363 Best Restaurants in Japan

This rustic restaurant at the bottom of the steps to the shrine has been making sanuki udon noodles since the late 1950s. The local soul food of Kagawa Prefecture, these chewy wheat noodles can be enjoyed in a hot broth or with a chilled dipping sauce and ordered with sides such as shrimp tempura.

Crowds come for authentic and delicious Korean food in the heart of Kyoto. While the presentation and surroundings won't win any prizes, the basic no-frills vibe fits well with the general punchiness of the flavors. The menu is wonderfully varied, and the friendly owners make everyone feel welcome.

This restaurant offers the best of Kumamoto specialties in a maze of private and semiprivate Japanese-style rooms. There's an English-language menu with helpful photos, and staff can give recommendations for dishes. The restaurant does close annually for the New Year holidays.

You'll find good Mexican fare alongside Japanese favorites at this second-floor establishment on Kitahama Alley. The friendly owner will happily take a break from playing jazz records, mixing fancy cocktails, and pouring beer and seasonal sake to supply delightfully quirky travel advice.

You'll be happy to find this lively little izakaya, a Kurashiki favorite since the late 1990s. Cool music and loud laughter can be heard from here when everything else on the street is locked up tight. Unwind to an eclectic mix of traditional white stucco, black wooden beams, bright lights, and jazz. Though the staff don't speak English, an English menu is available. Scores of tasty snacks, such as grilled meats or cheese and salami plates are paired with low-priced beer and sake. It's tucked along the east side of the covered Ebisu-dori shopping arcade halfway between the station and Kanryu-ji. Last orders are at 10 pm.

This world-famous spot proves that a high-end sushi restaurant doesn't have to be solemn to be refined. In addition to having excellent knife skills, many of the chefs speak English and are happy to chat with you about the food, making Kyubey a great choice for a first-time high-end sushi experience.

La Quinua serves a wide range of delicious authentic Mexican and South American dishes including vegan options. Try the tallarin saltado (Peruvian stir-fried noodles), or grab some burritos, and wash them down with the iconic Inca Cola.

Even among Kobe's many excellent bakeries, Le Dimanche stands out. The owners bake some of the city's best artisanal bread, seamlessly integrating Japanese and European elements. Unique specialties include the renkon (lotus root) tartine, crème brûlée croissant, and signature viennois aux airelles (Viennese cranberry roll). The second-floor café is bright and airy, with rustic hardwood floors and tables. It's the perfect spot for a light snack while browsing the many boutiques along Tor Road.

Drop by this branch of a hipster chain for hand-dripped coffee made with house-roasted beans or lattes with artistic patterns in the foam. If you're really into your coffee, try the taster set to compare three different beans. Despite its name, this place is entirely smoke-free.

If you venture across the broad Yumeno Ohashi Bridge between Odaiba and Ariake, it might be time for a break. Attached to Musashino University's Ariake Campus is a cheap, bright, and fun café with good weekly specials and a wide variety of dishes including pasta and rice bowls. You'll find students working behind the counter as well as studying at the tables. 

Hidden on the second floor of a building behind the Makishi Station, this laid-back oasis has good food, great music, and a relaxed staff and clientele. A decent drink selection is backed by a surprisingly varied menu, with tacos, curry soups, and alligator steaks. Coffee and cake sets are also available. There's live music some weekends.

Maid cafés aren't everyone’s cup of tea, but, if you want to try one, the main branch of Japan’s biggest such chain is as reputable a place as any. All manner of people come to be served by, and have their picture taken with, young women in French maid outfits who affect extreme levels of kawaii (cute) and occasionally break into song and dance. Menu highlights include simple pasta dishes, omuraisu (rice omelets), and colorful parfaits; the lengthy beverage list has coffee and juices as well as cocktails.

Bouquets of flowers are lovely seasonal touches in the airy dining room of this restaurant, which was converted from a sento (public bathhouse) and still has the original high ceiling (built for ventilation) and the signs instructing bathers where to change. The specialty is the tonkatsu set—tender, juicy, deep-fried pork cutlets served with a tangy sauce, shredded cabbage, miso soup, and rice. There's usually a long line, and although it moves quickly, if you're in a rush, you can order something from the takeout window. Solo diners can jump the line to sit at the counter. There are also branches in the Hikarie building in Shibuya and the Daimaru department store by Tokyo Station.

This bustling restaurant in the Coredo Muromachi complex proves that great sushi doesn't have to be super expensive. Manten does sushi omakase style, meaning you pay for a course and then leave the chefs to choose what to serve, which will vary by season and whatever has been sourced from the market that morning. Incredibly, the cost is almost half a typical omakase sushi rate. You'll need a reservation for dinner, but there are no reservations for lunch; for that you'll often need to be in line by 11 am.

The unpretentious vibe, the sense of adventure, and the superb cuisine—Japanese-based, with European and other Asian influences—have made Manzaratei a local favorite. Depending on the season, the ample menu includes handmade soba, oven-roasted chicken, or spring rolls with citrusy ponzu dressing. Outdoor dining in warm months and counter seating on both floors of the two-story town house facilitate mingling with other patrons; for a more intimate experience, ask for a table upstairs under the eaves. An English menu is available.

This family-run bistro on Ropeway Street is a laid-back place to stop for a glass of wine or well-made pasta. Pizza, salad, and meat dishes are also on the chalkboard menu. They have Guinness on tap and a few outdoor seats, if you fancy watching the world go by with a pint in hand.

Here you'll find all kinds of fresh fish, some of which are found only in the Sea of Japan. For easy ordering, opt for a set course and ask for a Niigata sake to go with it; nowhere in Japan does sake better. Marui closes during midafternoon. It's one block off the Furumachi arcade.

Known for its classic hayashi (hashed beef) rice, lemon herbal tea, and waffles with a side of fluffy ice cream, Maruzen Cafe is the perfect mid-afternoon stop. Its location on the third floor of Maruzen Bookstore and sleek, dark wooden furniture add to the homey atmosphere.

Not far from the east entrance to Rinno-ji Temple, Meiji-no-Yakata is in an elegant 19th-century Western-style stone house, originally built as a summer retreat for an American diplomat. The food, too, is Western-style, with house specialties that include fresh rainbow trout from Lake Chuzenji, roast lamb with green pepper sauce, and melt-in-your-mouth Tochigi beef steak. The menu also includes more affordable options such as the rice omelet (omuraisu). High ceilings, hardwood floors, and an air of informality make this a very pleasant place to dine.

Built in 1779, this is one of Japan's best-preserved teahouses. Located next to the former samurai residence, the teahouse offers views of Matsue Castle, and for a small fee you can have a cup of green tea and locally made sweets. To get here, leave Shiroyama Koen, the castle park, at its East Exit and follow the moat going north; at the top of the park a road leads to the right, northwest of the castle. The teahouse is a short climb up this road. Before you enter, turn around for one of the best views of Matsue's hilltop castle.

Serving both ramen and tsukemen (noodles with the broth on the side for dipping), this sleek ramen shop is a great stop for a quick and hearty bowl of noodles. The fusion broths—a hearty chicken/pork or lighter seafood stock made from dried bonito and sardines—are a specialty.

By day, this pleasant café offers outdoor seating and brioche French toast with great coffee just minutes from Tokyo Midtown and the museums of the Roppongi Art Triangle. From 5 pm, the menu changes to more expensive grilled meats and pastas.

It would be hard to walk out of this seafood restaurant hungry. The restaurant has mostly seating on tatami mats on the floor, but there are areas with tables. You might just be focused on the view over the water. It is on the 10th floor of the lofty ASPAM building.

Mihashi offers traditional Japanese sweets in a comfortable environment. The staff is attentive and helpful, making it the perfect place to try desserts you may have never tried before. Located next to, but not inside, Yaesu North Gate in Tokyo Station.

Five generations of chefs have preserved the delicious sukiyaki recipe prepared since 1873 at this restaurant that was among the nation's first to serve beef. A kimono-clad attendant will serve and assist with the dishes cooked at your table. The beef dishes include sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, and oil yaki. All beef is of the highest quality and price, as shoppers buying from the associated shop nearby can attest. The lunch course is a good value for such high-end dining. Reservations are not always needed at off-peak times; otherwise, you can make one on the restaurant's website.

Crowded with locals, Mitsu-ishi has a convivial atmosphere and dishes that appeal to everyone. If you're in the mood for drinks and some finger food, take a seat at the bar where you can watch the action. Look for the mood-lighted white building with boxy dark roof.

At this place in the renowned Kenroku Garden, excellent fish and vegetable dishes have been carefully prepared for nearly 100 years. The prices are still reasonable, and the garden views from the tatami are an added bonus. If you aren't hungry, you could stop by for green tea and sweets.

This small and understatedly cool coffee shop serves the best coffee in town, and it's just a stone's throw from Kintetsu-Nara Station. This is a great place to grab a take-out cup before exploring the nearby sights. Super-friendly baristas speak good English, and there is (limited) window seating if you prefer to drink in.