Beppu
Local favourite Toyotsune nails the Beppu specialities: toriten (chicken tempura), Bungō-gyū (local beef), soy-marinated Ryukyu fish, plus tempura and…
Must-see restaurants in Japan
Shikoku
Part of the new Hotel Sunriver Shimanto complex, this place has good-quality Japanese regional cuisine with sizeable portions at very reasonable prices…
Tokyo
Located inside the labyrinthine covered market Harmonica-yokochō, Tetchan has been drawing locals for years. But it's now become something of a tourist…
Western Honshū
A cosy atmosphere prevails in this low-ceilinged little eatery, where customers perch on wooden stools sipping coffee. The speciality on the Japanese-only…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Chain-cafe-operator Pronto is, remarkably, the manager of this stylish all-day cafe in a visitors centre added to the compound of Tsukiji Hongwan-ji in…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
The versatile soybean is pounded and skewered to perfection at this former bean-paste mill dating from 1834. The speciality here is dengaku – bamboo…
Kagoshima
Yatai-mura means 'food-stall village', and some two dozen stalls near Kagoshima-Chūō Station offer a taste of Kagoshima of old. Follow your nose to your…
Central Honshū
This 100-year-old shop is renowned among locals for delicious tanuki soba (buckwheat noodles topped with crunchy tempura bits left over from the deep…
Kansai
Chikara Mochi has been making its signature pillow-soft mochi (pounded-rice cakes), generously dusted with a mix of kinako (roasted soy-bean flour) and…
Tokyo
This restaurant is a showcase for Nihombashi's gourmet retailers, such as Ninben (maker of katsuobushi – dried bonito flakes – since 1699) and Yamamoto …
Harajuku & Aoyama
Manjū (まんじゅう) – that's where the shop's name comes from; it's not just for men! – are hot buns stuffed with sweetened red-bean paste. They're steamed…
Kyoto
A great spot to lunch on yakitori (chicken grilled on skewers) washed down with sake when visiting the sake breweries in Fushimi. It's run by the owner of…
Naoshima
With rock 'n' roll music, retro furniture and kitsch knick-knacks, Shioya is an odd mix of American diner and grandma's kitchen. The menu features tacos…
Tokyo
Eight hand-picked rāmen-ya operate branches in this basement arcade on the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station. All the major styles are covered – from shōyu (soy…
Hiroshima
Choose one of the generous set courses at this large restaurant dishing up excellent authentic curries, or put together your own feast – individual dishes…
Hiroshima Region
Every table has a sea view at this homely little seafood restaurant. The lively owner brightens up lunch, and it features excellent-value sashimi, sushi…
Downtown Kyoto
Not far from the Sanjō and Kawaramachi intersection, this popular ramen specialist welcomes foreigners with an English menu and friendly staff. It's got…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Both a counter restaurant and take-away shop, Kinkume specialises in seiro meshi, food steamed in bamboo baskets – in this case rice topped with seafood…
Ginza & Tsukiji
We know you didn't come to Tokyo to eat Greek food but hear us out: this Sydney import nails dishes like grilled octopus and fennel salad, taramasalata,…
Downtown Kyoto
Nishiki Warai is a great place to try okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes) in casual surroundings. Non-smokers might find it a bit smoky at times, but it’s a…
Brown Rice by Neal's Yard Remedies
Harajuku & Aoyama
Yes, this is Neal's Yard Remedies, as in the British health and beauty company, but for some reason they decided to open a restaurant, just one, here in…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Specialising in produce from Hokkaidō and Kanagawa, this farm-to-table operation is one of the star restaurant players within Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, with a…
Hiroshima
If you want to get off the tourist circuit and eat with local workers, this shokudō (small budget restaurant) serves authentic and excellent-value dishes,…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Specialising in fish roe, this sparkling clean stall has a few counter seats and also does takeaway rice bowls and noodle dishes covered with generous…
Naoshima
You're here for art, so why not eat in a gallery-like space with polished timber, designer furniture, a faux-grass picnic area and even an in-house zine…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This cosy kitchen has bar seating, rows of ornate shōchū (liquor) jugs lining the wall and hundreds of freshly prepared skewers splayed in front of the…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This French-owned cafe, hidden on a cobblestone lane in Kagurazaka, is credited with starting the Japanese rage for crêpes back in 1996 when it opened…
Kyūshū
Tsutaya has been making gorgeous tea-ceremony sweets since 1502, as a supplier to Hirado's ruling Matsuura clan. Nowadays it reproduces those historic…
Odaiba & Tokyo Bay
Australian chef Bill Granger has had a big hit with his restaurant chain in Japan – unsurprising given how inviting and spacious a place this is. The menu…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Digital-art supremos teamLab provide the mesmerising visual effects at this restaurant specialising in premium grade Saga beef. There are only eight seats…
Asakusa & Sumida River
When you just want something simple, filling and delicious: choose a soup (say, mushroom miso soup or a chunky pork soup with root vegetables) and an…
Kansai
This tiny counter restaurant is inside the Funaya-no-sato michi-no-eki (road station) and looks utterly unremarkable, but locals swear that its kaisen-don…
Nagano Region
Fujiki-an has been making fresh soba in the north of Nagano Prefecture since 1827, but you wouldn't know it by the clean, contemporary lines of this…
Kansai
Akafuku has been making its signature style of mochi (pounded-rice cakes), coated in sweet adzuki-bean paste, for over three centuries. There are several…
Karafuneya Coffee Sanjō Honten
Downtown Kyoto
This coffee and dessert cafe is smack in the middle of Kyoto's main shopping district. In a country famous for its plastic food models, Karafuneya takes…
Yaeyama Islands
This little Ishigaki city izakaya is a friendly refuge true to its name, which means 'the shade of the forest'. Local treats are sliced steak of Ishigaki…
Tokyo
Nemuro is a fishing port in the far east of Hokkaidō (Japan's northern island), and visiting the original kaiten-zushi (conveyor-belt sushi restaurant)…
Okinawa & the Southwest Islands
Kume-jima's most famous soba shop is open for lunch only and is worth the trip. Serving handmade noodles out of his own home, the hospitable Nakasone-san…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This tiny shop in Ikebukuro's Chinatown deals in Shanghai street food, namely shēngjiān (pan-fried pork buns; called yaki-shōronpo in Japan). Warning:…
Asakusa & Sumida River
If you're keen to try chanko-nabe – the hearty, protein-rich stew that fattens up sumo wrestlers – Tomoegata is a great place to do it. The daily lunch…
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