15 Best Restaurants in Tokyo, Japan

Smoky, noisy, and cluttered, Ganchan is exactly what the Japanese expect of their yakitori joints—restaurants that specialize in bits of charcoal-broiled chicken and vegetables. The counter here seats barely 15, and you have to squeeze to get to the chairs in back. Festival masks, paper kites, lanterns, and greeting cards from celebrity patrons adorn the walls. The cooks yell at each other, fan the grill, and serve up enormous schooners of beer. Try the tsukune (balls of minced chicken) and the fresh asparagus wrapped in bacon. Otherwise opt for a mixed eight-skewer set that also comes with several small side dishes. The place stays open until 1:30 am (midnight on Sunday).

Anyone looking to experience Japanese haute cuisine in a more relaxed atmosphere should look to this kappo-style restaurant, where diners order and eat at the counter. Third-generation chef—and 2002 Iron Chef champion—Kimio Nonaga displays his artistry in every element of Nihonbashi Yukari's menu. Dinner here is a multicourse affair, with each dish showcasing the freshness and quality of the seasonal ingredients. To witness him at work, and get the full kappo dining experience, be sure to request a counter seat when making reservations. As a bonus, Nihonbashi Yukari also offers a lunch setting for a fraction of the price of dinner, which is unusual for this kind of restaurant.

Connected to a natural-foods store, and with natural airy wooden interiors to match, Crayon House serves Japanese and Western dishes with a common theme—it's all very healthy. Ninety-five percent of ingredients are organic, and the mixture of curries, pastas, salads, and other dishes are all wholesome. The lunchtime buffet is good value. The desserts taste as if the notion of health has been thrown out the window.

Daikokuya, in the center of Asakusa's historic district, is a point of pilgrimage for both locals and tourists. The specialty here is shrimp tempura, and the menu choices are simple—tendon is tempura shrimp served over rice, and the tempura meal includes rice, pickled vegetables, and miso soup. Famished diners can add additional pieces of tempura or side dishes such as sashimi for an additional fee, or opt for a multi-dish course. When the line of waiting customers outside is too long, head to the shop's annex (bekkan) just around the corner.

On top of the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, there’s a Michelin-starred restaurant serving contemporary French cuisine with a twist. Est presents eco-conscious, seasonal menus with 95% of ingredients locally sourced in Japan. With a focus on reducing food waste, Chef Guillaume Bracaval crafts innovative and singular dishes that can be traced from source to plate. 

Here’s proof that an intimate sushi experience doesn’t have to be overly formal. Nor does it have to be expensive. Grab a seat at the counter of this laidback joint in the lively Harmonica Yokocho and enjoy an affordable sushi set prepared in front of you. There are pictures on the menu to help with ordering, but the eight-piece omakase set and 12-piece set of the day are both good options. If you only wanted a super quick bite while bar hopping, there's a three-piece set too. You could pair it with sake or something from the small wine list.

For a quick lunch, you can grab reasonably priced set meals just a few minutes north of the station. Imagine a combination of Japanese and Western ingredients in a kind of modern home-cooking. The restaurant's location on the 8th floor makes it a bit hard to find but gives you an amazing view over a busy Shinjuku thoroughfare. There's a picture menu before the elevator, so you can decide before you even go in.

The main draw at Oshima is sampling the Kaga ryori cooking of Kanazawa, a small city on the Sea of Japan known for its rich craft traditions. Waitresses dress the part in kimonos of Kanazawa's famous Yuzen dyed silk, and Kutani porcelain and Wajima lacquerware grace the exquisite table settings. As you'd expect from waterfront cuisine, seafood at Oshima is superb, but don't ignore the specialty of the house: a stew of duck and potatoes called jibuni. Kaiseki full-course meals are pricey, but the kaiseki lunch course costs about a third less.

This elegant French restaurant on the 37th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel has wonderful views of the Tokyo skyline as well an open kitchen, where diners can see the masterful chef Nicolas Boujéma and his staff at work. Boujéma has an impressive résumé, having worked in kitchens such as La Tour d'Argent, Le Balzac, and most recently with Pierre Gagnaire. And his cuisine does not disappoint. Inspired by Japanese kaiseki, the menu changes with the seasons. There is also a fine wine list here that includes biodynamic and organic selections.

Yakitori and other char-grilled skewers of meat and vegetables are the name of the game at this smart izakaya that gets consistently excellent reviews from locals. To wash that down are highballs, draft lager, and a good selection of local sakes. And if you want the easy ordering option, consider one of the courses, which include multiple skewers plus a few side dishes such as tofu.

The deep-fried, breaded pork cutlets at this casual restaurant just south of Ueno Park's pond combine generous portions with melt-in-the-mouth tenderness, and for a great price. Set meals here come with enough rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage, and pickles to loosen your belt a notch or two.

A family joint, Tonki is a success that never went conglomerate or added frills to what it does best: deep-fried pork cutlets, soup, raw-cabbage salad, rice, pickles, and tea. That's the standard course, and almost everybody orders it, with good reason—it's utterly delicious. Just listen to customers in line as they put in their usual orders while a server comes around to take it. Then go ahead and join in; the wait is only about 10 minutes, but the line continues every night until the place closes at 10:45.

Sit down and savor a glass of carefully selected wine from Trattoria Creatta’s impressive cellar. Sitting on the terrace beside Wadakura Moat on a warm summer's day, diners can choose from a modest, yet flavorful, selection of fresh pasta. When the lights go down, the atmosphere turns intimate with candle-lit dinners and attentive service. Reservations are recommended.

In an area that teems with sushi bars, this one maintains its reputation as one of the best. Tsukiji Edo-Gin drapes generous slabs of fish over the vinegared rice rather than perching them demurely on top. The centerpiece of the main room is a huge tank where the day's ingredients swim about until required; it doesn't get any fresher than this. Set menus here are reasonable, especially for lunch, but a big appetite for specialties like sea urchin and otoro tuna can put a dent in your budget. One affordable way to do dinner is to sit at the counter and order the Edo nigiri set, where the chef serves his choice of sushi for a set price.

Originally a teahouse, Waentei-Kikko is now a cozy, country-style Japanese restaurant serving kaiseki-style set meals along with premium sake. What makes this place extra special is that the owner, Fukui Kodai, is a traditional Japanese Tsugaru-shamisen (string instrument) musician, who performs at scheduled times throughout the day. Narrow your field of vision, shut out the world outside, and you could be back in the waning days of Meiji-period Japan.