Best Toyko Restaurants
 

Through different searchs on the internet and calls the hotel, I have about 7 restaurants which seems to be amazing and was wondering if anyone had been there and could tell me about it.

Aragawa (I know, very $!)
Mizubani
Gorio (Sister of Aragawa in Ginza)
Kikuyoshi
Kyudey
Gonpachi
Kyushu Jangara (Ramen noodles)

Thanks so much. Im leaving in about 3 weeks!

Never heard of the first four. It is Kyubei, not Kyudey. Some of the best and most expensive sushi in town. Go there only if you are a real sushi foodie and can tell minute differences in quality and taste. Otherwise, many other places with better value for money. Skip Gonpachi, not really that good, and more of a place to take your foreign visitors. Kyushu Jangara is good, but it is rather low rent. Best to go at 4:00 AM to give consistency to the upchuck.

In most parts of the world I'm considered a foodie, but in Tokyo I just really enjoyed Kozue.

If you've never been to Tokyo, you cannot imagine how many restaurants that city has. It makes New York look underserved.

When it's mealtime in Tokyo, I tend to just start wandering the area, checking out the picture menus or plastic food displays and seeing what looks appealing at the moment. The food is always passable and sometimes excellent.

However, if you're interested in a more upscale experience, I'd suggest waiting till you're in Tokyo, going to one of the English-language bookstores, and buying one of the several restaurant guides available. Have your hotel call the places that look appealing to confirm that 1) they still exist, and 2) they can take your reservation, and 3) a meal there won't break the bank.

The Japan Times, Tokyo Journal, and other English-language publications also contain restaurant reviews.

Does the OP have even a bit more distant business associates in Tokyo? Why not invite them for lunch or dinner at their favoríte place? It makes a huge difference in service and atmosphere anywhere in Asia if you're a ( or accompanied by a ) habitue compared to an unknown newbie.

Good places to try Soba:
 

Don't miss out on trying soba noodles at a highly dedicated soba restaurant - where the flour is freshly milled and the noodles rolled out and cut that day, a quintessential Japanese experience (and one that won't break the bank). There are a wide variety of soba noodles, some are light made from highly milled buckwheat flour, others are dark with a stronger flavour - then there are the many kinds of flavours that are incorporated into the noodles which include green tea, ume, yuzu, sesame & shiso leaves. Ramen is a result of the indigenous development of a Chinese import (wheat noodles) whereas soba noodles are an entirely Japanese invention dating back about 400 years.

Out of the suggestions on this web page: http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/433/dining.asp , I can recommend Toshian & Kanda Yabu Soba. (My favourite is a restaurant in Yotsuya, but I can't access my notes for another month to tell you the name of it).

EDIT: Found it! Not Yotsuya but near Iidabashi station.
Shinano, lunchtime and evenings (closes 8:30pm) closed on Sunday. 2-10 Kagura zaka, Shinjuku ku.

And a great place to try several kinds of soba is Hojinbo B1, Amano Building, 1-5-10 Nishi Shinbashi, Minato ku - also closed Sundays.
I ended up making one order and getting a serving of 'standard' soba, followed by a serving of ultramilled 'sarashina' soba flavoured with yuzu peel, and then sweet dark 'inaka' soba which has the strongest flavour of buckwheat. All served cold, mori-soba style. Nearest station is Uchisaiwaicho.


Sake and soba go WONDERFULLY together, and cold noodles on a hot day are a delight as well as a relief. (Morisoba - or zarusoba wich comes with nori)

When you're doing your research on which restaurants to visit, don't forget to check what food is in season when you're there and choose a restaurant or dish where this kind of speciality is best served. Some of the best restaurants in Japan/Tokyo only serve a very narrow range of options and are highly specialised.

Nope, Im traveiling with my family.

Ive been to the Kyubei at the old Intercontinental in Shinjuku once and the original one in Ginza a few times. I would only go to the one in Ginza. It was recommended to me by the owner of my favorite Japanese reataurant in New York. His family also has several restaurants in Tokyo. Kyubei is the best sushi I have ever had. It is pricey. Last time I was there for sushi at the sushi bar and a little sake it was about $250 per person.

As far as Kozue, I also like it a lot. It is good food and service but the real treat there is the view. It is magnificent.

I have been to the Jangara Akihabara store few times on my travels. The restaurant is more suitable for sarariman to get grubs than family dining. The seating is shoulder to shoulder at the counter, and few tables are available. Other stores may have better seating arrangements, but I don't know.

With that warning out of the way, let me get to the food. The ramen is delicious. The noodle is glutinous, stewed pork is tender and the broth is flavorful and oily, just like how it should be. A basic bowl is between 550 to 600 jpy, and depending on the add-ons like stewed pork, stewed egg, salty roe, etc., can go up to 1000 jpy for "zenbu iri" or "all in". Many customer opt for a second serving of noodles, dumped right into their bowls, for about 150 jpy.

Here is a photo I took of the outside after I dined there.

A more family-friendly and possibly more fun alternative is the Raumen Museum near Shin Yokohama station. They used to have an English site but doesn't seem to be there any more. Anyways, the inside of the museum is a recreation of pre-war Yokohama street with many famous ramen restaurants from all over Japan vying for your business.

Im surprised no one has ate at Aragawa, which seems to be an extremly popular steakhouse. I did so more research and have narroed down some of the best Sushi Restaurants: Mizutan, Sushi Dai, Kikuyoshi, Kyubey, and Kozasa Sushi.

For tempura, how are Raku-Tei, Tenichi, and Hayashi?

And finally, Zagat's has rated Obana, and all unagi restaurant, as one of the best in Tokyo.

Thanks so much.

I also recommend going to a good soba place. One I have been to in New York and Tokyo is Honmura An. It is my favorite restaurant in New York and I liked the one I went to in Tokyo as well. I went to the one in Roppongi but I think their other one, and I forget where it is, is a bit fancier.

As far as sushi I also liked Edo Gin. It wasnt as good as Kyubei in my opinion but about 25% the price.

For eel, I recommend Nodaiwa.

Any of those a tempura place, you know, where you can sit at the counter and watch the chef? There's the Ten-ichi chain for that, they seem nice to me -- but of course, I am not a foodie at the elevated level of the rest of you! For down and dirty, how about a chanko-nabe place?

The original poster should know that some of these places are EXPENSIVE. Kozue is significantly more pricey than the New York Grill, another joint of some repute in the same hotel.

IIRC, there are many top rated soba shops in Kanda. Outstanding soba (basically white) at very reasonable prices, about 650JPY for one serving of "seiro"....

kyubei
 

kyubei is great. sushi is good :)
but you can get better sushi in other parts of japan.

dp