Okinawa & the Southwest Islands
Cheap, delicious, friendly and therefore popular, the busy Marumiya offers a variety of Okinawan and Japanese dishes. Its inexpensive lunch specials are a…
Must-see restaurants in Japan
Southern Higashiyama
Choice is a spacious comfortable cafe with a great, well, choice of gluten-free and vegan fare. Drop in for breakfast pancakes, vegan cheese plates,…
Kamakura
Kick back in this California-style surf shack and enjoy charcoal-grilled burgers stacked with bacon, cheese and avocado, washed down with a Dr Pepper or a…
Southern Higashiyama
This place serves one thing only: crisp fried gyōza (dumplings), which come in lots of 10 and are washed down with beer or Chinese raoshu (rice wine).
Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
Self-billed as 'Grandma's Hakuba home-style cooking', Ohyokkuri serves hearty soups and stews and traditional local dishes to an adoring crowd in the…
Nikkō
In business since 1804, this teahouse specialises in manjū (bean-jam buns) and other traditional sweets; look for the green-and-white banners.
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
A must-visit for seafood lovers. You can eat at a variety of places at this indoor seafood market or grab some mouth-watering sushi and picnic goodies.
Fuji Five Lakes
This homely, family-run spot serves tasty Japanese dishes including udon and tempura, which you can enjoy seated Japanese-style or at a regular table.
Tsumago
If you're hungry after a long walk, you can't go past a chilled bowl of handmade Kiso zaru-soba (cold buckwheat noodles with dipping sauce).
Central Honshū
This delightful little eatery on a corner serves simple favourites such as special-sauce tonkatsu-don (deep-fried pork cutlet on rice).
Tokyo
Handmade burgers with a vast range of topping options and quality hot dogs are the draw at this authentic US-style diner with a menu to match.
Ōsumi Islands
Stock up on provisions for camping or hiking at this supermarket on the main street in Miyanoura, just north of the entrance to the pier area.
Central Honshū
Set around a large irori (hearth) in a 350-year-old gasshō house, this delightful cafe serves curry rice, tea and coffee.
Around Tokyo
Near the train station end of Omote-sandō is this locally-regarded and reasonably priced sushi joint with an English-speaking chef.
Hokkaidō
Super tasty skewers here, primarily pork, though it does have chicken. The tsukune (chicken sausage) is divine.
Kanazawa
Forus department store has a wide variety of great Japanese restaurants and bakeries on its 6th floor.
Central Honshū
Atmospheric Koyō-an serves homemade soba (buckwheat noodles) on beautiful local ceramics.
Ueno & Yanesen
We've seen a lot of cafe mashups on our travels but this might just be the only ornamental goldfish breeder-cum-cafe around. Kingyozaka (the name means …
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
A Kamakura cooking school specialising in shōjin-ryōri (Buddhist-style vegan cuisine) runs this cafe within the Chabara food market. Its nonmeat dishes…
Kyūshū
At the base of the gorge (though, sadly, with no water views), this simple building serves nagashi-sōmen (flowing noodles) – have fun catching them with…
Osaka
This lively local chain has a huge line-up of kushikatsu (skewers), from staples including renkon (lotus root) and mochi (rice cake) to unconventional…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This chain izakaya (Japanese pub-eatery) specialises in Tosa-ryōri, the food of Kōchi Prefecture in Shikoku. It's easily spotted by the giant black wave…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Of all the department-store food courts in Shinjuku, Takashimaya has the best selection, with three floors of restaurants. Many of the options here are…
Kōbe
A reliable place for Kōbe beef served teppanyaki (grilled on a steel plate) at entry-level prices: less-expensive cuts start at ¥2500 for 80g and a daily…
Kyūshū
This homely shop serves jidori (local chicken), full of flavour but tougher and cooked rarer than you may be used to. The standard is momoyaki (grilled…
Sapporo
This popular joint gets so busy the air is thick with the smoke of grilling lamb. Most popular: the 90-minute all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink deal for …
Nara
A reliable choice offering a variety of dishes, from sashimi to tempura to noodles to wagyū (Japanese beef). Try its speciality: dishes marinated in sake…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Tsunahachi has been frying prawns and veggies for more than 90 years and is an easy place to be initiated in the art of tempura. Come at lunch for the…
Kii Peninsula
With its cluster of private rooms and regulars' personal whisky bottles kept on the shelves, Tensui has a local vibe, but it has happily embraced the…
Naoshima
A tranquil rest stop within Honmura's Art House Project area, Aisunao has seating on raised tatami flooring and a decidedly health-conscious menu – try…
Kyūshū
Operated by a local agriculture cooperative, this informal restaurant and produce market nails regional standards such as toriten (chicken tempura),…
Fukuoka
Curry rice is ubiquitous comfort food throughout Japan, and this shop does it in the style famous in nearby Mojikō: yaki-curry (baked with egg and cheese…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
To the east of the centre, in a residential neighbourhood, this popular ramen joint does a roaring trade in steaming bowls of homemade noodles in a rich,…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Tori paitan (鶏白湯) is a style of ramen made with a chicken stock so collagen-rich as to be creamy and it's very popular in Tokyo at the moment. This…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
With terrace seating, fairy lights, a global array of comfort food (from fried calamari sandwiches to gapao rice) and beer, Sakura Cafe & Restaurant nails…
Osaka
Beneath the massive green dragon, this indoor-outdoor spot offers house-made noodles and a front-row seat to the Dōtombori scene. Purchase a ticket from a…
Fukuoka
Locally popular for its home-grown Kagoshima beef, served from behind the counter on sizzling teppan (iron hotplates). A great bargain at lunchtime. There…
Kyūshū
The walls of this gallery-cafe are lined with more than 2000 cup-and-saucer sets from hundreds of Arita-yaki potters; choose your favourite set, and staff…
Nagasaki
People have flocking to this place, behind a traditional shop front festooned with red lanterns, for chawanmushi (savoury egg custard) since 1866. The…
Sapporo
Sapporo's original fish market is now mostly a tourist spot (since the wholesale market moved to a big modern facility outside the city centre). There are…
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