10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in Tokyo

Ginza Kyubey is a famous Edo-style sushi restaurant with a long history. It's one of the go-to places for authentic sushi in Tokyo. If you visit around 11am to make a reservation, you’ll usually be seated as soon as a table is available. 

Prices at Ginza Kyubey are surprisingly reasonable, even if you order the omakase (chef’s recommendation) course. A la carte options are available as well. Ginza Kyubey is a 5-minute walk from Shimbashi Station on the JR and Tokyo Metro Ginza Line. Besides its main restaurant in Ginza, you can find several branches throughout the city, including Hotel Okura and Hotel New Otani.

Kichijojikko Izakaya Toriton is a Japanese-style bar that mainly serves meat skewers, chicken and pork dishes. Located in the restaurant heartland of Kichijoj, it’s a popular place among locals looking to enjoy delicious food at reasonable prices. The menu mainly consists of chicken/pork skewers and a la carte dishes, along with over 50 types of drinks. 

Kichijojikko Izakaya Toriton's private house-style interior creates a relaxing, nostalgic atmosphere that allows for lively conversation. It’s a Japanese-style bar with comforting and delicious food matched by friendly hospitality. It's within a 1-minute walk from Kichijoji Station Park Exit of JR Chuo Line.

Founded in 1884, Kanda Matsuya is a famous Edo-style soba noodle restaurant that was often frequented by popular novelist Shotaro Ikenami. There are always people waiting to be seated, but customers are often asked to share a table so the turnover is pretty quick. 

The restaurant occupies a historical building that's officially designated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Enjoy its speciality sesame soba noodles and side dishes like a local by pairing them with some Japanese sake. Kanda Matsuya is a 5-minute walk from the East Exit of Kanda Station on the JR line and the Denkigai Exit of Akihabara Station on the JR Line. It's about a 1-minute walk from Awajicho Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line and Ogawamachi Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line.

Kura specialises in Japanese pan-grilled batter dishes (monjayaki), one of Tokyo’s signature local foods. Located along Tsukshima Monja Street, the restaurant is always crowded, so it’s best to arrive early in the day. A must-try is the Kura Special Monja, which comes with 10 different toppings – this hefty dish is excellent for sharing with a group. 

For a rich and buttery flavour, you can opt for the cream monja, which uses béchamel sauce. You’ll be cooking the monjayaki yourself, but it’s quite easy. Firstly, you place fresh ingredients on a griddle and chopping them into small pieces using a metal spatula. Once they're cooked, make a ring shape and pour the monjayaki batter into the middle. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the helpful restaurant staff. Kura is a 3-minute walk from Tsukishima Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line and Toei Oedo Line.

Do you always have room for dessert? If so, check out Anmitsu Mihashi to try anmitsu, a Japanese traditional dessert of cubed agar jelly, fruits, and red bean paste. Anmitsu Mihashi stands out from most dessert shops in Tokyo with its light sweetness and low price. The sweets are made with quality ingredients, such as red bean paste made only with beans from Tokachi in Hokkaido, and agar jelly made with Gelidiaceae seaweed that's picked from the coast of Izu Island in Shizuoka. 

Everything at Anmitsu Mihashiis absolutely delicious and good value for money, which explains its popularity. Since its first shop opened in front of Ueno Park in 1948, the brand has expanded to around 8 outlets across Tokyo. Anmitsu Mihashi in PARCO_ya Ueno Mall is popular because the waiting time is shorter than that of its flagship store, so you can get a table fairly quickly. 

Fureika is a famous Michelin-starred restaurant in Azabu Juban. Standouts include the Peking duck, prepared by chefs from China, as well as the Shanghai hairy crab (only available in autumn). While it’s an exclusive kind of place, Fureika offers an affordable lunch menu that consists of noodles, dim sum and Peking duck. 

You can enjoy your meal while listening to live performances of Chinese instruments like erhu and zither. Fureika is a must-visit if you fancy some authentic Chinese food in Tokyo. The restaurant is just a short walk from Azabu-juban Station.

Yonekyu Honten is a Japanese hotpot (sukiyaki) restaurant in Asakusa with over 100 years of history. Japanese poet, Kotaro Takamura described the restaurant's energetic atmosphere in one of his works. As a form of welcoming customers, a staff beats a taiko drum, which has been a feature of the restaurant's entrance hall since 1886. 

Sukiyaki involves briefly cooking beef in a sweet soup stock (warishita) with soy sauce and sugar before dipping it in raw egg. Yonekyu Honten offers good quality wagyu beef such as Omi beef at affordable prices. With reasonable pricing and a setting where you can really feel the history of Asakusa, it’s no surprise that Yonekyu Honten is popular with tourists.

Ginza Nair’s Restaurant is the oldest Indian restaurant in Japan. The restaurant's speciality is the spicy Murugi Lunch, which comes with mashed potatoes, boiled cabbage and chicken thigh curry that's simmered for 7 hours. Most customers order this famous dish, especially at lunchtime. The staff helps remove the bone while explaining how to eat it. 

Ginza Nair’s Restaurant is always crowded but has a quick turnover. It’s also known for the friendly service, so it’s the kind of place where you can enjoy a casual meal in Tokyo.  Located very close to the Kabuki-za Theatre, it's within a 1-minute walk from Higashi-ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. 

Shiseido Parlor was established in Ginza in 1902 as a cafe serving ice cream soda and parfaits, before establishing a restaurant in 1928. It became known as a pioneer of yoshoku (Japanese-style western) cuisine, which was quite rare in those days. 

Shiseido Parlor offers dishes that stick to traditional flavours and methods such as omelette rice (omurice) and meat croquettes. It's a 7-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Ginza Station and a 5-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Shimbashi Station.