When travelling, food is very important. Through the typical dishes, you get to know the culture of a people, its customs and the way of life. That is why we have decided to give you some hints on what to eat in Tokyo. In this avant-garde city, it is often difficult to find your way around, but food is a great help, especially to breathe a little and find relief from the chaos of the city.
Some of the dishes we are going to tell you about are already familiar to you thanks to manga (ramen, okonomiyaki, etc.), others are more particular and refined, and potentially "deadly" if cooked badly.
From the typical dishes that must be savoured slowly to fully appreciate them, with precise rituals of "dunking" such as sushi, here, in our opinion, are the 10 dishes you absolutely must try in Tokyo. But remember, having a great meal experience also means staying at an excellent location at http://central.tokyo-hotels-stay.com/en/. If you're heading to Japan's capital, check out some of the Top Rated Hotels in Tokyo on tophotels.com.
One such accommodation that comes highly recommended for its proximity to several food hubs is the Apa Hotel Keisei Ueno Ekimae. This provides you with immediate access to the heart of Tokyo's culinary scene so you can easily experience all the dishes listed here.
1 - Yakitori
Yakitori are skewers of meat, usually chicken, that are grilled. You can find them almost everywhere in Tokyo as it is one of the many local'street foods'. Their special feature is that you can choose which cut of meat to use: breast, thigh, but also liver or skin. To season them, you can choose between simple salt or soy sauce.
Recommended for: always
Average cost: 130 yen per piece
Main ingredients: chicken, spices
2 - Takoyaki
These are meatballs made from octopus and batter, with the addition of chunks of tempura, ginger and onion. Together with Yakitori, these perfectly shaped meatballs are one of the most popular street foods in Tokyo. They are usually served in paper 'boats', garnished with mayonnaise and/or Otafuku sauce.
Recommended for: always
Average cost: 500 yen
Main ingredients: octopus, tempura, onion, marinated ginger
3 - Soba
This is one of the most popular dishes (and ingredients) in Tokyo. These particular buckwheat noodles are a bit of a wild card in Japanese cuisine: you can find them mixed with all kinds of condiments, from meat to seaweed to broth. In Tokyo, you can eat several soba dishes: ranging from kake soba, where they are dipped in boiling broth, to zaru soba, a dish where these noodles are served cold.
Recommended for: dinner
Average cost: 1000 yen
Main ingredients: soba, vegetables, broth
4- Tempura
Tempura is a safe bet, even if you don't particularly like Tokyo cuisine. Tempura is a stir-fry characterised by a very light batter, which encloses pieces of vegetables and prawns. It is usually served with an accompanying sauce in which to dip the tempura pieces. Usually the same restaurants that offer Sushi also have Tempura on their menu.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: 1500 yen
Main ingredients: batter, vegetables, prawns
5 - Sushi
We've pretty much all eaten sushi at least once in our lives. Eating it in Tokyo, however, is something else entirely. You can find these rice and fish 'rolls' practically everywhere. You will find them served with soy sauce and wasabi in every form, from nigiri, hand-shaped with the fish delicately placed on the rice, to temaki, in the shape of a cone. In theory, each piece of sushi is a single bite, but take it easy: one pulls the other and 20 pieces finish in no time.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: 2500 yen
Main ingredients: rice, fish, wasabi, seaweed
6 - Okonomiyaki
This is another wild card in Japanese cuisine. The main ingredient forOkonomiyaki is cabbage leaf mixed with eggs and flour, used to wrap anything you want. It is a kind of omelette cooked on the griddle and served with mayonnaise and a sweet and sour sauce called okonimiyaki.
Recommended for: always
Average cost: 3000 yen
Main ingredients: cabbage, eggs, flour, okonimiyaki
7 - Fugu (Pufferfish)
Photo by Suguri F . We couldn't not include Fugu as it is one of the dishes that has made Tokyo cuisine world famous. It is a dish where the only ingredient is puffer fish, served in the form of sashimi. This fish contains a potentially deadly toxin, which is why Fugu should only be eaten if prepared by expert hands. Nevertheless, it is recommended not to eat too much of it: the toxin, albeit in a minor form, remains present in the fish flesh and many who have tried it have experienced a slight numbness of the tongue. It is an expensive dish, but for once in your life you can do it.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: 9000 yen
Main ingredients: puffer fish
8 -Tonkatsu
This dish will make Milanese schnitzel lovers happy. Tonkatsu is in fact a pork cutlet about 2 cm high that is breaded and fried. It is served already cut into small pieces and accompanied by cabbage and miso soup.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: 900 yen
Main ingredients: pork, cabbage, miso soup.
9 - Ramen
This is one of the 10 dishes you absolutely must try in Tokyo. Ramen is a broth containing noodles, meat, seaweed, vegetables, eggs, etc. There are all kinds, from Tonkotsu, a broth made with pork bones, miso, salt and soy sauce, toAbura Soba, typical of the Kanto area. Here you can find a very special type of ramen, which is without broth.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: 2000 yen
Main ingredients: noodles, meat, vegetables
10 - Unagi (Eel)
This is quite unusual as a dish, but many of you will have no problem eating it. It is in fact eel first steamed and then seasoned on the grill and served on a bed of rice. Its uniqueness lies in the cut of the meat, which is made along the entire length of the eel.
Recommended for: lunch and dinner
Average cost: 3000 yen
Main ingredients: eel, rice
Where to eat in Tokyo: best restaurants, typical places and street food
Colourful and with unpronounceable names, served on rectangular trays of Japanese porcelain or directly on hot plates or pots placed in the centre of the table, the dishes of typical Tokyo cuisine are tasty paths with no turning back.
You can try and experiment, browsing through seaweed, steamed rice and tasty soy or miso ramen, savouring an authentic and tasty cuisine and getting to know one of the main aspects of the identity of this wonderful city.
There are so many ways to approach this cuisine: from the Food Hall in Isetan, a gallery full of shops and restaurants; to Omoide Yokocho, a cheerful alley entirely dedicated to grilled food.
Among the most famous neighbourhoods for typical food: Gindako, if you want to try excellent Japanese street food; Memory Lane, for mainly meat-based food; Shibuya Station, Futakotamagawa Station and Jiyugaoka Station for Ramen or Udon.
Here are the best places to eat in Tokyo:
1 - Omoide Yokocho
Description: trail of open-air mini-restaurants, entirely dedicated to 'grilled' Japanese cuisine.
Speciality: yakitori with sake or shochu (chicken skewers)
Average price: from €30.00 per person
Address: 1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku 160-0023 - Get directions
2 - Ougi Sushi
Description: The right place to take a romantic and appetising journey through the flavours of the authentic Rising Sun.
Speciality: sushi
Average price: from €25.00 per person
Address: 3 Chome - 21 - 5 Shinjuku - Get directions
3 - Ippudo
Description: well-known restaurant chain, specialising in ramen
Speciality: Ramen (Japanese noodles in meat or fish broth, accompanied by vegetables, seaweed and eggs)
Average price: from €15.00 per person
Address: 4-10-3 | 1F Central Building, Chuo 104-0061 - Get directions
4 - Tsukiji Market
Description: an open-air delicatessen for a stroll through flavours and colours
Speciality: tuna and fresh fish
Average price: from €4.00 per person
Address: 5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo City - Get directions
5 - Tonkatsu Maisen
Description: Cosy restaurant in perfect Japanese style, just a stone's throw from Omotesando station.
Speciality: Tonkatsu (Japanese schnitzel)
Average price: from €8.00 per person
Address: 4-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya 150-0001, Tokyo Prefecture - Get directions
