Tokyo has so many places to eat that trying to narrow them down can almost feel impossible.
The good news is that you really don’t have to. For the most part, you can walk around, find something that looks good, and give it a try.
That ended up being one of my favorite things about eating in the city.
I traveled to Tokyo for the experience of exploring Japan, but as a foodie, I quickly realized I was going to have the time of my life.
Food became just as memorable as sightseeing, and figuring out where to eat in Tokyo wasn’t always about tracking down famous restaurants or making reservations weeks in advance.
Some of my favorite meals came from simply finding a place near wherever I happened to be exploring that day.
Another thing I loved about Tokyo was how much I walked.
I was easily doing more than 20,000 steps a day, which made me feel like I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted without worrying too much about gaining weight.
Maybe all that walking is part of the secret to how people in Tokyo stay so slim, lol.
Either way, after spending the entire day exploring on foot, I definitely never felt guilty about ordering one more snack.
My meals ended up being a mix of everything.
I had steak on my first night in Shibuya, tried the Japanese McDonald’s shrimp burger, ate karaage during my day trip to Hakone, grabbed food inside Tokyo DisneySea, and later tried wagyu, ramen, and sushi.
And, of course, there were plenty of stops at 7 Eleven and FamilyMart along the way.
This isn’t meant to be a definitive list of the best restaurants in Tokyo.
These are the places where I actually ate, what I tried, and what I thought of them.
If you’re planning your first trip and wondering where to eat in Tokyo, I hope my experiences give you a few ideas.
I also encourage you to leave some room in your plans to simply walk around, follow your appetite, and try whatever catches your eye.
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Quick Food Map (So You Can Skim)
- where to eat in Tokyo — my real food picks from the trip, from planned wagyu dinners to restaurants we simply discovered while exploring.
- Shibuya food — kangaroo steak at Steak Lodge and cook it yourself hamburg steak at Kiwamiya inside Shibuya PARCO.
- Shinjuku food — premium wagyu at Harapekotei after a full day exploring Shinjuku and Kabukicho.
- ramen in Tokyo — Yokohama style Iekei ramen at Ittou ya, an affordable spot we discovered while walking around Akasaka.
- sushi in Tokyo — sushi, tuna sashimi, Miyazaki beef, and fresh wasabi at Miyabi, right next to our hotel in Akasaka.
- cheap food in Tokyo — 7 Eleven sandos and ready meals, FamilyMart chicken, instant ramen, and Japanese McDonald’s.
- Tokyo DisneySea food — a quick meal at Yucatan Base Camp Grill plus chocolate churros while exploring the park.
- day trip food from Tokyo — Hakone black eggs, karaage teishoku, grape ice cream, mochi, and traditional sweets at Oshino Hakkai.
My First Dinner in Tokyo: Steak Lodge in Shibuya
We arrived at our hotel around noon, took some time to rest, and unpacked the luggage we had sent ahead from Osaka using Japan’s luggage delivery service.
Once we were ready, there was only one place I wanted to go first: Shibuya.
We spent the afternoon walking around, checking out stores, and taking in the craziness of one of Tokyo’s busiest neighborhoods.
We eventually made our way to Shibuya PARCO for some window shopping.
When we came out, we happened to walk past Steak Lodge.
We had no plans to eat there. In fact, I had never even heard of it.
What caught my attention first was the restaurant itself.
Steak Lodge looks like a little wooden cabin sitting in the middle of Shibuya, surrounded by glass, concrete, bright signs, and tall buildings.
Then came the smell. You could smell the meat cooking from the street, and that was pretty much all the convincing I needed.
If you are wondering where to eat in Tokyo and happen to be exploring Shibuya, this is exactly why I recommend keeping your eyes peeled for restaurants you simply find along the way.
We walked in and luckily found a spot right away.
The seating was different from a typical restaurant.
Instead of individual tables, you sit along a long counter next to other diners, with a wooden divider in front of you.
It felt casual and very easy for someone like us who had just walked in without a reservation.
The inside continued with the cozy wooden lodge theme, which felt especially nice on a cold winter day in Tokyo. It was warm, casual, and comfortable.
The menu had several different cuts of meat, including wagyu, but something much more unusual caught my attention.
Kangaroo!!!
I had never eaten kangaroo meat before, and I figured there probably weren’t going to be many opportunities in my life to try it. So I went for it.
The kangaroo steak came with rice and salad, and I also ordered a highball to drink. The cold and refreshing highball was perfect with the hot steak.
I know what you’re thinking… But Milo, what about the kangaroo?!
It was surprisingly good!
I expected it to have a very strong or strange flavor, but it was tender and reminded me a lot of beef.
If you enjoy trying unusual foods when you travel, I definitely recommend giving it a chance.
Steak Lodge still lists kangaroo steak on its menu, with a 200 gram portion currently priced at around ¥2,145.
Another thing I really liked was having different seasonings and sauces available right where you sit.
You could experiment with them and change the flavor of the meat as you ate.
For a restaurant we discovered completely by accident while figuring out where to eat in Tokyo on our first night, Steak Lodge turned out to be a great surprise.
My rating: 10/10
Trying McDonald’s in Japan: The Ebi Filet O
Close to our hotel in Akasaka, right by the subway station, we spotted something very familiar: McDonald’s.
Yes, I traveled all the way to Japan and ate at McDonald’s. Hear me out…
One thing I love doing when I travel is trying items from fast food chains that I can’t find back home.
And when you’re deciding where to eat in Tokyo, even familiar fast food chains can have something completely different to try.
I’m not going to Japan to order a regular Big Mac that I can get almost anywhere. I want to see what McDonald’s looks like when the menu gets a Japanese twist.
I had a feeling Japan would have some interesting choices, and I was right.
The one that immediately caught my attention was the Ebi Filet O, a shrimp burger. Instead of the usual beef or chicken patty, you get a crispy shrimp patty with a soft bun and sauce.
And this thing was delicious.
It was crispy on the outside, juicy inside, and easily my favorite thing I tried at McDonald’s Japan. The Ebi Filet O costs around ¥440 on its own or ¥710 as a set.
Since I was already there, I obviously had to try a few more things…
I also ordered one of the viral Samurai Mac burgers, which comes with thick beef and a roasted soy sauce style sauce.
It sounded exciting, but for me it was just okay. I didn’t dislike it, but it wasn’t something I would go out of my way to order again.
Then there were the Shaka Shaka fries. These were fun because you get a packet of seasoning that you pour into the bag with your fries.
Close the bag, shake it all around, and there you go. Shaka Shaka! lol
The idea was more exciting to me than the actual fries, though. They were fine, but they didn’t really stand out.
The Ebi Filet O was a completely different story!!!
I liked that shrimp burger so much that before leaving Tokyo, I had to stop at McDonald’s one more time and order another one.
So if you’re looking for where to eat in Tokyo and suddenly see those golden arches, just walk in!
What I Ate on My Hakone Day Trip
On our third day, we left Tokyo for a day trip to Hakone, and somehow the day also turned into a mini food tour.
Our first unusual snack was one of Owakudani’s famous black eggs.
These are regular eggs cooked in the area’s naturally hot sulfur rich water, which turns the shells completely black.
Don’t let the color scare you. They were really good and had a slightly different taste from a regular boiled egg.
After spending most of the day exploring, we stopped for a late lunch and I ordered a teishoku, a traditional Japanese set meal.
Mine came with chicken karaage, salad, miso soup, and unlimited gohan rice. Simple, filling, and exactly what I needed after walking around all day.
Of course, there was still room for dessert. I grabbed a grape flavored ice cream cone before we continued our trip.
We finished the day at Oshino Hakkai, where I got to drink water from Mount Fuji and try a few traditional Japanese sweets.
My favorites included grilled mochi skewers covered in sweet soy sauce and soft rice cakes filled with red bean paste.
Okay, this one technically doesn’t count as where to eat in Tokyo since we had left the city for the day, but the food ended up being such a fun part of our Hakone trip that I had to include it.
👉 If Hakone is on your Japan itinerary, check out my complete Hakone day trip guide, where I share everything we did, the places we visited, and what you need to know to plan your own trip from Tokyo.
Cooking My Own Hamburg Steak at Kiwamiya in Shibuya
The day after our Hakone trip, we went back to Shibuya with another food recommendation from the same friend who told us about Harapekotei.
This time, we were heading to Kiwamiya, located on the B1F of Shibuya PARCO.
The funny thing is that we had already visited PARCO earlier in the trip and had no idea this restaurant was hiding downstairs.
When we arrived, there was a small line, and I immediately noticed quite a few other foreigners waiting and eating inside.
Kiwamiya serves hamburg steak, but the fun part is that you get to cook it yourself.
You break off small pieces of the meat and cook them directly on the hot grill in front of you until they’re done exactly how you like them.
I loved the whole experience. Instead of simply waiting for your food to arrive, you’re actually doing part of the cooking yourself.
I also added an egg yolk, which was perfect for dipping the hot pieces of meat before eating them with rice.
Our set came with rice, salad, and soup, and you could ask for more. In fact, Kiwamiya currently offers unlimited refills of rice, salad, soup, and even soft serve ice cream with its set.
And yes, I definitely took advantage of the unlimited rice.
If you’re wondering where to eat in Tokyo and want something a little more interactive, Kiwamiya is a fun option to add to your Shibuya plans.
The hamburg steak was juicy, the meal was filling, and getting to cook each bite myself made it completely different from the other meals I had in Tokyo.
Just be prepared for a possible wait. Kiwamiya doesn’t take reservations and seats customers in the order they arrive.
What I Ate at Tokyo DisneySea: Yucatan Base Camp Grill
Day four was one I had been waiting for: Tokyo DisneySea!
After spending hours walking around the park and jumping from one attraction to another, we were hungry and ready for a proper meal.
We ended up at Yucatan Base Camp Grill simply because it was close to where we were and we didn’t need a reservation.
The restaurant is very casual and works more like a fast food restaurant.
You order your food, pick it up, find a place to sit, eat, and then get right back to exploring DisneySea.
This was perfect for us because I didn’t want to spend too much of my park day sitting inside a restaurant.
I ordered the Hashed Beef Yucatan Rice Bowl, a filling rice bowl with hashed beef and other toppings.
The current version costs around ¥1,300 on its own or ¥1,580 with a soft drink. I also tried the Spicy Smoked Chicken Leg, which currently costs ¥800.
It was smoky, juicy, and exactly the kind of food I wanted after walking around DisneySea for hours.
And obviously, I needed dessert.
Later, I grabbed one of the chocolate churros sold around the park. It was warm, sweet, and delicious.
👉 If you’re planning your own DisneySea day, check out my complete Tokyo DisneySea guide for everything I learned from my visit, including attractions, planning tips, and what to know before you go.
Where to Eat in Tokyo for Wagyu: Harapekotei
Unlike Steak Lodge, this restaurant wasn’t a random discovery.
A friend who had visited Tokyo before recommended Wagyudokoro Harapekotei Honten to us and told us how much he loved it.
So when we planned our day exploring Shinjuku, we already knew exactly where we wanted to have dinner.
After spending hours walking around Shinjuku and Kabukicho, we made our way to Harapekotei.
We arrived right when it opened and were actually the first customers there.
We had the entire restaurant to ourselves, which was pretty cool considering how busy Shinjuku can be.
And remember that wagyu I didn’t order at Steak Lodge on my first night in Shibuya? Well, I wasn’t leaving Tokyo without trying it. This was finally my chance.
If you’re searching for where to eat in Tokyo because you want to try wagyu, this is one place I would happily recommend.
I ordered the Premium Wagyu Rare Sirloin Rice Bowl, and just looking at it when it arrived made me hungry.
The bowl was covered with thin slices of rare wagyu over rice, and the meat was incredibly tender and rich.
But my favorite part was that you didn’t have to eat the whole bowl the same way.
I also added a Ranou egg yolk to my bowl.
This wasn’t just a regular egg yolk. Ranou eggs are known for their deep orange yolks and rich flavor.
I broke mine over the warm rice, everything became extra creamy. Mixing that rich yolk with the rice and tender wagyu was easily one of my favorite parts of the meal.
Then came the final step. I poured the hot dashi broth over what was left in my bowl, turning it into a warm and comforting finish.
I loved how one dish could change so much as you ate it. First the wagyu on its own, then with the rich egg yolk, and finally with the hot broth.
The current premium A5 Wagyu sirloin version costs around ¥4,400, so this was definitely more of a treat than some of the other meals I had in Tokyo.
But if you’re coming to Japan and wagyu is already on your food bucket list, this is a place I’d keep in mind. Sometimes a friend’s recommendation really does pay off.
👉 We spent a good part of the day exploring Kabukicho before dinner, so if you’re planning to visit the area too, check out my complete Kabukicho guide.
Where to Eat in Tokyo Yokohama Style Ramen
One of the things I liked about staying in Akasaka was the food we passed every day.
On our walk from the hotel to one of the subway stations, we would go down a street filled with small restaurants.
There were ramen shops everywhere, along with places serving food from other Asian countries like Korea and Vietnam.
After walking past them so many times, we kept saying that we needed to stop and try one.
Eventually, we did.
We hadn’t researched Ittou ya or planned to eat there.
We were walking by, saw the restaurant, and decided to go inside.
I ordered a bowl of ramen topped with slices of pork and big sheets of nori.
What I didn’t know at the time was that Ittou ya specializes in Yokohama style Iekei ramen.
It combines a rich pork bone broth with soy sauce and thick noodles, usually topped with pork, nori, and vegetables.
The broth was rich and comforting, the noodles were thick, and those slices of pork made it even better.
This was exactly the kind of ramen I had imagined eating in Japan.
We also ordered a pork rice bowl on the side, which was really tasty and made an already filling meal even better.
Best of all, it was affordable.
Where to Eat in Tokyo for Sushi: Miyabi in Akasaka
For our last meal in Tokyo, we finally decided to try a restaurant that had been sitting right under our noses the entire trip.
Miyabi was literally next to our Hotel Mystays Premier Akasaka.
We had walked past it before, but there was one little problem.
The menu we saw was completely in Japanese, and honestly, that intimidated us a little.
On our final day, though, we looked the restaurant up on Google, saw photos of the food, and thought, why not?
We went in!
The woman who welcomed us, who I assume was the owner, was incredibly kind to us even though she didn’t speak much English and we definitely didn’t speak enough Japanese to have a proper conversation. Somehow, we made it work.
Since it was our last day, we decided to order a little bit of everything.
We had a beautiful assortment of sushi with different types of fish and seafood, plus a big platter of tuna sashimi.
The sashimi was one of those dishes that looked almost too pretty to touch when it arrived.
We also ordered Chicken Nanban, crispy fried chicken covered in a sweet sauce and creamy tartar sauce.
I had already eaten plenty of chicken during the trip, but this was completely different from the karaage I had in Hakone.
Then came one of the biggest surprises of the meal, thin slices of seared Miyazaki beef served almost like sashimi.
And I have to mention the wasabi.
This wasn’t the smooth commercial wasabi paste I was used to.
It was freshly grated from the actual wasabi root, and you could even see the rougher texture.
To me, the flavor felt much fresher and the heat hit harder too. A tiny bit with the Miyazaki beef was more than enough!
This ended up being such a nice way to finish my food adventures in Tokyo.
We spent almost the entire trip wondering where to eat in Tokyo, yet one of our final meals was waiting right next to our hotel the whole time.
Don’t Ignore 7 Eleven and FamilyMart
I can’t talk about where to eat in Tokyo without mentioning one place we probably visited more than any restaurant: 7 Eleven.
Convenience stores in Japan are on another level.
We also stopped at FamilyMart, but 7 Eleven became our favorite and an easy place to grab something whenever we were hungry.
One of my favorites was the egg sando.
It sounds so simple, just an egg sandwich, but the soft Japanese bread and creamy egg filling made it so good.
We also tried different sandos during the trip, and they became an easy breakfast or snack when we didn’t feel like sitting down at a restaurant.
The ready made meals were another lifesaver.
After walking more than 20,000 steps some days, there were nights when the last thing we wanted to do was go back out looking for dinner.
We could stop at 7 Eleven, choose a meal, heat it up, and take it back to the hotel. Easy!
Then you have the instant ramen cups and all the hot food ready to eat.
But when it came to chicken, FamilyMart was the winner for us. Their famichiki was our favorite, and it was perfect when we wanted something hot, crispy, and quick without ordering a full meal.
And don’t even get me started on the desserts and ice cream.
One of my favorite finds was the Häagen Dazs Rich Caramel Crispy Sandwich. Ice cream sandwiched between crispy wafers and covered with caramel flavor? Yes, please.
That’s what I loved about konbini food in Japan. You could walk in looking for a bottle of water and somehow walk out with an egg sando, karaage, ramen, ice cream, and tomorrow’s breakfast.
Frequently Asked Questions About Eating in Tokyo
Is food expensive in Tokyo?
Not necessarily. We found plenty of affordable ramen, rice bowls, fast food, and konbini meals.
Of course, things like premium wagyu and high end sushi can quickly raise your food budget.
Do I need restaurant reservations in Tokyo?
For most casual restaurants, we didn’t need one.
Popular restaurants and more expensive dining experiences can fill up, so I would reserve those in advance when possible.
Can I eat in Tokyo without speaking Japanese?
Yes! We did it all the time.
Google Translate, photos, pointing at menu items, and a little patience can get you pretty far. Our dinner at Miyabi was a perfect example.
Is 7 Eleven food actually good in Japan?
Absolutely. The egg sandos, ready made meals, ramen, snacks, and desserts became part of our trip. And for fried chicken, FamilyMart was our favorite.
What should I try when deciding where to eat in Tokyo?
I’d try ramen, sushi, wagyu, karaage, and at least a few konbini foods. I also recommend trying Japanese versions of familiar foods, like the Ebi Filet O at McDonald’s.
Where should I eat in Tokyo for the first time?
Save a few restaurants you really want to try, but don’t plan every meal.
One of my favorite things about deciding where to eat in Tokyo was simply walking around, seeing something that looked good, and giving it a try.
Final Thoughts on Where to Eat in Tokyo
Tokyo has so many places to eat that you could visit again and again and still discover something new.
As a foodie, that was honestly one of my favorite things about the city.
If you’re trying to figure out where to eat in Tokyo, my biggest advice is not to overthink every meal.
Save a few places you really want to try, but leave room to explore.
Some of my favorite meals happened simply because we were hungry, walked past something that looked good, and decided to go inside.
Eating became a huge part of my Tokyo experience and I already know there are countless things I still need to try next time.
Planning your first visit? Check out my Ultimate Tokyo Guide for First Time Travelers next.
It covers where to stay, getting around, neighborhoods, attractions, transportation, and plenty of tips I learned from exploring the city myself.
Now go explore Tokyo, walk those 20,000 steps, and enjoy all the food you find along the way!
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