Tokyo’s Culinary Delights
Feast your eyes on the best restaurants in Tokyo: from hearty cheap eats to modern Japanese cuisine and Michelin-starred stalwarts. Get ready for the culinary adventure of a lifetime. Tokyo is the place to be for food lovers. From humble yakitori joints serving skewered grilled chicken to multi-course traditional kaiseki feasts, dishes are prepared with care and respect for seasonal ingredients. Restaurants in Tokyo are known for shokunin, the people who focus on a single skill to the point of obsession.
Shokunin: The Heart of Tokyo Cuisine
These chefs dedicate their lives to the smallest details of a cuisine: the optimal temperature for the oil when frying tempura, the perfect texture for sushi rice, the ideal sear on grilled unagi. The Japanese culture of respect and grit is embedded in the culinary industry, with apprentices often spending years of extensive shugyou – learning the ropes from their Masters – as a right of passage.
With Japanese borders finally opening after a two-year hiatus, international foodies are itching to visit Tokyo restaurants. There is a diverse culinary offering, ranging from traditional genres (sushi, tempura, and kaiseki) to innovative and experimental fusions.
Spotlight on Michelin-starred Kagurazaka Ishikawa
Kagurazaka Ishikawa is a traditional Japanese kaiseki restaurant located in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It has been awarded three Michelin stars for its refined cuisine and intimate dining experience. The restaurant is known for its serene atmosphere and minimalist design. Kagurazaka Ishikawa is the restaurant we place first priority when visiting Tokyo. Though their dishes look simple—be it grilled, steamed, fried, or simmered—they coax out the subtle essence/taste of the seasonal produce and meat. Even the rice served at the end of the course is exceptional.
Kamachiku: Udon in a Garden Setting
Kamachiku, probably Tokyo’s most gorgeous udon restaurant, is housed in a century-old redbrick warehouse with a modern expansion overlooking a Japanese garden. The popular restaurant’s specialty is kama-age udon (wheat noodles served straight from the cooking pot), cooked fresh every day, sliced by hand, and is best enjoyed either hot or cold.