Tokyo Travel Guide (Restaurant Reviews)

I recently spent two and a half weeks in Asia with my husband and our first stop was Tokyo. Japan has been at the top of our bucket list for years, and we had a list a mile long of places to see and things to eat. Happy to report it did not disappoint!

The best places we went to were off the beaten path. If you can avoid popular tourist spots and places made famous by social media, you’ll have a much more authentic experience. John and I weren’t bothered by going to places where there was no English spoken, but if that matters to you, I’ve indicated when there was little to no English below.

Our favorite trips tend to be when we fully immerse ourselves in another culture, and for us that means smaller, less known places. Tokyo, you are extraordinary and we cannot wait to come back!

Where We Stayed

AC Hotel Tokyo Ginza

Things I liked about the hotel:

• Clean, spacious room: We upgraded to a larger room, so we had more than enough space, but it was also exceptionally clean and well kept. The bathrooms (specifically, Japanese toilets!) are the best part.
• Quieter neighborhood: That’s not to say that Ginza is quiet, because it’s not. It’s just quieter, than say, Shinjuku or Shibuya. It’s a higher end shopping area with an abundance of restaurants.
• Proximity to trains: This one was really important to us. We wanted to have easy access to a variety of different lines, and this checked the box.

Areas for improvement:

• The air conditioner just wasn’t strong enough (or cool enough) for John and I. The lowest it would go is 20C, which might be fine for some, but we like to sleep in a cold room, and with it being 43C outside, we were melting.

Would I stay here again? Maybe, but probably not. I have no real issue with the hotel, but I think we’d choose to stay in a different neighborhood altogether. Something a bit more… hipster?

Tokyo Restaurants

Breakfast

• Tsukiji Outer Market: This was not your traditional pastry or even Japanese breakfast. Instead, we ate tuna sushi, wagyu skewers, grilled seafood, Japanese egg omelettes, and fresh fruit.
  • Some tuna stalls were better than others. The wagyu skewers were insanely good. John liked the omelettes, but I found them way too sweet. In general, I’d skip the grilled seafood that’s been sitting out, as it’s overcooked. Buy all the fresh strawberries you see!

• Camelback Coffee: I shared this on my Tokyo coffee highlights, but it’s worth mentioning again because we grabbed an egg sandwich for breakfast here and it was delicious!
  • Make sure to ask for Japanese mustard!

• Boulange: French pastries with Japanese flare!
  • Highlights: strawberry cream donut, sausage pastry (shaped like a hot dog), and matcha almond croissant.

• Flour + Water Nakame: French-Japanese fusion pastries
  • Did not enjoy, would not recommend.

• Ohitsuzen Tanbo Yoyogi: Traditional Japanese breakfast
  • We came here for onigiri (which were delicious), but everyone else was ordering their traditional Japanese breakfast. Looked amazing and the staff could not have been more kind. No English.

Lunch

• Tsujihan: The infamous seafood rice bowl. Two locations; to avoid long(er) lines, go to the Akasaka branch.
  • I did really like this, but I think you can avoid lines in Tokyo altogether. There are dozens of places that serve seafood rice bowls. I wish we had gone to Maguro-to-Shari Roppongi instead (tuna and salmon rice bowls that look stellar).

• Nakiryu: Hands down my favorite meal in Tokyo! Michelin-starred ramen.
  • The spicy tantanmen was the best bowl of noodles I’ve ever had in my life. John got the shoyu ramen and found it a touch too porky in flavor. Stick to the tantanmen and add cilantro (you order from a machine before sitting down).

• Monja: I am blanking on the name of the spot John and I had Monja at (the Tokyo version of okonomiyaki), but there is an entire street dedicated to it where you can walk in anywhere and try for yourself: Tsukushima Monja Street.
  • Monja has a thinner and runnier batter compared to okonomiyaki, the well known Japanese pan-fried pancake made with cabbage and a variety of proteins. Some have seafood, poultry, offal, or cheese.

• Ginza Tempura Abe: Shrimp tempura!
  • Absolutely delicious. Arrived right when they opened and snagged seats easily. Fills up quickly, but the food comes quickly. Service is friendly. Very small restaurant.

Dinner

• T Nakameguro: A restaurant devoted to omi beef (wagyu).
  • This was an absolutely wild tasting menu focused solely around wagyu t-bone. Everything was delicious, but my favorite of the night was the Japanese wagyu curry. Melt in your mouth! The owner/host has a big personality and makes the evening engaging for everyone. Very little English spoken.

• Sushi Tonari 287: Standing sushi bar. Contacted via Instagram DM for reservations.
  • Good, but not great. Very reasonably priced, with a few really enjoyable bites. Able to add on pieces easily.

• PST: Tokyo is (surprisingly) known for great pizza. I was able to get our hotel to make a reservation for us here; they do not accept reservation requests in English.
  • Definitely a good wood fired pie, but we are particularly spoiled with amazing pizza in NJ, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this if you have fantastic pizza locally.

• Sushi Murase: 25-course omakase
  • This was a last-minute reservation as we had accidentally missed our omakase dinner the night before (long story, completely my fault). I’d say 80% of the bites were wonderful. Others we actively did not like. There are dozens of omakase options in Tokyo, so I’d recommend exploring others.

Snacks

• Vending machine katsu sando: I’d skip this one
  • I had seen this specific vending machine recommended from someone on Instagram, and that should have been my sign to steer clear. It was fine, nothing special. I decided it wasn’t worth it and instead picked up an egg salad sando from a convenient store.

• 7/11 & Family Mart & Lawson: the 3 main conbini (convenient stores) located on practically every street in Tokyo.
  • These are all welcome reprieves from the heat on a hot summer day (they run very cold!). You can get an assortment of fresh food, but the favorites are onigiri (rice balls) and sandos. Egg salad is the way to go! Just as creamy as it looks!

• Gyoza: The best gyoza I’ve had in my entire life!
  • After a couple of drinks at Bar Trench, we asked one of the guys working there for a late night snack recommendation. Specifically, I wanted gyoza. I asked where HE would go, and he sent us to this little place about a 10 minute walk away. Life changing!

• Kooriya Peace: Kakigori aka Japanese shaved ice!
  • Ok, let me tell you that after a hot Japanese summer day (oof, that was *every* day), there is nothing better than a shaved ice. The Japanese are doing it better than I’ve ever seen before. Some places require reservations, so you can’t just walk in. This was exceptional. I got strawberry and cream and John got a delicious rum raisin. Highly recommend, and it’ll take you to a totally different neighborhood!

Bars

• Bar Centifolia: Over-the-top, made for Instagram, and would not recommend.
  • If you like theatrics, this place will put on a show. But they offer very few drinks (which were ok, not great) and do the same tricks over and over again. The host will come over and tell you to take out your phone and record before the bartender begins making drinks. Felt forced. Not our vibe at all, and would actively recommend NOT going here.

• Bar Trench: Exceptional cocktail bar! One of the best I’ve ever been to anywhere.
  • This was hands down my favorite bar experience in Tokyo. We had just left Bar Centifolia, which was over-the-top and showy, so this felt like a breath of fresh air. Chill music, darkly lit room, nothing fussy at all. Just a stellar cocktail list, friendly service, and a place to talk.

• The Music Bar: Easy going record bar in Shibuya.
  • We went on a Monday night. Tokyo is known for their record bars, and this one had a chill vibe. My husband and I were definitively the oldest people there. I thought the drinks were just okay and would not go back.

• We also went to this tiny record bar, whose name I can’t remember.
  • You walk up a steep set of stairs, knock on a door, then enter a room that looks like a hoarders living room (it was funny, not frightening hah) and sit at the tiniest little counter top sipping on one of a few bottles of whisky. No cocktail menu, no wine, just whatever is on the counter.