Food and Drink: Tokyo Specialties
Tempura @ bady abbas, Unsplash
Tokyo offers a large variety of local and regional Japanese cuisine, as well as all kinds of international dining options. The city has options for a wide range of budgets, as delicious food can be found from affordable “hole-in-the-wall” locations all the way to luxurious Michelin star restaurants. Tokyo has a huge influence on Japanese cuisine - it is so strong that some specialties of the city are known as the standard version of the dish instead of the local specialty. Tokyo was formerly called Edo - this still shows in the dining culture, as the local dishes are often referred as “Edo-mae”, which can be translated to “in front of Edo”. This reference is connected to Tokyo Bay, formerly Edo Bay, which provided the local seafood to the city. Below you can find some of the most known dishes from Tokyo - make sure to try them out during your stay!
Looking for a particular topic? Jump down from the links below:
Tempura
A popular Japanese dish that contains lightly battered and deep-fried ingredients with a crispy and light coating. Before the Edo period, tempura included mainly vegetables. The Tokyo-style tempura was created by the Edo cooks, who started to use seafood from Edo Bay in the tempura batter, adding more variety to the dish. You can enjoy tempura especially at specialized tempura restaurants (tempura-ya).
Cooking tempura with the masters: Would you like to learn how to make tempura by yourself? TOKI offers a unique and authentic experience for everyone who would like to explore Japanese cooking! You can read more about this private experience hosted by our expert tempura chef here.
Soba
Buckwheat noodles, which were popular especially during the Edo period in Tokyo. The dish can be found all around the city from standing soba eateries to specialized restaurants (soba-ya). Soba noodles are dipped in sauce. The sauce used in Tokyo is quite thick, therefore it is recommended to dip the noodles into it lightly.
Discover the charm of soba noodles with a professional: If you are interested in making soba noodles by yourself, look no further! TOKI offers a truly unique experience to explore soba-making under the guidance of a professional chef. Read more about this one-on-one master class during which you’ll be able to witness the skills of a top soba chef here.
Soba noodles @ TOKI
Tempura @ TOKI
Chankonabe
This hot pot dish is well-known as the diet of sumo wrestlers. The dish is high in protein, containing mostly chicken or fish, as well as vegetables. This healthy Japanese dish can be easily found at specialized restaurants around the Kokugikan Sumo Stadium at Ryogoku district in Sumida.
Private lunch with sumo wrestlers at a sumo stable: TOKI has obtained access to the training room of Japan’s popular sumo wrestlers! We invite you to visit the backstage of the sumo wrestling world in this unique experience - a private sumo stable visit tour. Witness how sumo wrestlers prepare for the big tournaments and interact with those who have been handed down the responsibility of continuing the national sport of sumo while trying authentic Chankonabe made by the sumo wrestlers themselves, please read more about the once-in-a-lifetime experience here.
A piece of nigiri-sushi @ TOKI
Nigiri-sushi
This sushi was originally served as a fast-food dish in Tokyo, but has over time become the most popular type of sushi. It is made of a piece of seafood, such as fish or shrimp, put on top of a small ball of rice. This method of preparing takes less time than the more traditional Japanese sushi dishes. You can find nigiri-sushi from various locations all over Tokyo, from cheap conveyor belt sushi places to luxurious Michelin star restaurants. Another great location to enjoy the dish is the Tsukiji Outer Market!
Making sushi with a world-class master sushi chef: Have you dreamed of making delicious sushi by yourself? Now you have a chance to learn to make the traditional Japanese dish through a TOKI experience with a world-class master sushi chef! This unique opportunity is perfect for those who want to taste truly high-class sushi and witness a chef with years of training in action. Read more about this once-in-a-lifetime experience here.
Exclusive Tsukiji tour with a famous sushi chef: TOKI also offers an opportunity to explore the famous Tsukiji Fish Market with a famous sushi chef! This exclusive tour takes you around the largest seafood market in the world and allows you special access to areas of the market that others can only look upon from afar. With the guidance of an expert sushi chef, you’ll have a great opportunity to witness authentic interactions between the chefs and wholesalers, and taste some of the very freshest seafood. Read more about this unique private experience here.
Various types of wagashi @ TOKI
Tokyo wagashi
In Tokyo you can find a great variety of wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets. Popular wagashi are for example dorayaki (pastry made of sweet pancakes with a layer of red bean paste between them), ningyoyaki (small cakes with different shapes, filled with red bean paste), and anmitsu (a dessert that usually includes red bean paste, agar jelly, mochi balls, and fruits with black sugar syrup on top).
Make wagashi with a prominent Japanese patissier:
Would you want to learn more about wagashi and how to make the traditional sweets yourself? Now is your chance - TOKI invites you to learn more about the culture of Japanese sweets from two confection experts who will teach you how to create your own unique wagashi! You can read more about the experience that will teach you about the spirit and fascination that wagashi holds here.
Tsukudani
This dish is made of small food pieces simmered in sweet sake and soy sauce mixture, which are often eaten with a bowl of rice. The root of the tsukudani is on Tsukudajima Island, where Tokugawa Ieyasu (Japanese warlord) positioned fishermen who were skilled in making the dish.
Monjayaki
A pancake made of water, flour and mix of ingredients such as pieces of seafood, cabbage, and meat. Monjayaki is cooked on a hot grill, and then eaten off it piece by piece. The most popular place for enjoying monjayaki is Tsukishima Monjayaki Street, which is filled with restaurants specializing in the dish.
Michelin Star Restaurants
A city fit for the epicurean, Tokyo is filled with an incredible variety of Michelin Star restaurants, often with waitlists well beyond a month. Below are just some of our favorites. Please contact us for reservations and information on waitlists.
Kohaku（虎白）：Spearheaded by the youngest 3-Michelin starred chef in Tokyo, Kohaku delivers an impeccable blend of traditional Japanese cuisine with touches of influence from around the world, such as truffles, butter, bean chili paste, star anise, truffles, and Shaoxing wine. An ode to modern Japan and the intricate complexities of Japanese culture, Chef Koizumi’s dishes are magic to behold.
Ryuzu（リューズ）：A take on French cuisine through the lens of Japanese cuisine and seasonality. The 2-Micheline Star restaurant is located just a short stroll from the manicured Japanese gardens of Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi.
NARISAWA（ナリサワ）：An innovative new take on Japanese cuisine centered around gratitude and respect for the forests of Japan, NARISAWA offers “Innovative Satoyama Cuisine”. Focused on nourishing and sustainable produce, each dish is made to inspire and delight the diner. NARISAWA is a 2-Michelin Star restaurant.
L’Effervescence: An exceptional blend of French and Japanese cuisine, Chef Namae utilizes traditional Japanese techniques and flavors, such as miso and nukazuke and breathes new life into them with delicate touches of French influence. He requires his staff to study Japanese tea ceremony regularly to ingrain concepts of Japanese hospitality and conversation into his restaurant. L’Effervescence is a 3-Michelin Star restaurant. Read more of our interview with Chef Namae here.
Award-winning Coffee Culture
A detailed science of roast temperatures, fermentation, and gastronomy, the art of coffee and Japanese attention to detail are a match made in heaven. Tokyo is known for some of the world’s best third-wave coffee shops and award-winning baristas. Here are just a few of our favorites that bring an interesting twist to the world of coffee.
KOFFEE MAMEYA：The reincarnation of one of the most legendary coffee shops in Tokyo, KOFFEE MAMEYA is less a cafe and more a bespoke coffee beans shop. Showcasing a curated selection of specialty beans from around the world, guests are invited to sample the beans (choose between pour-over or espresso) to purchase and brew at home.
Ginza Higashiya: Coffee and wagashi experience at a modern Japanese-style atmosphere. The concept of this cafe is to apply the fundamentals of tradition to modern life. By applying new takes on Japanese sweets and flavor pairings, Higashiya aims to pass on culture to future generations. Enjoy a simple Japanese meal considered perfect for beauty and good health.
Café de l’Ambre （カフェ・ド・ランブル）: Opened in 1948, this café is still operated by the 95+ year old patriarch, who got his start in the coffee business during WWII using Indonesian coffee beans destined for Germany. Since then he and the café have become proponents of aged coffee, featuring beans harvested with Cuban beans from the 1970s or Colombian beans from the 1980s. Likewise, the furnishings also offer a blast to the past.
Nightlife and the Bar Scene
One of the best secrets of Tokyo? The city transforms at night. Tokyo features some of the world’s top bartenders, crafting drinks with subtle flavor notes and delicate combinations designed to entice and allure. Here are just a few we can’t get enough of.
Star Bar Ginza （スターバー銀座）：An unassuming, speak-easy style bar tucked away in between the glittery streets of Ginza. For those in the know, this quiet, nostalgic bar is known for its extensive selection of Japanese-style whiskey. Hisashi Kishi, an award-winning bartender, and owner of Star Bar, will personally craft a cocktail tailored to your desires.
Agave：The highest class tequila and mezcal bar, offering up some 550 kinds. The interior lends a nostalgic feel to a Mexico of the past.
Nonbei Yokocho: A small street in Shibuya filled with traditional Japanese-style pubs, or izakayas. Surrounded by skyscrapers and the lights of modern Tokyo, this retro-feeling alley is a reminder of the good old days of Tokyo. Visit this area with a local or a guide to get a taste of local sake and classic pub food.
Subculture and Themed Cafes
Tokyo is also known for its quirky side, with themed cafes, such as maid, butler, idol, and pet cafes to indulge in the fantastical. Visitors can interact with the maids and butlers by playing games or chatting. The pet cafes let the visitors spend time and adore various animals, including rabbits, cats, dogs and birds. You can order coffee, tea and light meals while hanging out at the cafes. Akihabara is the hub for visiting maid cafes, and Ikebukuro is filled with butler cafes. The pet cafes are located all around Tokyo.
The theme restaurants of Tokyo are worth visiting if you are looking for unique entertainment. Popular locations are for example the Robot Restaurant and the Ninja Restaurant, which have detailed decorations according to the theme, as well as staff dressed in costumes. The menu of these kinds of restaurants is customized by the theme, and many places host a show during the meals.
Related Articles
