 200 Jpy instead of 360 Jpy. The is no English menu so unless you can speak Japanese you will have to rely on pictures when ordering 🙂
Isetan Shinjuku Store
In the underground of Tokyo department stores, you will find the best-kept secret in Tokyo – depachika, food halls usually offering Japan’s finest foods. The word is a combination of “depato”, meaning department store, and “chika”, meaning basement. On the basement floor of a luxurious Isetan Shinjuku Store, you will find of the premier depachika in Tokyo. They offer an enormous selection of savoury and sweet foods as well as alcohols and high-end fruits. Various pre-prepared meals, sushi boxes and bento, as well as foods sold by weight, are available here for purchase. The assortment of desserts was outstanding. On the rooftop, you will find a little garden with the benches where you can enjoy your food. It’s also a great place to buy food souvenirs to take home.
Address: 3-14-1, Shinjuku, Shinjuku 3 Chome, Shinjuku 160-0022, Tokyo Prefecture
