363 Best Restaurants in Japan

On the road to Kiyomizu-dera, a wooden archway plastered with senja-fuda (name cards pilgrims affix on the entryways to shrines and temples) is the entry to this charming courtyard teahouse that opened in 1910. The specialties here are amazake, a sweet, nonalcoholic sake often served hot with a touch of ginger, and warabimochi rice cakes. The interior is adorned with an eclectic collection of kites and folk dolls.

This Australian-style café near Coredo Muromachi is a casual hangout serving potent espressos and milky flat whites. For a quick bite to eat, try a meat pie, or stop by for the money-saving breakfast, which features a coffee and toasted sandwich for ¥650.

The signature dish at this well-regarded trattoria is handmade pasta topped with a flavorful tomato sauce. Carefully selected organic vegetables and fine Italian ham are among the antipasti stars. Entrées that might include tender pork steaks or grilled fish in orange-infused balsamic vinegar are uniformly excellent, and the decadent desserts are a great way to finish a meal: the lychee mousse alone is worth the visit. Savoring your multicourse meal on the terrace is a delight in this trendy, bustling area of town.

Leafy banana trees visible from several blocks away mark this airy two-story town-house café that's especially popular at night with young people. Lunch options that include sandwiches, rice dishes, and curries change regularly. All go well with Moroccan chai or imaginative seasonal smoothies like one with strawberry, mint, and ginger. Among the desserts are mango and coconut cream and French toast with candied almonds. While waiting for your meal, you can browse the wall of books. Attached is an art gallery. The cafe is a 10- to 15-minute walk from either the Oike or Marutamachi subway station.

In business since 1948, Café de l'Ambre is a legendary haunt for Tokyo's coffee aficionados. The retro decor provides a snapshot of an older Tokyo, and the caffeine-fix options include a dozen or so single-origin beans, including some that have been aged for years.

Housed in the former Kobe Union Church, this café exemplifies Kobe's relaxed beauty. High ceilings, arched windows, and white walls give the dining room a bright, airy feel. It's the perfect place to take a rest from exploring the Kitano neighborhood. The kitchen serves tasty salads and sandwiches, and the bread is baked fresh next door.

Associated with the funky clothing shop just around the corner and part of an international chain, this bright, open café serves high-quality coffee, cakes, snacks, and gelato. It also has some Kitsuné-branded goods on hand.

Perched on the Hope Hills area of Nakijin, Cafe Kokuu serves delicious Japanese and Okinawan cuisine in an elegant wooden building with stunning views of the countryside and ocean. All dishes are created with organic wild and farm-grown vegetables from the Yambaru region. Food is served only between 11:30 am and 4 pm.

Located on a quiet backstreet just a short walk south of Horyu-ji's Great Eastern Gate, this low-key yet stylish café offers delicious lunch sets, including very local specialties such as tatsuta-age (a type of fried chicken) and deep-fried ofu (steamed wheat gluten). The café also has its own woodwork studio and shop, with a number of robot-themed wooden toys on display.

Sandwiches, rice omelets, and Italian dishes are among the eclectic fare served at this café inside a traditional house. This is a good spot for a meal or just coffee and cake. One of the few restaurants in town open for dinner, Café Salon Nakaoku is about 150 meters south of the Art House Project's Minamidera installation, after going through the crossing and then taking the right-hand fork in the road.

In an old warehouse facing the waterfront, Cantina serves Mediterranean food with a Japanese twist. The tuna and cod roe pasta in cream sauce is good, as are the seafood paella and the prosciutto and mozzarella salad. Stop by for lunch, or grab a seat on the outdoor patio and watch the sun go down. Credit cards are accepted after 6 pm.

Stop by and watch specialty donuts being fried before your eyes. They come in many flavors, and although they're on the "healthy" side, don't worry—they're still donuts. The giant cone outside reminds you that you can also get soft-serve ice cream, and there's coffee, too. Sit outside on the bench and watch the world go by.

This stylish eatery serves Japanese-Italian fusion pasta that you enjoy while lounging on bedlike seats as a house DJ spins tunes. There's also a lengthy drinks menu (alcohol and soft drinks), if you want to settle in for a longer stay. It gets crowded here on the weekends, so come early to avoid a long wait.

This little café in the backstreets near Ito's main shopping arcade specializes in drinks, including green-tea latte, made with tea grown in Izu. You'll also find coffee, soda floats, and snacks like waffles and green-tea cheesecake.

This simple tavern serves inexpensive Okinawa favorites such as goya champuru (a stir-fry using bitter melon); Korean-style bibimbap (a delicious, tangy, healthful dish of kimchi, bean sprouts, spinach, and other vegetables stirred into rice); and a plate of katsuo (bonito) sashimi big enough for two or three people. There's live music on weekends.

Stop off near the end of the Yurikamome Line and have dinner along the riverbank before heading back to your hotel. The live DJ (on weekends), order-at-bar service, and strong cocktails create a lively ambience, and the location along a popular walking path makes for excellent people- and dog-watching. There are often festivals here, so make sure to check the event schedule. 

This lively gastro-pub in the Coredo Muromachi complex specializes in local craft beers, with the 20 or so brews on tap covering a range of styles. Though you can stop by for just a pint, there's also a food menu featuring Japanese izakaya staples and lunchtime teishoku meals that are great value for money.

The focus of this laid-back eatery near Hisaya Odori Station is craft beer, with 13 taps pouring a frequently changing lineup of well-handled microbrews, mostly from Japan, such as excellent Ise Kadoya brews from Ise. To go with the beer, there's a menu that includes decent pizza. The only drawback, as with all of Japan's craft pubs, is price: not-quite-pints are typically ¥880.

Koenji has many culinary bases covered, and with this izakaya it delivers Okinawan food and drink as authentic as any you’d find in Japan’s southern islands (you can thank the Okinawan owner for that). Dachibin, whose name refers to a portable ceramic container for sake, specializes in regional classics such as goya champuru (a stir-fry of bitter gourd, spam, and tofu) and soki soba (noodles with pork sparerib meat), which can be chased down with a pint of Orion Beer or a shot of Okinawan firewater awamori. Like many Koenji venues, it opens late and stays open later, from 5 pm to 5 am.

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

This basement-level ice cream store has become a Nakano Broadway institution for its soft-serve ice cream, which comes in flavors that vary from simple vanilla to matcha (powdered green tea), horse chestnut, and ramune (a popular citrus soda flavor). The specialty is the eight-layered, 20-cm (8-inch) tokudai sofuto, or extra-large soft serve, though small cups and cones are also on the menu. Next door, is the Daily Chiko udon (thick wheat noodles) shop.

Below the red sign depicting a roly-poly mustachioed doll, this establishment founded in 1954 serves the city's freshest barbecued lamb jingisukan. The slices of lamb are served steaming atop heaps of vegetables. At the end of the meal you're given hot tea to mix with what's left of your dipping sauce—mixed together, they're oddly delicious. Be sure to wear your least-favorite clothes and don the paper bib that's provided, then feast away until you become roly-poly yourself.

Although a classic bowl of ramen is topped with slices of pork, here it's often topped with grilled vegetables. Other specialties to try include the tsukemen, with the noodles served in one bowl and the broth into which you dip them served in another, or the chilled noodles topped with vegetables and ham in a sesame dressing. The restaurant also serves gyoza and other goodies. Despite the focus on veggies, note that the soups and sauces are not meat-free.

Brew pub meets izakaya at this rustic joint by the Dogo Onsen Bathhouse. You'll find plenty of meaty and fishy izakaya staples on the extensive menu to make a good lunch or dinner. Specials include a rice bowl topped with sea bream and a drizzling of soy (uwajima taimeshi) and kamaboko fishcakes made with beer yeast. Or after a good soak in Dogo's famed waters, you could stop by here just for a refreshing German-inspired brew, such as weizen or alt. 

This modern izakaya-style Japanese restaurant on the same small street as the Agnes Hotel (near Tokushima Station) specializes in skewers of flame-grilled chicken, beef, pork, and seafood. The vast menu also includes hot-pot stews, fresh seafood dishes, and tempura items, and there's plenty of local sake to wash it all down. Sit at the counter and chat up the friendly chef and the regulars or, for a quieter meal, ask for a table in the back.

On a narrow street near the Mitsukoshi department store, Ebi-Ten Bun-Ten is as friendly a tempura place as you're likely to find in Hokkaido. The sliding doors behind a blue banner reveal a quiet, homey restaurant, managed for two generations by the friendly Yagi family. Seating is available at the counter, at tables, and in tatami rooms with cushions. A rudimentary English menu is available.

Located in one of the area's few remaining historic Western-style houses, Enokitei is a relaxing stop for sweets or a light meal. The interior has the feel of a British-style tea room, with dark wood and antiques, while the garden terrace is surrounded by greenery and flowers much of the year. In addition to cakes and scones, Enokitei also has a selection of homemade sandwiches for a light lunch.

On top of the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, this Michelin-starred restaurant serves contemporary French cuisine with a Japanese twist. Est emphasizes reducing food waste and offers eco-conscious, seasonal menus with 95% of ingredients gathered from Japan, so Chef Guillaume Bracaval's innovative dishes can be traced from source to plate.

Quick and easy plant-based food isn't always easy to come by in Tokyo, but this small spot serves up excellent vegan fast food—namely, falafel, veggies burgers, and plant-based brownies. Most customers buy takeout, but there are a few tables, plus craft beers and coffee on the menu, if you fancy lingering. There's also a branch in Shibuya.