Tokyo
The Best Street Food Spots in Tokyo
Discover the vibrant world of street food in Tokyo with our guide to the best street food that the city has to offer.
Tokyo, a haven for food lovers, boasts an incredible array of tastes within its bustling streets, encapsulating the spirit of Japan in every bite. From the popular Ginza Shimada to iconic establishments like Yasubei of Ebisu and the cozy Udon Shin, Tokyo provides a broad palette of flavors to explore and enjoy. Recommended by experienced World of Mouth experts such as Ionna Morelli, Max Levy, and Max Veenhuyzen, this article unwraps the exciting world of Tokyo street food, ensuring you an authentic culinary journey through Japan’s capital.
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.
Recommended by
Eating shoulder to shoulder and sharing ochoko of warm sake in this tiny hole in the wall seems a world away now, but it was the inspiration for my restaurant, Okra Hong Kong. The simple menu that changes every day based on the days’ best ingredients cooked simply, either fried, grilled, roasted or raw without any long preparations or black truffle shavings or caviar, leaves you with a warm sense of being as you stumble out into the back alley of the entrance into a night with endless possibilities.
Yasubei of Ebisu is reputed for its mouth-watering gyoza, known for being the thinnest and most crispy version you can find. The gyoza comes in both fried and steamed varieties, and is often paired with an array of cucumber dishes. Complement your meal with their abundant selection of ice-cold Japanese beer for a complete dining experience.
Recommended by
Place with the most crispy and the thinnest gyoza possible. And very juicy. As praxis you could get them fried and steamed, and of course a lot of cucumber dishes to go with them. Icecold japanese beer in abundance.
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.
Recommended by
Love this place and their thick udon noodles. This is udon carbonara style with a slice of crispy bacon. Only ten places but well worth the queuing.
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.
Recommended by
Japanse curry place with extra care of details. One of the best japanese versions I have eaten. This one with shrimps and avocado, served with both rice and mash. Topped with garam masala, black pepper, nutmeg, cumin, shalott, chili and you can add cheese.
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.
Recommended by
An intimate soba restaurant in the back streets of Tokyo's Asakusa neighbourhood. You're here, as is the case at most soba joints, to take aim at the house-made noodles with Ozawa offering theirs in three different thicknesses (the parpadelle-like futo-uchi soba, as pictured here, is the thickest of the noodles). An excellent pit-stop for those shopping for ceramics or kitchen goods in nearby Kappabashi.
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.
Recommended by
Tonki has existed since the 30s and they still serve really hard deep fried tonkatsu in two versions. One with more and one with less fat - go for the one with more fat as most of their customers do. The fat version is still a little less juicy than other favorite tonkatsu versions in Tokyo but great environment makes up for it.
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.
Recommended by
Yuzu ramen is the specialty here and the choices of broths and toppings makes for a super tasty bowl. Surfer asthetic, fast service, great location. There are other Afuri shops all over tokyo and the consistency is top.
Oborodzuki is a small, specialized noodle shop located in the heart of Ginza. The restaurant is known for its thick, straight noodles served with a rich, umami-flavored pork bone dipping broth in a dish called tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen. With a topping of pork belly and soft egg, and a few other ramen options, Oborodzuki offers a quick, satisfying meal, with orders placed in a queue at the door and payment made at a vending machine.
Recommended by
Delicious, thick pork gyokai tsukemen ramen in central Ginza. Impressive small noodle shop.This tiny ramen shop, located on a back street in central Ginza, is strictly specialised in tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen. The thick, straight noodles are cooked, rinsed cold an served with a separate bowl of thick, gravy like pork bone dipping broth with a delicious umami flavour. The noodles are topped with pork belly and soft egg. A few other ramen options. Make your orders in the queue in front of the door and pay in the vending machine, slurp your ramen and then leave room for the next customers.
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.
Recommended by
Eating shoulder to shoulder and sharing ochoko of warm sake in this tiny hole in the wall seems a world away now, but it was the inspiration for my restaurant, Okra Hong Kong. The simple menu that changes every day based on the days’ best ingredients cooked simply, either fried, grilled, roasted or raw without any long preparations or black truffle shavings or caviar, leaves you with a warm sense of being as you stumble out into the back alley of the entrance into a night with endless possibilities.
Yasubei of Ebisu is reputed for its mouth-watering gyoza, known for being the thinnest and most crispy version you can find. The gyoza comes in both fried and steamed varieties, and is often paired with an array of cucumber dishes. Complement your meal with their abundant selection of ice-cold Japanese beer for a complete dining experience.
Recommended by
Place with the most crispy and the thinnest gyoza possible. And very juicy. As praxis you could get them fried and steamed, and of course a lot of cucumber dishes to go with them. Icecold japanese beer in abundance.
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.
Recommended by
Love this place and their thick udon noodles. This is udon carbonara style with a slice of crispy bacon. Only ten places but well worth the queuing.
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.
Recommended by
Japanse curry place with extra care of details. One of the best japanese versions I have eaten. This one with shrimps and avocado, served with both rice and mash. Topped with garam masala, black pepper, nutmeg, cumin, shalott, chili and you can add cheese.
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.
Recommended by
An intimate soba restaurant in the back streets of Tokyo's Asakusa neighbourhood. You're here, as is the case at most soba joints, to take aim at the house-made noodles with Ozawa offering theirs in three different thicknesses (the parpadelle-like futo-uchi soba, as pictured here, is the thickest of the noodles). An excellent pit-stop for those shopping for ceramics or kitchen goods in nearby Kappabashi.
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.
Recommended by
Tonki has existed since the 30s and they still serve really hard deep fried tonkatsu in two versions. One with more and one with less fat - go for the one with more fat as most of their customers do. The fat version is still a little less juicy than other favorite tonkatsu versions in Tokyo but great environment makes up for it.
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.
Recommended by
Yuzu ramen is the specialty here and the choices of broths and toppings makes for a super tasty bowl. Surfer asthetic, fast service, great location. There are other Afuri shops all over tokyo and the consistency is top.
Oborodzuki is a small, specialized noodle shop located in the heart of Ginza. The restaurant is known for its thick, straight noodles served with a rich, umami-flavored pork bone dipping broth in a dish called tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen. With a topping of pork belly and soft egg, and a few other ramen options, Oborodzuki offers a quick, satisfying meal, with orders placed in a queue at the door and payment made at a vending machine.
Recommended by
Delicious, thick pork gyokai tsukemen ramen in central Ginza. Impressive small noodle shop.This tiny ramen shop, located on a back street in central Ginza, is strictly specialised in tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen. The thick, straight noodles are cooked, rinsed cold an served with a separate bowl of thick, gravy like pork bone dipping broth with a delicious umami flavour. The noodles are topped with pork belly and soft egg. A few other ramen options. Make your orders in the queue in front of the door and pay in the vending machine, slurp your ramen and then leave room for the next customers.
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