747FC

Looking for recommendations for two restaurants: One for high-end dinner (Sushi and Sashimi) and one for lunch. (Ramen).

Many thanks.

Ethelstan

I've done my fair share of looking into booking high end sushi restaurants (Michelin, Tabelog Award Winning). Availability and booking requires advance planning and flexibility. I tried to book Sushi Hashimoto (1 star, Silver Tabelog) on Omakase.in for booking 2 months out the second seats were availability. There was no dinner or weekend lunch, and weekday lunch were gone within 60 seconds.

Restaurant recommendation: Use Tabelog Award 2023 in Silver category (represents top 100 in Japan), and see if you can book with Table All (8000Y fee) or Omakase.in (390Y booking). Omakase.in is obviously alot cheaper but trickier to book, TableAll will take some luck too.

I ended up booking sushi restaurant in Tsujiki market (Table log 3.5-3.7) at fraction of cost and a lot easier to book. With Edomae style sushi, I highly doubt I can appreciate the sushi enough to pay 4x-5x the cost.

Topcare

Not sure this helps OP with Aomori. 秀寿司 or Hide was very good.
https://www.at-ml.jp/70170/
Seemed pricy but i was not paying. Two other izakayas were also very good with the sashimi they served but not sure you want those.

No ramen was eaten.

Dinner at Uguisu located at the Daiwa hotel was decent. The breakfest there the next day which was included in the hotel rate was equally great.

Aomori is still a very sleepy town at night.

747FC

Thanks for all the above suggestions. After our cruise ship arrived in Aomori, we talked to several officials at the port, who suggeted Ippachizushi. While it was not the best sushi we ever had, it was a good meal, fine service, and reasonable price ($91 for two of us.) Very limited English spoken.

https://tabelog.com/en/aomori/A0201/A020101/2000497/

https://sushi-aomori.jp/member/detail.php?id=1

Pickles

And this, friends, is one of the more sensible things I've read on this thread.

747FC

I just returned from a visit to Tsujiki, and there were 30 Billion people there. I’m scratching my head on how you define “sensible.” Of course, unlike you, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions.

LapLap

My own last visit to Tokyo was 2019 and I’m not used to what seems to be the “new normal” of booking tables for general meals (lunch as well as evening).

What was it about the advice of booking somewhere in Tsukiji that was unsensible?

Wanted to find out what you meant rather than jump to any conclusion.

Pickles

Not sure what visiting Tsukiji has to do with anything, but I'll tell you a story. I was in Tsukiji about a month ago (don't ask me why, it was an experience I will not repeat ever again, especially since the inner market is nothing but a flat field, and the outer market is purely a tourist trap now). Tsukiji Sushisei (a perfectly adequate mid-range chain) has its main store (and first branch) right on the outer market. Two doors down, is their shinkan, which is basically the second branch of the chain. Same menu, same suppliers, same chef training, same everything. The shinkan has a huge line out the door, and the main store has no wait.

Same with the Sushi Zanmai (another adequate mid-range chain). The one in the outer market was mobbed, the one 2 blocks away closer to Ginza was easy to get a seat. Makes absolutely no sense, unless you think having sushi at the fish market is somehow some superior experience to having it anywhere else.

Now step that up to star-chasers, instragrammers, influencers, and their ilk, and put a target on the "best" (as defined by a bunch of strange, off-putting Tripadvisor reviews which have no sense of what "best" really means), and you get the current situation.

What is your conclusion, and maybe tell me what mine is also. As for my comment, one thing is to book a mid-range sushi restaurant at (or near) the market. Another one is to line up like an idiot for something you can get in hundreds of places around Tokyo, and thousands more all over Japan. The fact that @Ethelstan booked it at Tsukiji is incidental. It could have been anywhere in Tokyo, or Japan.

747FC

My post had nothing to do with Tsujiki, and this thread is not about anyplace in Tokyo. It got hijacked. (And I foolishly added to that).

Pickles

And bringing it back, as for Aomori, I don't have any recommendations, sorry!

bmwe92fan

Hey 747FC I asked some friends for a recommendation -- Aomori is not Tokyo, so "high end" might be relative lol -- but I'm guessing the Ramen is amazing....

For Ramen: Takahashichukasobaten
For Sushi: Hidezushi or Akebonozushi

The Sushi places offer semi-private dining if it's a business discussion -- if not sit at the counter! Don't be put off by the "low" ratings numbers you see on Tablelog -- The Japanese are MUCH tougher graders than in the west -- anything over 3 is considered quite good in Japan.

747FC

Many thanks. Looking forward to try these next time in Aomori.

SNA_Flyer

I've always found this fascinating as well. I think there are actually 3-4 branches of Zanmai in the outer market, always with lines, but you can walk across the street towards Ginza and no waiting at that shop.

After a recent trip to the outer market with a friend who had never been to Japan, I've come to realize that I don't need to go anymore. Though I'll always have a soft spot for the 100 Yen tamago from Marutake.