3 nights in Tokyo, where should I eat? Where must I eat?
September 13, 2007 4:49 PM   Subscribe

3 nights in Tokyo, where should I eat? Where must I eat?

I'll be in Tokyo for just 3 nights and I want to find the best places to eat on each night. Money is not really an issue, but I don't necessarily want to eat super fancy every night (unless there are 3 places I just can't miss.)

I'm not a huge fan of Sushi, (I know, I know) but I'm open to it.

Thanks!
posted by Mr. Ugh to Travel & Transportation around Tokyo, Japan (22 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
I've heard that a "meido cafe" is a unique experience. (The food is probably not outstanding, however.)
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:09 PM on September 13, 2007


If you're open to sushi then you should go to the source. Wake up earlier and head to the Tsukiji fish market, which will blow your mind. Wander around, gawk, and avoid getting run over by the little truck/carts pulling trains of seafood. And then walk into one of the many little sushi joints for a beer and breakfast. It does not get any fresher than this and it won't break the bank.
posted by donovan at 5:11 PM on September 13, 2007


I don't know where to go but I have suggestions for must-eats in Tokyo. And none of them are sushi.

1. Streetside or subway ramen - cheap, quick bowls of ramen that are still a million times better than anywhere else in the world.

2. Tempura restaurant - sounds odd but tempura prepared in a restaurant that specializes in it is mindblowing. You'll find chefs who have been perfecting lightly battered fried food their whole life. I went to a very upscale place with my dad years ago and to this day, it is still the moist poignant food experience memory from Japan. Every item has the most amazing light crunchy texture and the frying retained the food's flavor and juiciness. Even after a multi-course dinner of just tempura, I felt as light as if I had eaten a salad.

3. Okonomiyaki - Japanese pancake topped with seafood, veggies, and a dark sauce prepared on a griddle with spatulas. Uniquely Japanese dish and even in SF and LA I have yet to find a single place that makes a decent rendition.

4. Japanese curry - I love curry and I like Japanese style the best.
posted by junesix at 5:11 PM on September 13, 2007


For all my suggestions, it's best if you know someone in Japan who can direct you to the best spots for each. #1, 3, and 4 fall largely under the arena of street/bar/cheap food so you'll have the best experience if someone directs you to their favorite spots. Otherwise, if you're walking around just look for places where there's tons of locals. For #2, if you go the recommended upscale route, you could probably ask hotel concierge in a pinch.
posted by junesix at 5:21 PM on September 13, 2007


For perhaps the most memorable meal of your life, take your life in your hands, and visit Tentake, for fugu. $$$

I have.
posted by paulsc at 5:39 PM on September 13, 2007


Are you going to be traveling alone, or will you have contacts or friends to go out to eat with? I personally really love yakiniku, which is basically Japanified Korean barbecue. I don't have a specific restaurant in mind, but there are lots of good ones. It's a very nice group dining experience, but probably wouldn't be much fun if you were on your own...
posted by allen8219 at 5:49 PM on September 13, 2007


Re Mr. Den Beste's comment: I went to a maid cafe with a friend at one point in Osaka. He loved it, but I found it unremittingly creepy (particularly things like the signs everywhere saying things like "please don't touch the waitresses").

I would say you should find an udon place, although they're not as popular in Tokyo as in western Japan. Outside of that, the Japanese branches of American fast food chains are always interesting to at least visit, although you don't necessarily want to eat there (SPOILER ALERT: Wendy's Chili tastes the same in Japan, except a Japanese Large is an American Small).
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:01 PM on September 13, 2007


Doc, I said the experience was unique. I didn't say it was necessarily good. It was certainly memorable, wasn't it?

By the way, those street-side or subway ramen booths are mostly run by the Yakuza, or are in thrall to them. That may or may not matter to you, but I thought I'd point it out.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 6:27 PM on September 13, 2007


Honestly, food in Japan is good, better, best. You can't really go wrong unless you go into a restaurant that serves something you don't like (i.e. sushi as you say in your original post).
posted by spec80 at 6:49 PM on September 13, 2007


I had dinner at a macrobiotic restaurant that was great and unlike anything I've eaten anywhere. Menu on a colorful chalkboard, wooden floors, furniture, everything, cozy atmosphere, and the most hardcore green tea known to man.

Unfortunately, I don't remember any details that would actually help you find it. I think it's Chaya Macrobiotic, but that's only because it's the only macrobiotic restaurant I'm easily finding in my Google searches. A friend of mine found it in a travel guide, listed as highly recommended for vegetarians such as myself.
posted by brett at 7:18 PM on September 13, 2007


Wait, nevermind, it's definitely not Chaya. The place I ate was halfway underground, not on the seventh floor of a department store.

I'll ask my friend if he remembers and report back.
posted by brett at 7:20 PM on September 13, 2007



Tourists are no longer allowed in the Tsukiji fishmarkets, at least in the auction part/phase, so being run over by the little cars in no longer an issue.

There is a Whale restaurant in Shibuya, quite interesting to eat, more like meat+liver than fish. They'll ask you if you are Greenpeace before letting you in :)

Shabu-shabu is amusing too, sitting around cooking your own foods. I would also recommend trying a small Ramen place, great atmosphere.
posted by lundman at 7:56 PM on September 13, 2007


I like junesix's recommendations. Restaurants specializing in tempura, kushikatsu, and tonkatsu (deep-fried pork) are generally very good no matter where you choose to go.
Shabu shabu, sukiyaki and yakiniku also, although the prices vary greatly depending on where you choose to go.
In addition to the okonomiyaki suggestion, you could visit the Tsukishima area for some "monja," which is a regional variation, although in my opinion it's more an atmospheric experience and not much of a culinary one.
And if you want to cover as many bases as you can, you could always just hop into a ramen or soba place (for the latter, never choose a franchise, choose the ones that specify they make their own noodles, preferably places like "Yabu-soba" in Kanda that have been in business for hundreds of years) for lunch, not dinner. Unagi is something you could have for lunch, too. I'd say Asakusa is an area where you can find good places to eat for most of the above.
There was an udon recommendation above, but udon is more of a western thing and most of my friends from the Kansai area say that the udon in Tokyo sucks and I tend to agree with them. These same friends also say that the okonomiyaki in Tokyo is not as good as Osaka either, but in this case I honestly can't tell the difference. Enjoy your stay.
posted by misozaki at 9:12 PM on September 13, 2007


You gotta find a ramen shop--it won't be hard, there's a zillion of them. My favorite is miso pork ramen with red pepper and garlic. If you only know ramen as the 20 cent Maruchan crap from the grocery store, get ready for a big surprise.

Okonomikai. A kind of vegetable and meat pancake topped with sweet sauce and mayo. I think most Westerners find this to be one of the more approachable Japanese foods. Even my parents loved this!

Yakiniku. Restaurants with a hibachi grill where you get raw meat and veggies and cook your own food. Great fun with two or more.
posted by zardoz at 2:20 AM on September 14, 2007


Since it's summer, cold handmade soba noodles would also be terrific. If you've never had it, it's a mild-tasting buckwheat noodle that's served with a light soy-based sauce. You typically mix in some wasabi, green onion, and ginger to taste. It makes for a great, light summer lunch.

If you still have a free evening, you can wander the major streets around dinner time and graze on street vendor food.

Whatever you do, don't bother with the hotel continental breakfasts. They're grossly overpriced and you'll likely just be getting some toast, coffee, and fruit. Head down to the subway station and eat in a subway restaurant for cheap. Many of them use a machine outside for ordering - decide what you want from the pictures on the machine, put in money, and it will dispense a token that you give to the cashier inside. In a few minutes, they'll have your food ready at the window and you can grab a chair and eat.
posted by junesix at 5:57 AM on September 14, 2007


If you're looking for an off-the-wall dining experience, friends of mine went to the Ninja restaurant in Akasaka last year and had a whale of a time. The food wasn't amazing, but really, you don't go to a place like that for the food.
posted by macdara at 1:00 PM on September 14, 2007


For a least one meal, pick up a bento box - Japanese style packed lunch or rice/noodles and meat/fish/pickles which can be found at the major stations and supermarkets. Delicious!

Also if you see a MOS Burger check it out for an uniquely Japanese version of fast food

Good, if slightly generic food, can be found in the restaurants on the top floors of the major departments stores.

Shomben Yokocho in Shinjuku is packed solid with noodle bars and is an experience just to walk down.

You can find some great places that just do one dish... one place did just fried chicken. It took me some time to explain to the owner that yes, I would eat chicken liver...

Some of the street-vendor food is a bit on the over greasy side... and I terrible standard burger but you have to really try hard to get bad food in Tokyo.

Oh and the locals will be hugely impressed if you can use chop-sticks (and the smaller wooden Japanese ones as much easier to use than the big plastic ones I've used before)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:23 AM on September 15, 2007


You haven't eaten sushi and sashimi until you try it in Japan. I'm serious, I ate all sorts of varieties that I hated at home and loved them.

My experience with eating in Japan is that the cheapest places have the nicer food - if the establishment is run by two old ladies, the better! Don't, in ANY circumstances, go to the hotel's restaurant due do lazyness. It will be expensive, and you will be served delicacies which you could probably live without ever eating and only locals will like. Trust me, cheap is the way to go!

(Let me illustrate - Japanese restaurants tend to serve menus, with everything from plain rice, pickles, tea, water, noodles, sushi, and soup. In the cheap places you will get delicious miso soup. In the fancy ones, clear soup, which looks and tastes exactly like the bottom of a pond)

You must try the beef. It's unbelievable. Go for some steaks, or, better yet, got to the sukiyaki restaurant in Asakusa, the Chinya, the left of Kaminarimon Gate. Try to call and book in advance, and be aware they stop serving quite early.

Have fun!
posted by Andorinha at 8:47 PM on September 15, 2007


Don't know if this is still helpful, but the place I went to is Mominoki House. 2-18-5 Jinguumae, Shibuya-ku (take the JR Yamamote Line to Harajuku), phone 3405-9144.
posted by brett at 6:03 AM on September 20, 2007


An organic restaurant eh? How was it?
posted by junesix at 3:19 PM on September 20, 2007


Tourists are no longer allowed in the Tsukiji fishmarkets,

This is false information. I was in Tsukiji with friends from out of town last month. There were many other tourists in attendance inside the auction area (but in special cordoned off areas.)
posted by gen at 10:49 PM on November 7, 2007


if you or a friend can read Japanese, i would start here:
http://www.asku.com/rgj/

A pretty good ranking site with a vast range

If not, I have been quite impressed with Fodors Japan guide for good recs: never once had a bad meal at a place they recommended and to be honest, many were outstanding
posted by dougiedd at 8:38 PM on December 30, 2007


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