Where to eat in Tokyo: ramen, sushi, tempura and izakaya, and how to get a seat

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: For a first night, queue at Ichiran in Shibuya (classic ramen ¥1,180, open 24 hours, no booking) or sit at Fuunji in Shinjuku (dipping noodles ¥1,000, open every day). The Michelin Bib Gourmand ramen shops take more planning: Nakiryu is cash only, shut on Sundays and public holidays and hands out same-day tickets, and Ginza Hachigou is shut on Mondays and takes bookings only on TableCheck at ¥500 a head. For sushi with no booking, Sushi Zanmai in Tsukiji is open 24 hours and prices every piece; the counters at Ginza Kyubey and two-Michelin-star Tempura Kondo go through a concierge. Or book a food tour: the Shinjuku food tourad (13 dishes at 4 eateries, 3 hours, from ¥13,200) and the Shinjuku izakaya crawlad (from ¥5,700) pick the places and the order for you, with no queue to judge (see Tokyo food tours compared).

📊 The evidence behind this guide. Places here are named by independent sources: Tabelog’s Hyakumeiten “100 best” lists (in Japanese), the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2026, magazines and guides (Time Out, The Infatuation, Condé Nast Traveler, Eater, Lonely Planet, Roadbook, Culinary Backstreets, Truly Tokyo, Tokyo Cheapo), independent blogs and YouTube channels. Each entry counts the distinct sources that name that place. Tokyo’s lists overlap little, so counts here run from 2 to 10. Within each section, places with a 2026 Michelin listing or a Tabelog 100 entry come first, then the rest by how many sources name them. How the guides are made

How to eat in Tokyo without losing a meal

• Ticket machines. Many ramen shops take payment first at a machine by the door and hand you a ticket to give to the cook. The buttons are often in English or carry photos. Ichiran’s machine takes cards, IC travel cards and QR payment.
• No tipping. Staff may chase you to return money left on a table (Culinary Backstreets).
• Otoshi. Izakaya bring a small appetiser you did not order and charge a few hundred yen a head for it, in place of a seat charge (Japan Guide). Many ask for a first drink too.
• Smoking. Indoor smoking in restaurants and bars has been banned in Tokyo since 1 April 2020, but small owner-run places under 100 square metres are exempt, and they must post a sign saying whether smoking is allowed (Time Out). That exemption is where izakaya and bars still allow it.
• Cash. Nakiryu, Kanda Matsuya and Shin-Hinomoto take cash only. Seven Bank ATMs in 7-Eleven and Japan Post Bank ATMs take foreign cards.

How to book, in one minute

• Weeks ahead, through a concierge or English form: Ginza Kyubey, Tempura Kondo and Udatsu. The omakase booking guide explains each route.
• Online, on TableCheck or the restaurant’s own form: Ginza Hachigou (¥500 a head, non-refundable), Midori in Shibuya (table seats only), Butagumi (Toreta), Shin-Hinomoto (its own page), Kaikaya, Ain Soph. Journey (TableCheck only) and Kikanbo’s paid fast pass.
• Phone or Gurunavi: the Tsunahachi Annex takes bookings by phone in Japanese or on Gurunavi.
• Queue, no booking: Ichiran, Fuunji, Nakiryu (same-day ticket), Kikanbo, Sushi Zanmai, Kaneko Hannosuke, Kanda Matsuya, Tonki, Maisen, Omoide Yokocho and the food halls.

⚠️ Check the closed day before you go. Nakiryu is shut on Sundays and public holidays. Ginza Hachigou is shut on Mondays and irregularly on Tuesdays. Ginza Kyubey is shut on Sundays and Mondays, Kanda Matsuya on Sundays and Mondays, Butagumi on Mondays, Tonki on Tuesdays, Kaikaya on Wednesdays and Shin-Hinomoto and Tempura Kondo on Sundays. Kondo also closes on Mondays that are public holidays.

Ramen

Ramen is wheat noodles in a broth with a topping or two. Tonkotsu broth is pork bone, cloudy and rich. Tsukemen serves the noodles separately, to dip in a thicker, stronger soup. Dandan noodles (tantanmen) are the Sichuan-style version with sesame and chilli, and chuka soba is the plain Chinese-style bowl in a clear soy soup. The shops below seat 12 to 21 people at a counter, so the queue is the cost.

Shoyu ramen at Tokyo Ramen Street, Tokyo Station. Photo: Guilhem Vellut, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Nakiryu

Otsuka · SKY Minamiotsuka 1F, 2-34-4 Minamiotsuka, 5 minutes from the north exit of Shin-Otsuka (Marunouchi Line) · Monday to Saturday 11:00-15:30, closed Sunday and public holidays · cash only · Cited by 5 sources (4 English, 1 Japanese) · Michelin page

A Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2026, and in Tabelog’s Ramen TOKYO 100 announced on 2 December 2025. Order the dandan noodles (¥1,300); the soy sauce ramen is the same price and the curry ramen ¥1,500. The shop seats 12. There is no online booking: since 1 February 2024 tickets are issued by a tablet at the shop from 8:00 on business days, in 30-minute slots from 11:00, so you arrive early to get a slot. It takes cash only.

Ginza Hachigou

Ginza · Daiichi Hanabusa Building 1F, 3-14-2 Ginza, 3 minutes from Higashi-Ginza or Shintomicho · 11:00-16:00, closed Monday and some Tuesdays · Cited by 4 sources (3 English, 1 Japanese) · book on TableCheck

Also a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Michelin guide and in Tabelog’s Ramen TOKYO 100. Order the chuka soba (¥1,200), or the seasoned-egg bowl at ¥1,400. Walk-ins queue from 11:00 and reserved guests are seated from 12:00; the shop closes when the soup sells out. Bookings are on TableCheck only: each Saturday at 9:00 it opens the following Tuesday to Sunday, at ¥500 a head, non-refundable, with a ¥2,500 a head charge for a cancellation within 3 hours or a no-show. Seats are for 30 minutes, one bowl each, and a party 10 minutes late counts as cancelled. Children of primary-school age or younger are not admitted.

Fuunji

Shinjuku · Hokuto Daiichi Building, 2-14-3 Yoyogi, 5 minutes from the south exit of JR Shinjuku · 11:00-15:00 and 17:00-21:00, open every day · Cited by 5 sources (4 English, 1 Japanese) · the venue’s site

In Tabelog’s Ramen TOKYO 100 for 2025. Order the tsukemen (¥1,000; special tsukemen ¥1,300), thick noodles dipped in a thick chicken-and-seafood soup, with extra-large noodles for ¥200 more. It is a 15-seat counter, fully non-smoking, with no reservations, and it shuts when the soup is gone. Expect a queue at lunch.

Ichiran, Shibuya

Shibuya · B1F, 1-22-7 Jinnan, 3 minutes from the Hachiko exit of JR Shibuya · open 24 hours · Cited by 10 sources (10 English) · the venue’s site

The most-named ramen shop here, in English-language guides and on video. You buy a ticket for the classic tonkotsu (¥1,180) at the machine by the door, then mark a sheet to set the richness, spice and firmness of the noodles. The 21 counter seats are solo booths, with a screen between you and the cook, so no one talks to you. Extra noodles are ¥210. There are no bookings, a late-night surcharge applies between 22:00 and 06:00, and staffing can limit seats or hours on the day.

Kikanbo

Kanda · 2-10-9 Kajicho, 2 to 3 minutes from the east exit of Kanda · Monday to Saturday and holidays 11:00-21:30, Sunday 11:00-16:00 · Cited by 3 sources (3 English) · the venue’s site

Order the karashibi miso ramen (¥1,080 from 4 January 2026), miso broth with chilli and numbing Sichuan pepper. You set the heat when you order, and extra-hot costs ¥200 more. The noodle dishes use peanuts. It seats 15 at a counter, and the usual route is a queue at the door. Since 22 July 2026 a paid fast pass on TableCheck seats you at Kikanbo Lab next door with the main menu; the fee is non-refundable, the Lab takes cashless payment only, and the pass is not a guaranteed seat on busy days.

Sushi

Sushi in Tokyo runs from a ticket-free conveyor belt to a counter where the chef decides each piece. Nigiri is a hand-pressed piece of fish on rice. Omakase means leaving the order to the chef, set courses priced per person.

Ginza Kyubey

Ginza · 7-6 Ginza 8-chome, 5 minutes from exit 3 of Shimbashi · 11:30-14:00 and 17:00-22:00, closed Sunday and Monday · Cited by 4 sources (4 English) · the venue’s site

Counter sushi. At lunch the nigiri courses are ¥8,250 (Oribe), ¥11,000 (Karatsu) and ¥16,500 (Kyubey); dinner starts at ¥16,500 plus a 10% service charge, and the sushi kaiseki (a longer sequence of cooked dishes and sushi) is 25,300 to ¥44,000. The restaurant asks you to reserve through your hotel concierge or its reservation sites, My Concierge Japan and IKYU. Cancelling on the day costs ¥5,000 a head at lunch and ¥10,000 at dinner. It takes cards but not IC cards.

Sushi Zanmai, Tsukiji

Tsukiji · 4-11-9 Tsukiji, 3 minutes from exit 1 of Tsukiji Station · open 24 hours, every day · Cited by 3 sources (3 English) · the venue’s site

A 144-seat counter and table restaurant over three floors, non-smoking. It prices every piece on a menu, which is the easiest way to control a bill at a sushi counter: yellowfin ¥140, lean bluefin tuna ¥382, medium-fatty bluefin ¥547, fatty bluefin ¥657 and salmon roe ¥657. There are no bookings, and it takes cards, IC cards and QR payment. For the market’s other food, see Tsukiji and Toyosu markets.

Midori Sushi, Shibuya

Shibuya · Mark City East Mall 4F, 1-12-3 Dogenzaka, connected to JR Shibuya · 11:00-21:00, last order 20:30, no afternoon break since 1 October · Cited by 2 sources for this branch (2 English) · book on TableCheck

Umegaoka Sushi no Midori has several branches, and this is its Shibuya shop, with 62 seats. Order the tokujo nigiri (¥2,860 with tax), a set that comes with chawanmushi, a savoury egg custard; the cheaper jo set is ¥1,980. You can take a queue ticket from a machine at the door from 10:00, or by LINE on weekdays within about 1 km of the shop. Online booking is for table seats only, for 90 minutes, one set per group, with a 50% cancellation fee from 3 days before and 100% on the day. Finish within 2 hours. It takes cash, cards, IC cards and QR payment.

For a first omakase, Udatsu in Nakameguro is in the 2026 Michelin guide’s Plate list and books through the Omakase platform.

Tempura and tendon

Tempura is seafood and vegetables fried in a light batter, served piece by piece at a counter. Tendon is a bowl of rice with tempura on top.

Tendon, tempura on rice. Photo: Ocdp, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Tempura Kondo

Ginza · 9F Sakaguchi Building, 5-5-13 Ginza, 3 minutes from exit B5 of Ginza Station · lunch seatings 11:30 and 13:30, dinner 17:00 and 19:30 · closed Sunday · Cited by 3 sources (2 English, 1 Japanese) · book through My Concierge Japan

Two Michelin stars in the 2026 guide, and in Tabelog’s tempura 100 announced on 11 March 2025. Twenty seats at two counters. Lunch is 13,200 or ¥16,500 and dinner 22,000, 27,500 or ¥33,000, tax included, and it takes cards but not IC cards. Overseas guests book on the multilingual form handled by My Concierge Japan; the phone line is Japanese only. The restaurant posts a calendar of open days on its site, and also closes on Mondays that are public holidays. These seatings began in September 2026.

Kaneko Hannosuke, Nihonbashi

Nihonbashi · 3 minutes from exit A1 of Mitsukoshimae · Monday to Friday 11:00-22:00, Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10:00-21:00 · Cited by 3 sources (3 English) · the group’s shop list

A tendon counter with 13 seats. Order the tendon, the tempura bowl. There are no bookings, so the cost is the queue, and the shop opens an hour earlier at weekends. It takes cards, IC cards and PayPay.

Tsunahachi, Shinjuku Annex

Shinjuku · TRES Shinjuku 6F and B1F, 3-28-4 Shinjuku, 3 minutes from Shinjuku-sanchome · 11:00-22:00, last order 21:00 · Cited by 3 sources (3 English) · the venue’s site

Tsunahachi has served tempura since 1924, and its main Shinjuku shop is closed for rebuilding; the Annex opened on 23 June 2026. The sixth floor has 17 counter and 18 table seats, and the basement 34 table seats. The operator gives an average of ¥2,500 at lunch and ¥5,000 at dinner. Book by phone (03-5315-0320, Japanese) or on Gurunavi; its own web form does not list the Annex.

Tonkatsu and soba

Tonkatsu is a pork cutlet in breadcrumbs, deep fried and served with shredded cabbage, rice and miso soup. Soba is buckwheat noodle, eaten hot in broth or cold with a dipping sauce.

A tonkatsu set meal. Photo: Ocdp, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Kanda Matsuya

Kanda · 1-13 Kanda-Sudacho, 2 minutes from exit A3 of Awajicho · Tuesday to Friday 11:00-20:30, Saturday 11:00-19:30, closed Sunday and Monday · cash only · Cited by 2 sources (2 English) · no bookings

A soba shop that dates from 1884 and was in Tabelog’s Soba EAST 100 in 2024. Not the gyudon chain of the same name. Order soba hot or cold; the shop posts its seasonal soba on its site. It takes cash only, and it does not take bookings.

Butagumi

Nishiazabu · 2-24-9 Nishiazabu, 8 minutes from exit 5 of Nogizaka or 9 minutes from exit 2 of Roppongi · 11:30-15:00 and 18:00-22:00, closed Monday · Cited by 3 sources (3 English) · book on Toreta

Tonkatsu from named pork breeds. Order the sirloin cut of the day (3,300 to ¥4,300) or the fillet (3,700 to ¥4,800); the five-pork set, Butagumi Zen, is ¥6,200 from September 2026, and a katsu curry at lunch only is ¥2,000. Every plate comes with an appetiser, rice, cabbage, miso soup and pickles. Children of primary-school age or younger may only come until 18:30 and must finish by 20:00 at dinner. Last orders are 14:00 and 20:30. It takes cards.

Tonki, Meguro

Meguro · 1-1-2 Shimomeguro, 2 minutes from the west exit of JR Meguro · 16:00-21:30, last order 21:00, closed Tuesday · Cited by 2 sources (2 English) · the venue’s site

Open since 1939. Order the loin cutlet set (¥2,500); rice, miso soup and cabbage are refilled free. Condé Nast Traveler describes an open kitchen with counters on three sides. It takes walk-ins, with advance bookings only for parties of 4 or more through AutoReserve. Cards and PayPay work, but IC cards do not.

Maisen, Aoyama

Omotesando · 4-8-5 Jingumae, 3 minutes from exit A2 of Omotesando · 11:00-22:00, last order 21:00 · Cited by 2 sources (2 English) · the venue’s site

Order the Kurobuta (black pig) cutlet; the autumn set with a mixed seafood fry is ¥2,830, and the set changes with the season. It is open at weekends and on holidays and closes on 1 and 2 January only. Weekend and holiday reservations are for banquet courses only, so a la carte meals are walk-in. It takes cards.

Izakaya and yakitori

An izakaya is a pub that serves food in small plates; yakitori is chicken grilled on skewers. Order drinks and a few dishes at a time.

Omoide Yokocho

Shinjuku · by the west exit · hours and closed days vary by bar · Cited by 8 sources (8 English) · the association’s site

About 60 small bars and restaurants in postwar alleys beside the tracks, in about 2,000 square metres, mostly grilling motsuyaki (offal skewers) and yakitori. The association says each shop can change its days and hours without notice, so there is no single opening time; there are no bookings. For a night route that links it with Golden Gai, see the Shinjuku night walk.

Shin-Hinomoto

Yurakucho · 2-4-4 Yurakucho, 1 minute from the Hibiya exit · 17:00-23:30, last order 23:00, closed Sunday · cash only · Cited by 4 sources (4 English) · book on its own page

An izakaya open since 1946 among the places under the railway tracks at Yurakucho, with English pages on its site. The house lines are king crab and a platter of sashimi from Toyosu market; the menu changes daily. It takes cash only. Its own reservation page is the booking route.

Torikizoku, Shibuya Dogenzaka

Shibuya · Umehara Building 2F, 2-9-9 Dogenzaka · Monday to Friday 17:00-04:00, Saturday, Sunday and holidays 16:00-04:00 · Cited by 4 sources (4 English) · store finder

A yakitori chain that charges one price for every dish, which makes the bill easy to predict. Order skewers and small plates in rounds. Reservations are available. Anyone under 20 may eat only if someone aged 20 or over is in the party. It takes cards and QR payment but not IC cards. The Nishiguchi branch in Shibuya has closed; this is the Dogenzaka one.

Kaikaya by the Sea

Shibuya · Hoshino Maruyama Building 1F, 23-7 Maruyamacho, 2 minutes from Shinsen · 17:00-22:30, food until 21:30 and drinks until 22:00, closed Wednesday · book on TableCheck

A fish izakaya with a ¥440 cover charge on a la carte orders. Tabelog reviewers put dinner at 6,000 to ¥7,999 a head. TableCheck takes bookings of up to 16 guests online. It takes cards. It is closed from 30 December to 4 January.

Food halls and street food

Department store food halls

A depachika is the food hall in a department store’s basement, with ready-made bento boxes, sushi and sweets to take away. Isetan Shinjuku and the Mitsukoshi stores are named by 9 sources each, both in English only. Isetan Shinjuku at 3-14-1 Shinjuku is by Shinjuku-sanchome station and open 10:00 to 20:00, with some floors on different hours; its restaurant floor on the 7th is open 11:00 to 22:00 (Isetan). Nihombashi Mitsukoshi is open 10:00 to 19:00, with the food floors until 19:30 (Mitsukoshi); Ginza Mitsukoshi is open 10:00 to 20:00 and has eat-in counters on B2 and B3 (Ginza Mitsukoshi).

Tsukishima Monja Street

Tsukishima · Nishinaka-dori, steps from exit 7 of Tsukishima Station (Yurakucho and Oedo lines) · hours and payment vary by shop · Cited by 6 sources (6 English) · the shops’ association

A street of about 50 member shops that cook monjayaki, a runnier relative of okonomiyaki, on a hotplate at your table. Staff show you how to cook it in most shops. Most take walk-ins.

Tsukishima Monja Street. Photo: nakashi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Vegetarian and vegan

Ain Soph. Journey

Shinjuku · Shinjuku Q Building B1, 1F and 2F, 3-8-9 Shinjuku, 7 minutes from JR Shinjuku, outside exit C5 of Shinjuku-sanchome · weekday lunch 11:30-16:00 and dinner 18:00-21:30 · Cited by 4 sources (4 English) · book on TableCheck

100% vegan. Order the Heavenly Vegan Pancakes (¥2,550; one pancake ¥1,870) or the pancake course (¥4,980), or the mushroom and walnut veggie steak (¥2,530), all with tax. Lunch is limited to 90 minutes; at weekends and holidays lunch runs to 17:00. TableCheck is the only booking route and same-day lunch bookings are not accepted; cancellation fees start two days ahead. Groups over 7 at lunch or 9 at dinner call 050-3503-8688.

T’s Tantan, Tokyo Station

Marunouchi · Gransta Tokyo B1, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, outside the JR ticket gates · Cited by 4 sources (4 English) · the venue’s site

Fully vegan ramen. Order the golden-sesame tantan noodles (¥1,100). The shop moved on 1 August 2026 from inside the ticket gates to the basement of Gransta Tokyo, outside them, which is where it is now. There are no bookings, and it takes cards, IC cards and QR payment.

Guided food tours in Tokyo

If you prefer to have a bilingual culinary expert navigate counter menus, explain ordering etiquette, and introduce you to hidden backstreet eateries without queuing, joining an evening walking tour is ideal.

Shinjuku Food Tour (13 Dishes and 4 Eateries)

From ¥13,200 · 4.9 stars from 3,939 reviews · 3 hours · Dinner and drinks included

Tokyo: Shinjuku Food Tour (13 Dishes and 4 Eateries)ad introduces guests to four distinct venues across Shinjuku, sampling A4 Wagyu beef, handmade gyoza, fresh sushi, and izakaya specialities with reserved seating.

Shinjuku Local Bar & Izakaya Crawl Tour

From ¥6,000 · 4.9 stars from 2,966 reviews · 3 hours · Small group

Tokyo: Shinjuku Local Bar & Izakaya Crawl Tourad takes you through the narrow alleys of Omoide Yokocho, introduces classic retro izakayas, and finishes inside a welcoming Golden Gai micro-bar.

Tsukiji Fish Market Food Walking Tour with 5 Tastings

From ¥15,000 · 4.7 stars from 825 reviews · 3 hours · Morning seafood tour

Tokyo: Tsukiji Fish Market Food Walking Tour with 5 Tastingsad explores the historic outer market stalls, sampling fresh sashimi, tamagoyaki rolled omelettes, and artisan dashi broth before a seated sushi lunch.

Where to eat by area

More Tokyo guides

If you would rather not choose a place, Tokyo food tours compared prices the Shinjuku, Shibuya and Tsukiji walks. For a first counter-sushi or tempura meal, the omakase booking guide covers the routes. Two day trips fit around a meal: Yokohama, with its Chinatown and the Cup Noodles Museum, and Kawagoe, with its street of sweet shops. For the rest of the visit, see what to book before you go to Tokyo.

Common questions

What should you eat in Tokyo?

Ramen (noodles in broth, ordered from a ticket machine at many shops), sushi at a conveyor-belt or counter shop, tempura, tonkatsu (a breaded pork cutlet), soba (buckwheat noodles) and yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) with a drink at an izakaya, a casual pub. Monjayaki, a runny cousin of okonomiyaki that you cook on a hotplate at the table, is a Tsukishima speciality.

Do you tip in Tokyo restaurants?

No. Staff may follow you out to give back money left on a table. Izakaya often bring a small appetiser you did not order and charge a few hundred yen for it, called otoshi, in place of a seat charge.

Which Tokyo restaurants take cash only?

Nakiryu (ramen), Kanda Matsuya (soba) and Shin-Hinomoto (izakaya) take cash only. Ichiran, Fuunji and Kikanbo take cards, and so do Ginza Hachigou, Sushi Zanmai in Tsukiji and Midori in Shibuya.

Do you need to book restaurants in Tokyo?

Not for ramen, conveyor-belt sushi or tonkatsu counters, where you queue. Counter sushi and tempura at the top end need a booking weeks ahead, usually through a hotel concierge or a service such as My Concierge Japan. Ginza Hachigou takes bookings only on TableCheck, at ¥500 a head.

Is a food tour a good way to eat in Tokyo?

It saves choosing a place and queuing. The Shinjuku food tour is 3 hours and 13 dishes at 4 eateries, from ¥13,200 on GetYourGuide, and the Shinjuku izakaya crawl is 3 hours from ¥5,700.