Sushi in Tokyo

[asifo]

So...

best sushi in Tokyo?

best for cheap?

bad experiences?

[djrajio]

Freshest sushi - Tsukiji at 5-6 in the morning.

Best bang for your buck - Kai-ten sushi place in Ikebukuro just past Parco on the west side. 200 yen for maguro (two pieces + mayo).

Marui Sushi in Asakusa is also very famous and good...

[Kasper]

best sushi in Tokyo? i have to second djrajio, Tsujikii in the early morning is awesome, nothing better than fresh sushi after a night out (it's closed on sunday though, got fucked one time)

best for cheap? any kaiten sushi is cheap (the restaurant where sushi come on a revolving belt). the one i usually go in on ometesando (100 yen for most sushi)

bad experiences? actually, yesterday, my gf sister got some sushi at the supermarket and gave me one telling me it was tuna. i didn't check and it was fucking nato (kind of rotten beans, it's really discusting). i very nearly puked.

[minya]

I love natto.

[sybaritical]

Well you're obviously a very sick individual. My flatmate in tokyo used to mix raw eggs into it for breakfast.

BLurghk.

[englandmj7]

Hmmm... good post, I am going to be there this week and was gonna ask too. How about the best/cheapest Noodle Shops.....I am on a budget!!!! I am staying in Roppongi if that helps at all.

[sybaritical]

I posted somewhere else about eating out cheap in Japan a while back. Concisely, if you're on a tight budget you could do a lot worse than eat out of convinience stores cos all the food groups are represented ... Other than that, just get adventurous and when you're out walking and see something that intrigues you, dive in ...

Ramen joints are always cheap as chips. But you gotta try the Takoyaki squid balls and Okonomiyaki pancakes. Tonkatsu cutlets and Unagi too. And then when you make local friends hit the Izakaya for junk food and Chu Hai sours ... alternatively, if you're on your own, rock up and try a Robata-yaki around lunch time and I guarantee be bold and you'll end up having beers and food bought for you.

http://www.epicurious.com/restaurants/erg/tokyo/budget

<a href="http://www.gridskipper.com/travel/tokyo/" target="_blank">http://www.gridskipper.com/travel/tokyo/'>http://www.gridskipper.com/travel/tokyo/"] <a href="http://www.gridskipper.com/travel/tokyo/" target="_blank">http://www.gridskipper.com/travel/tokyo/ </a>

[url=http://www.planettokyo.com/ ]http://www.planettokyo.com/

http://www.bento.com/tf-rest.html

[Guest]

Ramen-ya's are everywhere in Japan but I'll break it down to the most famous/best joints in Tokyo:

Kyushuu Jyangara Ramen

- Famous place for its Kyushu ramen. The joint is known for separating customers into private booths so that you "savor and experience the ramen". Very very very amazing ramen; people literally wait hours to get in... Joints in Akihabara, Harajuku, Ginza, Nipponbashi... www.kyusyujangara.co.jp/

Tsukumo Ramen

- Famous for its cheese ramen. I always bring first date girls to this place cuz its cheap and an excellent conversation starter (cheese ramen!). Most Tokyo-jins haven't heard of this place but also famous for it's tonkatsu ramen (pork cutlet ramen). Off of Ebisu station (5 minute walk) http://www.tukumo.com/

Azabu Ramen

- Famous place is Minami Azabu partly because its been around forever... Good cheap decent ramen. http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~tacky/rdb/rdb-294-azaburamen.htm

Other famous places include:

Mitsumi ramen-ya: http://www.mutsumiya.co.jp/

Sengokujiman ramen-ya http://www.sengokujiman.com/

Ikaruga ramen-ya http://emen.jp/ikaruga/

[djrajio]

Ramen-ya's are everywhere in Japan but I'll break it down to the most famous/best joints in Tokyo:

Kyushuu Jyangara Ramen

- Famous place for its Kyushu ramen. The joint is known for separating customers into private booths so that you "savor and experience the ramen". Very very very amazing ramen; people literally wait hours to get in... Joints in Akihabara, Harajuku, Ginza, Nipponbashi... www.kyusyujangara.co.jp/

Tsukumo Ramen

- Famous for its cheese ramen. I always bring first date girls to this place cuz its cheap and an excellent conversation starter (cheese ramen!). Most Tokyo-jins haven't heard of this place but also famous for it's tonkatsu ramen (pork cutlet ramen). Off of Ebisu station (5 minute walk) http://www.tukumo.com/

Azabu Ramen

- Famous place is Minami Azabu partly because its been around forever... Good cheap decent ramen. http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~tacky/rdb/rdb-294-azaburamen.htm

Other famous places include:

Mitsumi ramen-ya: http://www.mutsumiya.co.jp/

Sengokujiman ramen-ya http://www.sengokujiman.com/

Ikaruga ramen-ya http://emen.jp/ikaruga/

[polly7]

sushi is the last thing i want to be eating at 5 in the morning after a big night out.

im thinking more lebanese than japanese at this time.

[thomas_highstreet]

Quote:

Ramen-ya's are everywhere in Japan but I'll break it down to the most famous/best joints in Tokyo:

Kyushuu Jyangara Ramen

- Famous place for its Kyushu ramen. The joint is known for separating customers into private booths so that you "savor and experience the ramen". Very very very amazing ramen; people literally wait hours to get in... Joints in Akihabara, Harajuku, Ginza, Nipponbashi... www.kyusyujangara.co.jp/

Tsukumo Ramen

- Famous for its cheese ramen. I always bring first date girls to this place cuz its cheap and an excellent conversation starter (cheese ramen!). Most Tokyo-jins haven't heard of this place but also famous for it's tonkatsu ramen (pork cutlet ramen). Off of Ebisu station (5 minute walk) http://www.tukumo.com/

Azabu Ramen

- Famous place is Minami Azabu partly because its been around forever... Good cheap decent ramen. http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~tacky/rdb/rdb-294-azaburamen.htm

Other famous places include:

Mitsumi ramen-ya: http://www.mutsumiya.co.jp/

Sengokujiman ramen-ya http://www.sengokujiman.com/

Ikaruga ramen-ya http://emen.jp/ikaruga/

--- Original message by djrajio on Mar 7, 2006 04:58 PM

hey rajio.. is there any decent vegetarian joints in tokyo?

im gonna be screwed! im strict yasai boy!!!!

[sybaritical]

Nawh! You don't head to Tsjukiji after a big night out! it's an experience all of it's own - the biggest fish market in the world. S'like bladerunner, only with fish. All the sushi bars and restaurants buy their stock for the day there so you just follow them back from the auction, park up, and chow down.

[djrajio]

Quote: hey rajio.. is there any decent vegetarian joints in tokyo?

im gonna be screwed! im strict yasai boy!!!!

Haha. Well, I don't know too many vegetarians here in Japan (Meat is as ingrained in the culture as beer and cigarettes...), most restaurants in Japan have plenty of vegetable side-orders, main dishes. Also, noodles are a staple at almost any restaurant. If you're looking for amazing/hip/oshare vegetarian places I can recommend two:

Mu-mu dining (Ginza / Shinjuku) http://www.mu-mu.info

The theme of the restaurant is "Body Balance Dining" and focuses on a lot of interesting vegetarian dishes. The Ginza branch is just below "Genius" club, probably once of the most famous clubs in Tokyo and the Shinjuku branch is off of the 49th floor of the Sumitomo Building, just next to the Grand Hyatt (Lost in Translation building). Needless to say the view is amazing...

Higashi-yama Tokyo (Naka Meguro) http://www.simplicity.co.jp/higashiyama_tokyo/top03-2.htm

Super hip traditional Japanese restaurant. 10 minute walk from Naka-meguro station. In a residental neighborhood, so only people who know about the place, know. The architecture and interior is supposedly done by a very famous designer, Shinichiro Ogata. Here, featured in wallpaper mag: http://www.wallpaper.com/design/322

[aitsuka]

Quote:

Well you're obviously a very sick individual. My flatmate in tokyo used to mix raw eggs into it for breakfast.

BLurghk.

--- Original message by sybaritical on Mar 5, 2006 12:17 PM

raw eggs on noodles rocks man, I do it for breakfast too. gets cooked under the hot soupbase

-I felt good times come, i thought they stay

angels came, but they left today.

hotel motel its hot in hell

now i am left with no home-

[sybaritical]

Yeahhhh. I'm all for drizzling raw eggs on noodles and Don Buri, cos it cooks. but mixed into Natto and eaten cold?

S'wrong I tells ya. Wrong.

[DaBestSpoona]

raw eggs with natto on rice is pretty damn good.

[gamma888]

i second others for the Tsukiji freshest fish in the early AM.

you'll be able to see many fish arranged neatly in their baskets.

if you see any restaurant with with a japanese character that looks like double boxes, then you'll know that it's usually 100 yen sushi...

[djrajio]

Do you mean "Kaiten Sushi" = ‰ñ“]ŽõŽiÂ@<= look for this sign; means 'rotating sushi'.

[gamma888]

yeah. you got it...

i just never knew what it meant.. but i just knew that it just meant cheap, rotating, sushi..

also, tips: try not to go there during lunch time, or you'll be waiting in a long line anywhere...

[Gogeta888]

when eating sushi, always remember to eat sashimi

"My Name goes Here"

[mizanation]

here are my 2 cents.

in roppongi, my favorite ramen are:

ippuu do (my all time favorite tonkotsu ramen -- just recently voted #1 in japan)

tenka ippi (might be a little too hearty, but i like it sometimes, especially after drinking)

there is a very small tan-tan men shop that is run by chinese immigrants (it's actually in nishi-azabu, next to roppongi). they have the best tan-tan men i have ever tasted. i can ask my wife what it is called if anyone wants to know.

if you want to eat for cheap, go to hanamaru udon. you can eat a great bowl of udon with toppings for a few dollars.

sushi:

i agree that early morning sushi at the tsukiji fish market is probably the best sushi in the world. if you want the best sushi place at tsukiji, go to Sushi Daiwa.

however, if you want cheap and good sushi, go to the kaiten sushi shops in Ueno. although ueno is not known for its sushi, my wife and i found a couple places that were awesome. one place had "hon-maguro"--"true maguro" which is tuna that has not been frozen. it's a very rare treat. it was the best tuna i ever had.

[cchen]

I've heard from my business associates that Kyubei in Ginza has the best sushi in the world.

[mizanation]

you really can't compare ritzy kyubei in ginza vs. cramped bare-bones daiwa in tsukiji.

they are two different experiences.

kyubei has atmosphere, sophistication, wealthy clientele and a super hefty price tag.

daiwa is very grassroots, it's all about the sushi, and the chef determines how much he will charge you by looking at you.

you know what i mean?

if you are talking about sushi, just as food, then sushi from tsukiji is the best in the world and this is from people who have eaten at both.

EDIT:

another thing, most people who are not real sushi lovers won't know the difference between sushi you can get in the states at some buffet and sushi that is fresh from tsukiji. so, kaiten sushi is a good bet if you are not an experienced sushi person--it is cheap, good value and has the novelty factor.

about kyubei, there is sushi in tokyo which costs $500 a head and up--more expensive than kyubei and more exclusive. these are run by master sushi chefs from their own house. it could be said that these places are the best in the world based on exclusivity--they have the highest quality stuff, some say better than daiwa in tsukiji. so, as with anything there are levels. for me, tsukiji sushi is the best!

Edited by mizanation on May 5, 2006 at 09:11 PM

[DaBestSpoona]

Hey can you list the kaiten places that you like in Ueno.

Thanks

[mizanation]

i can't remember the places we went to in ueno, but there are many good ones. look for a place that is crowded, usually means it has good sushi. also, we are talking budget sushi, so look for a good deal.

[herpsky]

those kaiten zushi (rolling / spinning sushi) places are everywhere..

[cchen]

you're right but he did ask what is the "Best" in tokyo

[DaBestSpoona]

I know theres a lot of kaiten places in ueno. But I was watching V6 or some food show, and they showed a couple of places in Ueno that I've never seen before. There was one place that specialized in Hokkaido seafood, some higher end kaiten, and a aburiya kaiten place.

[mizanation]

yeah, it's kinda funny, ueno is becoming a hot place for cheap, good and often unique sushi.

not many people know this, in fact many people are surprised because ueno is more known for dango and other grilled stuff.

it was a kaiten place in ueno that had the hon-maguro for cheap.

http://mizanation.blogspot.com

[Chicken]

i was watching a japanese tv show once, and apparently, you could get some of the best tuna in japan (as well as numbers of other fish) if you go deep into chiba, btw. i'd love to try this for myself one of these days.

it's also pretty well known that seafood is generally better in colder weather, so sashimi in hokkaido is supposed to be the shitz. especially with uni.

but in tokyo, along with daiwa in tsukiji like others have mentioned here, you generally get better sushi in downtown (like kanda and ueno) as opposed to other areas. i guess that's where sushi in tokyo started.