Food Glorious Food

November 9, 2015 9:37 AM

If you wanted to have one really memorable meal in Tokyo and another one in Kyoto where would you go?

The diners have no food allergies, one would like vegetarian/pescetarian options. The diners are moderately adventurous.

A great meal could be high-end or could be an amazing hole-in-the wall.

posted by brookeb to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

Tell us more. Have you done a classic Kaiseki meal before? Do you like it? Have you been to these cities before? Is there anything you like? What's your budget?

Those cities have both amazing high-end and amazing hole-in-the-wall.
posted by JPD at 9:42 AM on November 9, 2015

Response by poster: Okay - more context.

We've never been to Japan before, but have many close Japanese friends so have eaten a lot of authentic Japanese food before (home cooked). No classic Kaiseki meal before.

Upper end of the budget would be around $150 - $200 for food and drink. Priorities are eating dishes that are not typically available in the US or alternatively dishes that are done particularly well.

Good hole-in-the wall suggestions for ramen, izakaya, okonomiyaki, would be appreciated.
posted by brookeb at 9:50 AM on November 9, 2015

I just went to a small vegetarian place in Nakano that was very memorable, not only because of great, healthy food, but also because the Taiwanese lady who owns the place is really interesting. I went there with my boyfriend's mother and sister, who are Japanese and no vegetarians, and they really liked it, too. I could have done without nearly choking on my food when the lady asked if I will marry my boyfriend, but in hindsight, it was kind of funny and gave me a way to see how his mother feels about us.

One of my colleagues knows and loves the place as well.
It's called Korinbo and is near Nakano station.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 9:57 AM on November 9, 2015

Tofu is a specialty in Kyoto, so plenty of vegetarian options there. I had a great kaiseki style tofu meal at Tosuiro. Great river view, too.

My most memorable meal in Tokyo was at one of the nearby sushi places at Tsukiji fish market after a dawn tour. I can't remember the exact place I visited but I think any place you stop in that area will be good. Eating insanely fresh sushi at 7 am is the one I always end up recommending when talking about Tokyo.
posted by horizons at 10:05 AM on November 9, 2015

Close to Shinjuku station in Tokyo is Nakajima, “The Cheapest Michelin Starred Restaurant in the World” about 10USD for set lunch, which is a choice of 4 different preparations of sardines.
posted by Jakey at 10:14 AM on November 9, 2015 [4 favorites]

You're probably looking for personal experiences, but I'd like to offer the first episode of the PBS show: I'll have what Phil's having.

Besides being a really entertaining show, the website has links to the restaurants in Tokyo where he ate.
posted by SteveInMaine at 10:38 AM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

The best meal we had in Kyoto is at a place called Shoraian, which is only open for lunch. Traditional set meals, worth paying more to get not the lowest, there's a big jump from cheapest to middle option. Mostly vegetarian, but meat options including kobe beef. The setting is unbelievably gorgeous, the staff is incredibly friendly and the food is gorgeous and tasty. I would go back in a heartbeat.

We also ate at Shigetsu at a temple, which was very good but felt more corporate than Shoraian. For a cheap but different meal, one of the branches of Omen noodles was a fun experience.

We also did a private cooking course with Emi at the Uzuki Cooking School-- it's actually just in her home, but I couldn't believe how professional (and different) the dishes we cooked looked and tasted compared to anything I've done before.

I actually thought we ate better in Kyoto than in Tokyo, hence all the recommendations for there!
posted by lettezilla at 11:24 AM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

Have you considered going to one of the cosplay cafes in Akihabara? You want memorable, that would be memorable -- but not for the food.

For instance, a Cat Cafe? or a Maid Cafe? a Butler Cafe?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:03 PM on November 9, 2015

kikunoi was glorious . Traditional Kyoto cuisine. Pro tip, fancy Japanese restaurants are much cheaper for lunch, your accommodation will be happy to book for you often.

We really enjoyed iron chef sakai's restaurant in Tokyo, it's old school, but was great.
posted by smoke at 6:37 PM on November 9, 2015

Hitsumabushi Bincho
How to Eat Hitsumabushi

I want to go back and eat it so bad. I have not even attempted to look for this in the US, as I don't think it's possible to truly replicate it.
posted by yueliang at 7:15 PM on November 9, 2015

In August, I had one of the best meals in my life at a seafood restaurant called Kaikaya in central Tokyo (Dogenzaka/Shibuya). It was an 8-course prix fixe for about 35 yen, and every course was utterly mind-blowing. It has a bit of a cozy izakaya feel -- loud, boisterous, fun -- but the seafood was at the level of the highest dining in the US. Almost everything is caught fresh from Sagami Bay.

Check out the glowing trip advisor reviews, and Lonely Planet has the best description of where exactly it is.
posted by deeparch at 5:35 AM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

My advice is to use Tabelog through translation. When you are out walking around and want something cheap and good for lunch, just use the map function to find something.

For dinners and special lunches I would pick out what genres you want to try and again use Tabelog to build a list of the options. I ask a Japanese speaking person to then call that list and make a booking for me.

Japan is really the one place where I feel like you need to reserve dinner at almost anything. Like even better Izakaya are better with a call ahead. I've even had luck at places where no English is spoken at all by negotiating a set menu in advance.

These cities have so much good food I almost feel like its a bit weird to name specific places unless you specifically say "I want eel, I want sushu..."

But you should go to Ishikawa or something at that level in Tokyo.

Kyo-Ryori food is absolutely beautiful to look at, and the experience is amazing, but the food can be a bit understated - especially to Western palates.
posted by JPD at 6:16 AM on November 10, 2015

also the good news is that with the Yen at 123, almost everything is in your price range.

Something else to keep in mind is that most better Japanese restaurants are tiny.
posted by JPD at 6:19 AM on November 10, 2015