10 Most Popular Food & Dining Areas in Tokyo

Ginza Corridor Street (Ginza Corridor-gai) runs for about 400 metres under the elevated train tracks between JR Shimbashi Station and Yurakucho Station. This highly popular area is brimming with restaurants and bars from all over the world. You can enjoy fresh seafood at an oyster bar, or curated meats served in generous portions with beer at Mexican or Brazilian restaurants. 

Other recommendations include Spanish and French foods served in small portions with wine, tapas-style, and Chinese foods such as dumplings (gyoza) and Peking duck to be enjoyed with Shaoxing wine. There are also many restaurants where you can enjoy Japanese dishes such as teppan-yaki and shabu-shabu, or that serve skewered chicken (yakitori) and deep-fried skewers (kushi katsu).

The area under the elevated train tracks of Yurakucho Station is a famous bar district. You’ll find Japanese-style bars where the beer flows until late and chic lounges if you prefer more sophisticated hangouts. Try classic starters such as sashimi, simmered beef and tofu (niku dofu), tripe stew (motsuni), skewered chicken (yakitori) and potato salad, all of which can be enjoyed with beer or sake.  

There are also bars where you can enjoy wines and champagnes, Spanish bars, and French and Italian bistros. The area under the elevated train tracks is ideal for relaxing at places with inside seating or for drinking in a lively atmosphere at venues with outside seating.

Yotsuya Arakicho is a district that once flourished as a Geisha town and still retains its unique appearance today. The cobblestone alleyways that spread like a maze are packed with all kinds of restaurants, from reservation-only hideaways with space for limited numbers of customers to Michelin-starred Japanese restaurants. 

It’s a great area to check out alone at a casual bistro or Japanese-style bar (izakaya), and enjoy food and drink while soaking in the local atmosphere. There are also many bars where you can hang out and have fun with your friends. The nearest stations are Toei Shinjuku Line Akebonobashi Station and Marunouchi Line Yotsuya-Sanchome Station.

Azabu Juban is known as a fashionable neighbourhood for grown-ups in Tokyo. Unique, stylish dishes are the order of the day, be it at Italian or French bistros, soba noodle restaurants, skewered chicken (yakitori) restaurants or even Japanese stew (oden) restaurants. It’s definitely worth spending a special evening at a chic restaurant or bar while enjoying the night view of Roppongi. 

Other highlights include the seafood and set meals served traditional restaurants with their old-town atmosphere. Take a leisurely stroll to explore the unique bakeries and shops selling fish-shaped pancakes (taiyaki), potato croquettes (korokke), fried dough cookies (karinto) and rice crackers (senbei).

Every day Tsukiji Outer Market is packed with people searching for delicious foods, from food professionals to tourists. There are more than 400 shops in the area. You’ll find 60 retail shops on the 1st floor of Tsukiji Uogashi that offer everything from fresh fish to cooking utensils and dry goods. 

Uogashi Restaurant on the 3rd floor is famed for its set meals and fresh seafood. Around the building, there are various places which serve bowls of seafood on rice, sushi, ramen and soba noodles, as well as Japanese-style bars and Spanish-style tapas bars. Also popular are snacks such as skewered Japanese omelette and steamed fish paste, traditional Japanese desserts called daifuku to try while walking around the market.

Kagurazaka Street slopes up north-west from Kagurazaka Shita, located near the JR/Subway Iidabashi Station. With shops founded in the Edo, Meiji and Taisho periods, the scenery of preserved cobblestone and black walls gives full immersion in the history of this fascinating place. This is a chic and calm neighbourhood with plenty of delicious restaurants together with traditional arts and artistic culture on display at every turn. 

You can find famous Michelin-starred restaurants that serve traditional multi-course Japanese meals (kaiseki cuisine), high-quality French, Spanish and Chinese restaurants, Japanese-style bars (izakaya) and inexpensive soba noodle restaurants. People here love to stroll around while visiting shops and stalls that serve rice balls (onigiri), steamed pork buns (nikuman), potato croquettes (korokke), bread and pastries.

The Korean Town on the east side of JR Shin-Okubo station is popular foodie area where you can enjoy authentic Korean cuisine. It’s a Korean home cooking paradise, featuring dishes such as homemade spicy fermented vegetables (kimchi), Korean stew (jigae), stir-fried rice cakes (tteok-bokki), grilled pork belly (samgyeopsal) and grilled beef (bulgogi).  

Cap off your filling lunch or dinner with Korean liquors such as Chamisul (a brand of Korean rice wine) or makgeolli. Or savour the beautiful fluffy shaved ice (kaki-gori) and Korean ice cream that are extremely Instagrammable. A classic Korean snack called hotteok is a pan-fried bouncy pancake filled with a sweet mixture and nuts. You can try freshly made hotteok at stalls specialising in this delicious treat. 

Tsukushima Monja Street is located just outside Exit 7 of Tsukishima Station on the Tokyo Metro or Toei Metro line. As its name suggests, the street is lined with restaurants which that serve the Japanese pan-grilled batter dish known as monjayaki or monja. These include well-established traditional restaurants founded in the Showa period, as well as restaurants where you can enjoy Japanese savoury pancakes (okonomiyaki) and teppan-yaki grilled meats with monjayaki.  

Each restaurant has an extensive menu ranging from classic flavours to original takes on the dish, such as monja with rice cake and seasoned cod roe (mochi-mentai monja). Monja is even served as a dessert with red bean paste (anko). 

The busy market of Ameyoko in Ueno sells traditional Japanese New Year foods (osechi), making it a famous destination at the end of the year. There’s a great buzz here, and you can enjoy chatting with the shop attendants while looking at their wares, which include seafood, dried foods and curious products from around the world. 

You can also visit Japanese-style bars (izakaya) and stalls that retain the retro atmosphere of the Showa period to enjoy grilled tripe (motsuyaki), skewered chicken (yakitori) and Chinese steamed buns (xiaolongbao) with a glass of Shaoxing wine. If you’re visiting around lunchtime, Ameyoko’s famous kebabs are not to be missed.