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Best non-"high-end" sushi in Tokyo?

Best non-"high-end" sushi in Tokyo?

Old Jul 21, 2018, 1:20 pm
  #151  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
How did you rate Sushidokoro Suzu in your reviews?
I haven't been to that shop. Tabelog reviews look good, though.
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Old Jul 21, 2018, 4:05 pm
  #152  
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Originally Posted by od_sf
I haven't been to that shop. Tabelog reviews look good, though.
I would honestly rate it higher than Roppongi Sukiyabashi Jiro. I was at Jiro a couple weeks ago, and after my absence from the Roppongi location for awhile, it appears to have become a location specifically for foreigners with nary a local guest who is interested in sharing the space with tourists from China, Europe or the US. There was an interesting flip flop in which Takashi-san now speaks almost perfect English (and some solid Chinese), while his new apprentices don't really speak English at all, and I couldn't get any of them to speak to me in Japanese, specifically the names of each fish and they seemed a little surprised I was requesting my extra pieces using the Japanese names. In the past, his senior apprentice did the talking, but that apprentice has now moved on, I assume to his own restaurant.

While the selections were still solid and delicious, slightly hampered by the market being closed on Sunday, when I compare innovation, variety and taste between Jiro Roppongi and Sushidokoro Suzu, I would say Sushidokoro Suzu wins especially when ordering both sashimi and nigiri courses. I would still be very happy at Jiro Ginza which has a more 'local' atmosphere and fewer tourists who don't know what they are doing, but there is some risk of that at Sushidokoro Suzu too (especially the night I was there). Also, we were not served melon after dinner at Roppongi this time.

I just had the impression that Roppongi is being used to build off the movie's global interest and steer the tourists away from Ginza (and keep them away from his father). Also, combining the nigiri and sashimi courses at Sushidokoro Suzu will run about 1/2 the cost of the same courses at Jiro Roppongi with more variety, but if one prefers consistency and perfection over a little adventure and uniqueness, Jiro is still the standard for this option.

So, in summary, Sushidokoro Suzu is probably one of the better options for "high-end sushi" in Tokyo without the "high-end price"....and I guarantee you will leave there pretty stuffed and happy.
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Old Feb 16, 2019, 8:53 pm
  #153  
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Not sure if this qualifies as "non high end" - it's actually what I would consider high quality, but with a very reasonable price. I strongly recommend Sushi Taichi Ginza. I ended up booking a solo lunch when my other options were closed for the National Day holiday, and I needed an early lunch the next day before rushing to the airport.

Taichi offers two omakase options, Y5,000 and Y10,000, the latter was 19 pieces of a very decent size and I was pretty stuffed by the end of lunch. Total with tea and service charge was Y10,500, and with the conversion at about $95US, I feel the balance of quality, quantity, craftsmanship and cost worked out perfectly. You can go for the smaller course at Y5,000 and still be just fine. I was so happy with my lunch, I will probably return for a dinner service in the future.

Clientele was 100% Japanese plus me, 9 of us in total, all younger 30-ish office workers. Group 2 for the 1230P lunch seemed a little more mixed, but from what I could see as I left, also all Japanese. The senior apprentice speaks some English, and I was generally served first before the other groups in rotation, and I was never left to feel neglected, isolated or "foreign", of course showing proper sushi decorum and appreciation probably helped.

The trick is finding the restaurant - both Google and Apple maps will lead you to the wrong place - so let the map apps lead you to the point where you are in front of the Ginza Bellevue hotel with the hotel on your left - keep walking to the next side street, turn left, then turn left again into the small alley and the shop is on the second floor of a building half way down the alley on the left side. Look for the people lined up on the street waiting for a different restaurant, and you'll see the stairs just to the left of where they are lined up. Once upstairs on the second floor, Taichi is the only door.
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Old Feb 19, 2019, 2:20 pm
  #154  
 
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If cost is a concern, there's no need to settle for chain sushi. You can get very good omakase sushi during lunch for less than 5,000 yen: https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...sushi-under-50

Some of them also serve all the nigiri together, if you're pressed for time.
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 5:24 pm
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I have read through this thread, and also other ones in the Japan forum, but I can't find an answer to my question. Our family loves sushi but our teenage son and I are finicky eaters (we only eat about half a dozen types of fish). We do not want to order omakase or "set" menus as we don't want to insult the chef by refusing to eat any of the offerings. Is anyone able to recommend high quality restaurants that will allow us to order a la carte, or does our non-adventousness relegate us to sushi boat restaurants? We will be staying at the Andaz Tokyo in April for eight nights.

Thank you so much.

Last edited by janehoya; Feb 27, 2019 at 6:17 pm
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 6:12 pm
  #156  
 
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Originally Posted by janehoya
Our family loves sushi but our son and I are finicky eaters (we only eat about half a dozen types of fish).
How old is your son? I ask because most high end sushi shops in Tokyo have age restrictions for children.

Originally Posted by janehoya
we are searching for recommendations for high quality restaurants that have a la carte menus.
Very few high end sushiya offer okonomi ( la carte) - most only allow you to order individual pieces a la carte after the omakase completes. Two that I can think of are Hokake in Ginza (https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1301/A130101/13002472/) and Tsurihachi in Shimbashi (https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1301/A130103/13173432/). Here's the thing, though: high end places that offer okonomi are expecting a fluent Japanese speaker. They might refuse the booking if you're not fluent because they want to avoid communication problems. That's the beauty of ordering omakase when you don't speak Japanese: very little communication is required. There are some great mid-budget places were you can order okonomi, let me know if you speak Japanese.

Another option: if you ask the Andaz concierge to contact Kyubey (https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1301/A130103/13002611/) ahead of time with a list of neta that you are willing to eat, they might accommodate the request.

Third option: throw caution to the wind, order omakase, and try some neta you won't typically eat. I know a lot of people who hate certain neta until they try them in Japan. One of the most exciting things about eating sushi in Tokyo is the chance to discover a wide variety of seasonal neta. By limiting yourself to only 6 fish you are really limiting your chance to enjoy and understand Edomae sushi.
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Last edited by od_sf; Feb 27, 2019 at 6:27 pm
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 7:02 pm
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Originally Posted by janehoya
Is anyone able to recommend high quality restaurants that will allow us to order a la carte, or does our non-adventousness relegate us to sushi boat restaurants? We will be staying at the Andaz Tokyo in April for eight nights.
There's plenty of sushi ranges between 100 yen plate kaiten sushi and $300 omakase. The sushi quality bar is higher in Japan all around (maybe except for kula sushi which can still be fun but isn't going to win awards based on their fish). I personally like Hana Maru which is a Hokkaido sushi chain for good fish ordered piece by piece Kaiten-sushi Nemuro Hanamaru / Sushi bar Siki Hanamaru They have a multi-lingual menu- write down the number of the fish based on the menu, and "sumimasen!" hand the slip to the chef. They didn't even look at my partner weird after 4 orders of fatty tuna.

Try od_sf option #3 - go high end omakase once to get an idea of what high end sushi in Tokyo is like. You might find another fish to love or you'll find that maybe omakase isn't quite for you. Then for a different meal, go with a mid-end sushi option that allows you to order what you like to eat. I'm not saying the quality is the same but it is totally possible to enjoy both. Or you'll be able to funnel all the cost savings from not loving omakase towards lots of your 6 favorites
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 8:40 pm
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Originally Posted by janehoya
Is anyone able to recommend high quality restaurants that will allow us to order a la carte, or does our non-adventousness relegate us to sushi boat restaurants? We will be staying at the Andaz Tokyo in April for eight nights.
Thank you so much.
I'm sure the sushi restaurant in the Andaz would allow you to order a la carte and while it might not compare to the michelin star sushi joints, it's not going to be low quality either.

Another option would be to try the sushi shops in department store restaurant floors. Ginza Mitsukoshi or Matsuya would be examples. These are mid-range places but probably allow a la carte ordering and English friendly menus.
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 9:09 pm
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Originally Posted by groovbusta
I'm sure the sushi restaurant in the Andaz would allow you to order a la carte and while it might not compare to the michelin star sushi joints, it's not going to be low quality either.
Indeed, they do allow ordering la carte: https://www.andaztokyo.jp/restaurant...00104%20EN.pdf
Tabelog reviews are not so great, though.
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 9:22 pm
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I second the suggestion about doing a solid higher end sushi restaurant for omakase - plus, the concierge can tell the restaurant if there is anything you are not able to eat, but in a general way, like a shellfish allergy, uni, or something specific you want to avoid.

There is pretty much nothing in a mainstream higher-end sushi restaurant that will give you the "ick" factor - and the taste is so incredibly different from anything you've tried in the USA, you will really find it worthwhile.

However, generally speaking, sticking to nigiri options and avoiding sashimi will significantly reduce the chance of something showing up in front of you that causes an issue - furthermore, you can request (via the concierge) no shellfish and just "fish with scales" to further narrow things down to something consistently recognizable, although you will end up shorting yourself on other options that are equally amazing.
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 10:02 pm
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Originally Posted by od_sf
Indeed, they do allow ordering la carte: https://www.andaztokyo.jp/restaurant...00104%20EN.pdf
Tabelog reviews are not so great, though.
I don't know abut the Andaz but I stayed at the Ritz and ate at their Japanese restaurant b/c of a food credit (it used to have a Michelin star ) It was by far the WORST meal I had in Japan for a very high price. I've eaten in hole in the walls to multiple visits to various starred places and have not had such tasteless food anywhere else. The atmosphere and view were very nice, however.
I wonder if somehow the trend for excellent restaurants in hotels just isn't the case in Tokyo.
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Old Apr 7, 2019, 7:01 am
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Many thanks to the posters who provided me with feedback. We leave for Japan on the 10th and I shall be sure to report back.
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Old Apr 7, 2019, 12:51 pm
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Originally Posted by janehoya
Is anyone able to recommend high quality restaurants that will allow us to order a la carte
Originally Posted by od_sf
Another option: if you ask the Andaz concierge to contact Kyubey (https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1301/A130103/13002611/) ahead of time with a list of neta that you are willing to eat, they might accommodate the request.
I went to the Okura Hotel store of Kyubey (I was at the IC and didnt fancy going around whilst I was working out stuff in the hotel) for lunch last week. Whilst I know my way around sushi they still made sure I get what I wanted (a la carte/set) (Sushi/Sashimi) (If I am ok with everything / shellfish/ uni/allergies).
I also got the chef to talk about sources of uni and at least 2 of the chefs were fairly comfortable with english. so along with the help of concierge, I'm sure they would be able to work around things.
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Old Apr 7, 2019, 1:07 pm
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Originally Posted by janehoya
I have read through this thread, and also other ones in the Japan forum, but I can't find an answer to my question. Our family loves sushi but our teenage son and I are finicky eaters (we only eat about half a dozen types of fish). We do not want to order omakase or "set" menus as we don't want to insult the chef by refusing to eat any of the offerings. Is anyone able to recommend high quality restaurants that will allow us to order a la carte, or does our non-adventousness relegate us to sushi boat restaurants? We will be staying at the Andaz Tokyo in April for eight nights.

Thank you so much.
oh, and thinking about which, maybe you can consider a seafood izakaya which also serves different sort of good fish. I've seen foreigners going to those sort of places and ordering specific types of sushi or sashimi. You will not offend the chef at the same scale even if you do not like your food there and yet fish will still be fresh. (I feel the biggest difference of all things in a seafood izakaya is their knifing skills and serving fish/rice with finesse). Sometimes I prefer those so I don't have to go through having 4 chefs looking at me eating a very ordinary sushi meal.

Surely around the Andaz being the CBD there would be one around the corner and is a better ones rather than the worse izakayas - you may have to deal with smoking indoors tho. I found this near the IC ANA, and they serve 1000 yen chu-toro lunch sets along with a few other sets that's all a quarter of the price of sushi sets mentioned above. Their dinner menu is much wider and you'll get more control of what you want. Im sure there's an equivalent around the Andaz.

I have a rec around Shinjuku Station too.

Last edited by kaka; Apr 7, 2019 at 1:18 pm
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Old Apr 29, 2019, 2:09 am
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
Not sure if this qualifies as "non high end" - it's actually what I would consider high quality, but with a very reasonable price. I strongly recommend Sushi Taichi Ginza. I ended up booking a solo lunch when my other options were closed for the National Day holiday, and I needed an early lunch the next day before rushing to the airport.

Taichi offers two omakase options, Y5,000 and Y10,000, the latter was 19 pieces of a very decent size and I was pretty stuffed by the end of lunch. Total with tea and service charge was Y10,500, and with the conversion at about $95US, I feel the balance of quality, quantity, craftsmanship and cost worked out perfectly. You can go for the smaller course at Y5,000 and still be just fine. I was so happy with my lunch, I will probably return for a dinner service in the future.

Clientele was 100% Japanese plus me, 9 of us in total, all younger 30-ish office workers. Group 2 for the 1230P lunch seemed a little more mixed, but from what I could see as I left, also all Japanese. The senior apprentice speaks some English, and I was generally served first before the other groups in rotation, and I was never left to feel neglected, isolated or "foreign", of course showing proper sushi decorum and appreciation probably helped.

The trick is finding the restaurant - both Google and Apple maps will lead you to the wrong place - so let the map apps lead you to the point where you are in front of the Ginza Bellevue hotel with the hotel on your left - keep walking to the next side street, turn left, then turn left again into the small alley and the shop is on the second floor of a building half way down the alley on the left side. Look for the people lined up on the street waiting for a different restaurant, and you'll see the stairs just to the left of where they are lined up. Once upstairs on the second floor, Taichi is the only door.
How do I make a reservation at this restaurant? I will have a 8-hour layover in Tokyo on a Monday in September. I dont speak any Japanese.
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