ASIANOW - City Guide - Tokyo

Staying well fed in Japan can be an expensive proposition, but it doesn't have to be: If menu prices shock you, you can always stop at a noodle shop for a tasty and filling meal of udon (white wheat noodle) or soba (buckwheat). Yakitori (skewered chicken) from the outdoor food stands are a must if your visit is during warm weather. They are found underneath the elevated train tracks, a little south of Yurakucho Station, near the Imperial Hotel. While you can get by on cheap eats, we think you'll want to plan at least a few meals at sit-down restaurants.

One of these should include fresh sushi. There are literally thousands of places to eat sushi in Tokyo. According to locals, the quality of a sushi shop can be gauged by how crowded it is, so stay away from places that are nearly empty. Other traditional dishes are sukiyaki, shabu-shabu (thinly sliced beef dipped in broth) and tempura (deep fried seafood and vegetables).

Tokyo is also famous for its beer gardens - nighttime rooftop restaurants open during the summer months. Guests guzzle down beer and munch on fried snacks as the sun goes down over the city and the skyline lights up. Almost all of the department stores in Tokyo have beer gardens.

Don't expect to find decaffeinated coffee in Japan, and the real stuff is brewed extra strong. For dessert, green tea ice cream is a delicious treat, and one of the best versions is actually made by Haagen-Dazs.

When you enter a Japanese eatery, you'll be happy to discover that the language barrier that makes Tokyo so perplexing at times is not a big problem in restaurants - many have plastic displays of menu items for you to point at. Use the moist towelette you're given to clean your hands (and face) before the meal. And although strange and wondrous things will be presented to you during the course of a Japanese meal, you'll undoubtedly do just fine...as long as you realize that the bowl of hot liquid presented at the conclusion of the meal is a light broth to clear the palate, not a finger bowl. Use chopsticks for Japanese food and Western cutlery for Western food. Don't jab at your hamburger with chopsticks - you'll look ridiculous!

Few restaurants are open for breakfast in Tokyo. If you order an "American" or "Western" breakfast, you'll be looking at a lot of eggs. Be adventurous and try a traditional Japanese breakfast, with sticky rice, fish and miso soup. At minimum, you'll enjoy the presentation.

Restaurants generally serve lunch from 11 or 11:30 am to 2 or 2:30 pm and dinner from 5 to 9 or 10 pm. Few restaurants remain open during the midafternoon. Last orders must be placed 30 minutes prior to closing.

In our selections below, we've looked for value, and our recommendations include many restaurants serving high-quality food that is - by Japanese standards - reasonably priced for what you're getting. However, eating establishments in Tokyo are constantly opening, closing or being renovated - especially in the current economy. Don't hestitate to ask the concierge of your hotel for suggestions. Also, it's best to ask the concierge or front desk staff to make restaurant reservations for you, because English is spoken infrequently in the restaurant business.

ukai toriyama

Though not exactly in town, this is a beautiful restaurant in a setting quintessentially Japanese. It's deep in the green hills about 90 minutes from downtown. Guests are led to very private tatami rooms with magnificent views of carp ponds and a neatly trimmed Japanese garden. Delicious and filling dinners (4,500-8,500) of chicken or steak grilled on a hibachi. Open daily 11 am-8 pm. Reservations only. Most major credit cards. Minamiasakawa-cho, Hachioji-shi. (Courtesy bus service from Keio Takao Station. From downtown, take JR Chuo line to Hachioji Station and change to Keio Takao line.) Phone 0426-61-0739.

wako

A good source for traditional Japanese food (kaiseki ). Many small dishes of superb Japanese delicacies. Open for lunch noon-3 pm, dinner 6-9 pm. Reservations necessary. Lunch 15,000-25,000; dinner 20,000-40,000. Closed Sundays and holidays. Cash only. 16-3 Mejiro, Toshima-ku (seven minutes from Mejiro Station on the JR Yamanote Loop line), phone 3982-2251.

hoshigaoka-saryo

Try this venue for kaiseki, a set meal that shows off Japanese cuisine at its best. It combines taste, decoration and presentation in a memorable meal. Open daily for lunch 11:30 am-2 pm, for dinner 5:30-8:30 pm. Reservations recommended. Lunch 1,500-5,000, dinner around 8,000. Most major credit cards accepted. 1-26-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku 163-05 (near Shinjuku Station, JR Yamanote Loop line), phone 3344-4011.

new tokyo takao

This is where you go to try shabu-shabu, a fondue of thinly sliced beef or pork cooked in a boiling stock with bean curd and mushrooms and eaten in a vinegar sauce. Open daily 11:30 am-9 pm. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner are the same menu: 3,000-16,000. Most major credit cards accepted. 2-2-3 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku (near Yurakucho Station on the JR Yamanote Loop line), phone 3575-4800.

tableaux

A mouthwatering international menu with a European influence. Sensational decor. Open every day for dinners only, 5:30-11 pm. Reservations. 6,000-8,000. Most major credit cards. Sunroser Daikanyama Building, B1, 11-6 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, phone 5489-2201.

roy's aoyama bar and grill

This restaurant classifies itself as Pan-Pacific. Serves up "borderless hybrid cuisine," not from any particular country but with a distinctly European base. Cozy interior with lots of dark wood paneling, reminiscent of tropical eateries of old. Well stocked bar with many original cocktails. Lunch 11:30 am-2:30 pm, dinner 5:45-10 pm. Lunch around 1,500; dinner 7,000. Most major credit cards accepted. Riviera Minami Aoyama Building, 1F, 3-3-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku (near Gaienmai Station, Ginza subway line), phone 5474-8181.

rojack

Asian cuisine using organic ingredients. Menu changes daily but the curries are highly recommended. Interior is a colonial style from a century ago. Lunch noon-3 pm, dinner 6-11 pm. Reservations recommended. Lunch around 1,200; dinner 5,000. Most major credit cards accepted. 6-3-14 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku (near Omote-sando Station, Chiyoda, Ginza and Hanzomon subway lines), phone 3409-6764.

new york grill

Considered one of the most exciting new restaurants in Tokyo. It is located on the top (52nd) floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku, and the view from every window is spectacular, especially at night. As the name suggests, the restaurant offers a selection of food that you'd find in a top New York restaurant - from grilled steaks to lobster dishes - but the menu changes constantly. Tall ceilings and a modern, art-deco interior make for a dramatic setting for lunch, dinner or drinks. Expensive but worth it. Lunch 11 am-2:30 pm, dinner 5-10:30 pm. Reservations are highly recommended. Lunch around 4,500; dinner 10,000-15,000. Most major credit cards accepted. The Park Hyatt is about a 10-minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station, phone 5323-3458.

matsuya

Try this place for soba (thin, long homemade buckwheat noodles in a mild stock). A giant bowl of noodles in a thick soup for lunch or dinner will cost about 1,000. Cash only. No reservations. Open 11 am-8 pm every day except Sunday. 1-13 Kandasudacho, Chiyoda-ku, phone 3251-1556.

tsunahachi

A chain of reasonably priced, excellent restaurants that serve tempura (deep-fried vegetables and seafood). Daily 11 am-10 pm. Set lunch and dinner, 1,500-4,000. Most major credit cards accepted. Ask your hotel's front desk or concierge for the nearest location.

heirokuzushi

Sushi on the run (actually, sushi on a conveyor belt!). You sit at a counter encircling the chefs and pick sushi plates from those going around. Each plate costs 120-240. Heirokuzushi is one of the oldest and biggest chains of kaiten (round and round) restaurants. Ask at your hotel for the one nearest you, or stroll on Omote-sando and stop by the very popular one at 5-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku (five minutes from Omote-sando Station on the Ginza or Hanzomon subway line). It's open daily 11 am-8:50 pm. Phone 3498-3968.

asakusa, owariya-shiten

Since 1860, this place has been famous for its soba noodle soup with the huge shrimp tempuras on top. Watch everybody gasp when the food is brought in! 11:30 am-8 pm, closed Wednesdays. 1,100. Cash only. 1-1-3 Asakusa, Taito-ku (one minute from Asakusa Station on the Ginza line), phone 3841-8780.

nambantei

All kinds of yakitori (chicken) are grilled right before your eyes. Traditional Japanese decor. Open every day for dinner only, 5-10:30 pm. 3,000-5,000. Most major credit cards. 4-5-6 Roppongi, Minato-ku, phone 3402-0606.

yasuko

Oden is a stew of fish cakes, vegetables, fried tofu and seafood, simmered in flavorful stock in a big, flat copper pan. Just point and choose a few delicacies and eat them with a dab of fiery mustard, washed down with warm sake. Each piece ranges from 300-1,000. Open daily 4-11 pm. No credit cards. 5-4-6 Ginza, Chuo-ku, phone 3571-0621.

tonki

Great tonkatsu (big, juicy pork cutlet). This place is so popular you may have to wait in line a few minutes - but it's worth it. 4-10:45 pm, closed Tuesdays. 2,000-3,000. No credit cards. 1-1-2 Shimo Meguro, Meguro-ku, phone 3491-9928.

izakaya new tokyo well

An appropriate place for yakitorievery part of the chicken cooked over a charcoal brazier. Open 11:30 am-3 pm and 4:30-11 pm, closed Sundays and holidays. No reservations. 2,000-10,000. Most major credit cards accepted. NKI Building, B1, 2-23 Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, phone 3265-8595.

ninniku-ya

A favorite of Tokyoites for its exotic, garlic-spiced food and huge servings. 5-11 pm daily except Sundays and holidays. No reservations. About 4,000. Cash only. 1-26-12 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, phone 3446-5887.

hassan

This restaurant serves high-quality shabu-shabu (paper-thin slices of beef, vegetables and noodles dipped in soup and eaten with condiments), as well as sushi. Both shabu-shabu and sushi are all-you-can-eat. Hours change frequently, but roughly they're 11:30-3 pm, 5-11 pm. 5,300. No credit cards. 6-1-20 Roppongi, Minato-ku, phone 3403-8333.

l'incontro trattoria

Serves traditional Italian dishes. Lunch 11:30 am-3 pm, dinner 5:30-9 pm. Closed Sundays and holidays. Reservations recommended. Lunch 900-3,500. Dinner 3,800-5,000. Most major credit cards accepted. Kami Pulp Kaikan Building, B1, 3-9-11 Ginza, Chuo-ku (near the Ginza Station on the orange Ginza subway line), phone 3248-4881.

hotel de mikuni

An exquisite French restaurant in a homelike setting. Reservations suggested. Lunch 6,500-11,000, dinner 15,000. Tuesday-Sunday noon-1:30 pm, Tuesday-Saturday 6-9 pm. Most major credit cards accepted. 1-18 Wakaba, Shinjuku-ku, phone 3351-3810.

the aegean

Authentic Greek dining - the place to get moussaka in Tokyo. Open every evening for dinner only, 5:30-11:30 pm. No reservations needed. About 5,000. Most major credit cards accepted. Oriental Building, B1, 3-18-3 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku (near Shibuya Station on the orange Ginza subway line), phone 3407-1783.

luncheon aoyama

An American-style bistro with an international cuisine. Reservations suggested. Lunch 1,200-2,500, dinner around 6,000. Daily 11:30 am-2:30 pm, 5:30-10 pm (Sunday till 9 pm). Most major credit cards accepted. 1-2-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, phone 5466-1398.

Many Chinese and Korean restaurants are scattered throughout the city.

new peking

Satisfies a craving for traditional Chinese. Reservations recommended. Daily 11 am-9 pm. Lunch 2,000-6,000, dinner around 8,000. Most major credit cards accepted. Hilltop Hotel (Yamanoue), 1 Kanda Surugadai 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, phone 3293-2311.

moti

Good Indian restaurant, reasonably priced. Daily 11:30 am-10 pm. Lunch 1,000-2,000, dinner 3,000-5,000. Most major credit cards accepted. 3-8-8 Akasaka, Minato-ku, phone 3584-3760.

bougainvillea

A cozy, little Vietnamese restaurant. The food is great, so the place is always crowded. Lunch (Saturday and Sunday only) 11:30 am-3 pm, dinner 5-10:30 pm. Lunch around 1,500, dinner 3,500. Most major credit cards accepted. Romani Building, 2F, 2-25-9 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku (a few minutes' walk from Shibuya Station), phone 3496-5537.

saimon

Gooey-good Chinese food. Open Monday-Friday 11 am-2:30 pm, 5-10:30 pm; Saturday noon-10 pm; Sundays noon-9:30 pm. No reservations. Lunch is a smorgasbord for about 1,000, dinner about 3,000. Most major credit cards accepted. Mitsuya Yotsuya Building, 2F, 2-14 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku (near Yotsuya Sanchome Station on the red Marunouchi subway line), phone 3355-6906.

healthy-kan

For vegetarian and health-food fare, jog over to Healthy-Kan. No reservations needed. 11:30 am-2:30 pm and 4:30-9 pm, closed Sundays and holidays. Lunch and dinner both 1,200-1,600. Cash only. Asahirokubancho Mansion, 2F, 4 Rokubancho, Chiyoda-ku 102, phone 3263-4023.

coffee shops

There are thousands of coffee shops in Tokyo. On nearly every street corner and in every large building, they offer about the only place to sit down and rest awhile. A cup of American (weaker) or regular (stronger) coffee normally runs 350-800; sometimes refills are free. Coffee shops usually offer a set breakfast (normally thick buttered toast) and a bargain set lunch for about 800-1,000. In a coffee shop chain such as Pronto, you can get good coffee (cheap at 160-180) and a decent pastry (200-250), though you may wind up standing if all the stools are taken.