Tokyo
The Best Casual Restaurants in Tokyo
Navigate through the bustling streets of Japan's capital with our curated guide to casual restaurants in Tokyo.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Finding the best casual restaurants in Tokyo doesn't have to be a daunting task. There are plenty of options that offer an easygoing atmosphere along with exceptional food. Notable establishments such as Den, Ginza Shimada, and Kimura exemplify the kind of casual food in Tokyo that leaves a lasting impression. To help you narrow down your choices, this article is based on the insights of trusted World of Mouth expert food critics and connoisseurs like Melinda Joe, Yukari Sakamoto, and David P. Leja, who have shared their top recommendations for casual dining in the city. All this in a curated guide offering you some of the most delicious and laid-back eateries the city has to offer.
Den
Den, run by Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa, offers modern kaiseki cuisine with a touch of charm and humor. The restaurant is known for its creative and playful dishes like Dentucky Fried Chicken, a crispy fried chicken wing stuffed with sticky rice and seasonal ingredients, served in a takeaway box. With a focus on traditional Japanese cooking methods, Den provides a delightful dining experience with a casual yet high-end atmosphere.
Ginza Shimada
Ginza Shimada is a cozy standing izakaya that is managed by a former three-star chef. The restaurant offers a simple menu that changes daily, based on the best ingredients of the day, prepared in straightforward methods such as frying, grilling, roasting, or serving raw. Customers particularly recommend the soba with grated karasumi and tuna sashimi, which pairs well with sake served in coffee jars.
Kimura
Kimura is a sushi restaurant renowned for its unique approach to sushi preparation, with Chef Koji Kimura, known as the "father of aged sushi", at the helm. The restaurant offers a variety of dishes, including a sushi omakase that includes around 10 otsumamis, 12 nigiris, tamago and a dessert, with some of the fish aged up to 50 days. The menu includes a variety of nigiri options, such as Aori Ika from Mie aged 1 week, Shima ebi from Hokkaido aged 3 days, and the famous Swordfish aged 55 days, providing a memorable dining experience for sushi enthusiasts.
Sowado
Sowado is a restaurant where casual pub vibes meet refined Japanese cuisine, offering a balanced dining experience. The menu is a la carte, featuring dishes like Chawanmushi with kue (grouper), dried sea cucumber & nanohana, Tofu, Chu toro sashimi with nori, and their highly recommended ham katsu. The interior is marked by a striking wooden counter and tables overlooking a river, creating a relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere.
pizza marumo
Pizza Marumo, located in the Ebisu neighborhood, is renowned for its Neapolitan-style pizzas crafted by Chef Yuki Motokura. The menu features classics such as Pizza Marinara and Margherita, alongside innovative 'Tokyo-style' pies like the Japanese Umami pizza, topped with shiitake paste, mozzarella, pecorino, bonito flakes, and shaved kombu kelp. The restaurant also offers wood-fired cauliflower with anchovy sauce and lamb focaccia as delightful accompaniments to their pizzas.
Jambo Hanare
Jambo Hanare offers a memorable yakiniku experience, with meats cooked to perfection on the counter. The restaurant is particularly known for its beef rice, which is highly recommended by customers. With its sweet, distinctive Tokyo taste, Jambo Hanare stands out among yakiniku restaurants, offering an authentic taste of Japanese barbecue.
Udon Shin
Udon Shin is a small, cozy restaurant known for its thick udon noodles, served fresh and hot. The restaurant is renowned for its udon carbonara style dish, topped with a slice of crispy bacon, which is a crowd favorite. Each bowl of udon at Udon Shin is prepared with utmost care, with noodles made, cut, and boiled fresh for every order, ensuring a delightful dining experience.
LAND
LAND is a Japanese curry restaurant that pays close attention to every detail. Known for serving one of the best Japanese curries enriched with shrimps and avocado, it offers a unique blend of garam masala, black pepper, nutmeg, cumin, shallot, and chili, with the option to add cheese. Whether you prefer rice or mash, LAND has got you covered.
Asakusa Soba Ozawa
Asakusa Soba Ozawa is an intimate restaurant, tucked away in the back streets, specializing in house-made soba noodles. They offer their noodles in three different thicknesses, with the thickest one being the parpadelle-like futo-uchi soba. This makes it an excellent stop for those on a shopping trip for ceramics or kitchen goods in the nearby Kappabashi area.
Tonki
Tonki is a long-standing restaurant, serving deep-fried tonkatsu since the 1930s. They offer two versions of their signature dish, one with more fat and one with less, with the majority of customers preferring the more indulgent option. While their tonkatsu may be less juicy compared to others, the great environment at Tonki makes up for it.
Cafe de l'ambre
Cafe de l'ambre is a traditional kissaten coffee shop, offering a wide variety of aged beans on its menu to cater to different tastes. Customers recommend trying their unique coffee and egg blend, as well as their coffee jelly. Despite its old-style appearance, the cafe is equipped with modern amenities, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable experience for all visitors.
HENRY'S BURGER Daikanyama
HENRY'S BURGER Daikanyama serves up smash burgers made entirely of Wagyu meat, sourced from their parent restaurant, Sumibi Yakiniku Nakahara. This makes for an ideal lunch spot, especially for those who are out and about shopping in the Daikanyama area. The restaurant is known for its simple and straightforward approach to burgers, focusing on the natural flavors of the high-quality beef.
AFURI Ebisu
AFURI Ebisu specializes in Yuzu Ramen, offering a variety of broths and toppings for a delightful bowl of ramen. The restaurant is well-known for its surfer aesthetic, speedy service, and excellent location. AFURI Ebisu places a strong emphasis on using high-quality ingredients, and their dishes are characterized by a rich play of flavors, colors, and textures.
Tensuke
Tensuke is a restaurant known for its impressive and high-quality tempura dishes. The menu includes a variety of options, but the egg tempura served over rice or on the side comes highly recommended. The chef at Tensuke is also known for his ability to communicate well in English and his engaging cooking performances.
Locale
Locale is a farm-to-table restaurant in Tokyo's Meguro ward, sourcing its ingredients directly from small farmers and producers across Japan. The restaurant's menu reflects a blend of international influences, from handmade Italian pastas and Moroccan spices to Korean fermentation techniques and Mexican cooking styles, all using Japanese ingredients. It's a popular spot for local expats, Japanese creatives, and friends looking for a place to unwind with a glass of wine.
Toritoh
Toritoh is a long-standing restaurant, having opened its doors in 1907, known for its signature dish, the oyakodon, a donburi dish made of eggs and chicken cooked in a sweet soy sauce broth served over rice. The menu also features other delectable options such as karaage fried chicken, torimeshi of soboro ground chicken, teriyaki chicken, and simmered bonjiri - the fatty area near the tail of the chicken. With a cozy setup of six counter seats overlooking the stove and a few tables in the back, Toritoh also has a retail shop around the corner, offering smaller bites like yakitori and fried chicken skin.
Looking for more restaurant recommendations to
Tokyo
? Download the World of Mouth app for free and discover expert recommendations to over 2,000 destinations, curated by top chefs, food writers and sommeliers. From street food to fine dining and well known institutions to hidden gems, World of Mouth is your ultimate insider's guide to the world's best restaurants.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Finding the best casual restaurants in Tokyo doesn't have to be a daunting task. There are plenty of options that offer an easygoing atmosphere along with exceptional food. Notable establishments such as Den, Ginza Shimada, and Kimura exemplify the kind of casual food in Tokyo that leaves a lasting impression. To help you narrow down your choices, this article is based on the insights of trusted World of Mouth expert food critics and connoisseurs like Melinda Joe, Yukari Sakamoto, and David P. Leja, who have shared their top recommendations for casual dining in the city. All this in a curated guide offering you some of the most delicious and laid-back eateries the city has to offer.
Den
Den, run by Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa, offers modern kaiseki cuisine with a touch of charm and humor. The restaurant is known for its creative and playful dishes like Dentucky Fried Chicken, a crispy fried chicken wing stuffed with sticky rice and seasonal ingredients, served in a takeaway box. With a focus on traditional Japanese cooking methods, Den provides a delightful dining experience with a casual yet high-end atmosphere.
Ginza Shimada
Ginza Shimada is a cozy standing izakaya that is managed by a former three-star chef. The restaurant offers a simple menu that changes daily, based on the best ingredients of the day, prepared in straightforward methods such as frying, grilling, roasting, or serving raw. Customers particularly recommend the soba with grated karasumi and tuna sashimi, which pairs well with sake served in coffee jars.
Kimura
Kimura is a sushi restaurant renowned for its unique approach to sushi preparation, with Chef Koji Kimura, known as the "father of aged sushi", at the helm. The restaurant offers a variety of dishes, including a sushi omakase that includes around 10 otsumamis, 12 nigiris, tamago and a dessert, with some of the fish aged up to 50 days. The menu includes a variety of nigiri options, such as Aori Ika from Mie aged 1 week, Shima ebi from Hokkaido aged 3 days, and the famous Swordfish aged 55 days, providing a memorable dining experience for sushi enthusiasts.
Sowado
Sowado is a restaurant where casual pub vibes meet refined Japanese cuisine, offering a balanced dining experience. The menu is a la carte, featuring dishes like Chawanmushi with kue (grouper), dried sea cucumber & nanohana, Tofu, Chu toro sashimi with nori, and their highly recommended ham katsu. The interior is marked by a striking wooden counter and tables overlooking a river, creating a relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere.
pizza marumo
Pizza Marumo, located in the Ebisu neighborhood, is renowned for its Neapolitan-style pizzas crafted by Chef Yuki Motokura. The menu features classics such as Pizza Marinara and Margherita, alongside innovative 'Tokyo-style' pies like the Japanese Umami pizza, topped with shiitake paste, mozzarella, pecorino, bonito flakes, and shaved kombu kelp. The restaurant also offers wood-fired cauliflower with anchovy sauce and lamb focaccia as delightful accompaniments to their pizzas.
Jambo Hanare
Jambo Hanare offers a memorable yakiniku experience, with meats cooked to perfection on the counter. The restaurant is particularly known for its beef rice, which is highly recommended by customers. With its sweet, distinctive Tokyo taste, Jambo Hanare stands out among yakiniku restaurants, offering an authentic taste of Japanese barbecue.
Udon Shin
Udon Shin is a small, cozy restaurant known for its thick udon noodles, served fresh and hot. The restaurant is renowned for its udon carbonara style dish, topped with a slice of crispy bacon, which is a crowd favorite. Each bowl of udon at Udon Shin is prepared with utmost care, with noodles made, cut, and boiled fresh for every order, ensuring a delightful dining experience.
LAND
LAND is a Japanese curry restaurant that pays close attention to every detail. Known for serving one of the best Japanese curries enriched with shrimps and avocado, it offers a unique blend of garam masala, black pepper, nutmeg, cumin, shallot, and chili, with the option to add cheese. Whether you prefer rice or mash, LAND has got you covered.
Asakusa Soba Ozawa
Asakusa Soba Ozawa is an intimate restaurant, tucked away in the back streets, specializing in house-made soba noodles. They offer their noodles in three different thicknesses, with the thickest one being the parpadelle-like futo-uchi soba. This makes it an excellent stop for those on a shopping trip for ceramics or kitchen goods in the nearby Kappabashi area.
Tonki
Tonki is a long-standing restaurant, serving deep-fried tonkatsu since the 1930s. They offer two versions of their signature dish, one with more fat and one with less, with the majority of customers preferring the more indulgent option. While their tonkatsu may be less juicy compared to others, the great environment at Tonki makes up for it.
Cafe de l'ambre
Cafe de l'ambre is a traditional kissaten coffee shop, offering a wide variety of aged beans on its menu to cater to different tastes. Customers recommend trying their unique coffee and egg blend, as well as their coffee jelly. Despite its old-style appearance, the cafe is equipped with modern amenities, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable experience for all visitors.
HENRY'S BURGER Daikanyama
HENRY'S BURGER Daikanyama serves up smash burgers made entirely of Wagyu meat, sourced from their parent restaurant, Sumibi Yakiniku Nakahara. This makes for an ideal lunch spot, especially for those who are out and about shopping in the Daikanyama area. The restaurant is known for its simple and straightforward approach to burgers, focusing on the natural flavors of the high-quality beef.
AFURI Ebisu
AFURI Ebisu specializes in Yuzu Ramen, offering a variety of broths and toppings for a delightful bowl of ramen. The restaurant is well-known for its surfer aesthetic, speedy service, and excellent location. AFURI Ebisu places a strong emphasis on using high-quality ingredients, and their dishes are characterized by a rich play of flavors, colors, and textures.
Tensuke
Tensuke is a restaurant known for its impressive and high-quality tempura dishes. The menu includes a variety of options, but the egg tempura served over rice or on the side comes highly recommended. The chef at Tensuke is also known for his ability to communicate well in English and his engaging cooking performances.
Locale
Locale is a farm-to-table restaurant in Tokyo's Meguro ward, sourcing its ingredients directly from small farmers and producers across Japan. The restaurant's menu reflects a blend of international influences, from handmade Italian pastas and Moroccan spices to Korean fermentation techniques and Mexican cooking styles, all using Japanese ingredients. It's a popular spot for local expats, Japanese creatives, and friends looking for a place to unwind with a glass of wine.
Toritoh
Toritoh is a long-standing restaurant, having opened its doors in 1907, known for its signature dish, the oyakodon, a donburi dish made of eggs and chicken cooked in a sweet soy sauce broth served over rice. The menu also features other delectable options such as karaage fried chicken, torimeshi of soboro ground chicken, teriyaki chicken, and simmered bonjiri - the fatty area near the tail of the chicken. With a cozy setup of six counter seats overlooking the stove and a few tables in the back, Toritoh also has a retail shop around the corner, offering smaller bites like yakitori and fried chicken skin.
Looking for more restaurant recommendations to
Tokyo
? Download the World of Mouth app for free and discover expert recommendations to over
2,200
destinations, curated by top chefs, food writers and sommeliers. From street food to fine dining and well known institutions to hidden gems, World of Mouth is your ultimate insider's guide to the world's best restaurants.
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