The Tokyo Food Guide
The world has watched the Olympics in Tokyo and my Japanese wanderlust is back! Food is at the heart of Japanese culture – its on every corner, lovingly made, and beautifully presented. Here are my favourite Tokyo food haunts and dishes for your visit.
- Tokyo Fish Market
- Sushi
- Noodles
- Soba Noodles
- Shokudo
- Shabu-Shabu
- Markets + Street Food
- Miso
- The Bento Box + Vending Machines
Tokyo Fish Market
Start your food journey by seeing where it starts – the Tokyo Fish Market. But just to make it complicated, there are now two of them…The original Tsukiji Market was closed in 2018, with its wholesale market was moved to the shiny new Toyosu Market. The original market was hectic, bustling, Segway dodging, not made for tourists place; full of every fish you could imagine from eels to GIANT tuna (it still operates as the Tsukiji Outer Market). The new Toyosu Market is more modern and purpose built, and took the early morning sushi restaurants with it.
So which market? The Tsunagu Japan website has an excellent guide comparing the two markets – each has it pros and cons. The Tsukiji Market is easy to get to, has a great food scene, and maintains its old school, unpolished charm. While the Toyosu Market has the draw of the early morning sushi restaurants of Sushia Dai and Sushi Daiwa (see below), expertly preparing sushi with thee freshest fish from the market.
In an ideal world you would visit both, but our travel time is often pressed. If your looking for finest sushi then I would recommend the Toyosu Market for its sushi restaurants (see below). The very early start does have the added advantage of leaving the rest of your day free – even with the longest line, you’ll likely be done by 10am. I finished my visit by 8am and made my way to a (caffeine infused) day tip to Kamakura – walking the zen temple trail from Kita-kamakura station to the Giant Buddha of Kamakura. But if your looking old-world Tokyo, away from the new and clinical, then the original Tsukiji Market is the best and most convenient.
Sushi
To get your morning sushi at Toyosu Market, you will need to make the pre-down pilgrimage – show up before the 5am opening and be prepared to wait. The most sought after sushi restaurants are Sushia Dai – which can have waiting times of 4-5 hours – and Sushi Daiwa, which is about a 1-2 hour wait (though solo travellers can get bumped up the queues as single seats open up). When I visited the old Tsukiji Market site, I ate at Sushi Daiwa, having their set sushi menu for around £23/$32 (its now around £28/$40). My meal at Sushi Daiwa was spectacular and one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. So if you’re pressed for time or just looking for a shorter queue, I can’t recommend it enough (though don’t follow my example and turn up after an all night sake session!)
An excellent alternative for sushi is Sushi Zanmai, feet away from the Kaminarimon Gate in the historic Asakusa area (menus in Japanese and English). You can sit at their sushi bar, put in your order, and watch the chefs make and hand your food to you personally. Aside from sushi, their crab miso soup is delicious.
Noodles
In an unassuming Tokyo neighbourhood, you can find a tiny little noodle place called Banninriki (the sign is in Japanese: 万人力). Serving excellent ‘no soup’ noodles – without broth – they were the best noodles I had in Japan. Here you can order you food via a robot…OK, you put in your money in a machine, press the food buttons, and hand your ticket to the server! But in my first night in Japan, it made me feel like I was living the future! The machine is in Japanese, but the server will swifty hand you an English guide to the dishes, all served with the standard far of pickles and miso soup.
If you want a traditional stay in Tokyo, the Tokyo Guest House Toco has dorm or private rooms in a 100 year old wooden house, just around the corner. Ideal if you are looking for somewhere relaxed when you land – there is nothing more serene than walking up and opening up the sliding doors to their beautiful Japanese garden. See My Favourite Hostels in the World Guide for more.
Soba Noodles
In the historic Asakusa area, you can find the traditional soba noodle restaurant Namiki Yabusoba. Set in traditional and authentic style with mat seating, they have been serving hot and cold buckwheat noodles since 1913. The noodles are delicious, with a fresh flavour. Not to be missed, with a side of sake.
Shokudo
Shokudo joints are inexpensive, casual dining places found pretty much anywhere. They offer quick staple meals of meat or fish, served with rice, a side of pickles and miso soup. My favourite is gyudon (or gyūmeshi) – rice topped with beef and spring onion. I recommend adding ‘soft egg’ which finishes cooking as you mix it in! Matsuya is popular chain all over Japan, recognisable by its yellow sign with red, blue and yellow circles, but pop in any Shokudo for a quick, homely bite.
Shabu-Shabu
Shabu-shabu is where you cook meat and vegatebles in a hot pot on your table. You take the thin slices of beef or pork and quickly swirl around in the hot water until cooked. (Sukiyaki is similar, but the prepared meat is more slowly simmered and dipped in egg). Specialised restaurants are found all over and I would recommend Nabezo Asakusa. While Shabu-Shabu is good for partner / communal dining, it is fine to do solo (more so that Korean BBQ, where you have an extensive array of side dishes that is impossible to eat solo!) Though do check with the restaurant that they don’t have a minimum 2 diners rule, which is more likely at dinner than lunch.
Markets + Street Food
Kaminarimon Gate and Sensō-ji Temple are must see historic sites, and running between them is the busy bussle of Nakamise Shopping Street. The street is filled with souvenir and local food, especially of the sweet variety. Also worth a visit to the area post-closing to see the beautiful art on the closed shutters.
Another excellent spot for street food is the food market stalls at Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park. The colourful stalls serve up everything from okonomiyaki, to seafood, chicken skewers, noodles and deserts. Recommend trying the freshly fried octopus with a dash of soy sauce. Once you’ve eaten, take some time to see the lovely Ueno Park, which includes the Ueno Toshogu Shrine and the excellent Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, along with other museums and galleries. For dessert, head to the near by Ameyoko Shopping Street to grab yourself a Taiyaka – a fish shaped pastry typically filled with red been paste (get the croissant hybrid if you can!)
Miso Soup
The humble miso soup. If you don’t like miso soup at the start of your Japan trip, you probably will by the end of it. I struggle to recall many meals in Japan where little warm bowl of miso wasn’t wordlessly put on my table. It’s the comforting end to your Japanese meal.
The Bento Box + Vending Machines
Your Tokyo visit has ended and you’re onto your next Japanese destination via the train. The ekiben – a bento box sold a train stations all over Japan – should be your travelling meal. Wrapped up like a present, these single-portion boxed meals typically include rise, meat / fish and sides of pickled vegetables (though sushi ones are also available). My favourite is the breaded pork cutlet with rice and pickled vegetables, with cold green tea.
But I can’t talk about Japanese food without mentioning the Japanese vending machine. Taking convenience to the next level, they’re found everywhere… my first street vending machine spot was down a quite ally way! If you’re thinking you need a quick snack or a drink (or pretty much most things), just look around and they’ll probably be a vending machine waiting for you. Recommend a morning boss coffee, which comes hot in its can!
What food do you want to try? What’s your recommendations for Tokyo food? Let me know in the comments!
