4 what to eat Updated 16 September 2026

What to eat in Tokyo

What to order, and the price you should expect to pay

4 dishes to eat in Tokyo, with the price range you will actually pay.

Loose monjayaki batter spread on a hot iron griddle, one portion scraped and caramelising at the edgeWorth it

Monjayaki

Tokyo’s own hotplate dish, and the one most often judged against the wrong standard. Here is the method, step by step.

Cook it yourself Tsukishima Not okonomiyaki
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

Monja MugiEdomae sushiToyosu tuna auction
A row of hand-formed edomae nigiri on a dark wooden counterWorth it

Edomae sushi

Tokyo invented this sushi as street food in a bay with no ice. What survives is a set of techniques, not a preference for rawness.

Nigiri Tokyo Bay Toyosu and Ginza
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

Toyosu tuna auctionUnagi kabayakiDen
A bowl of thick cold noodles beside a small bowl of dark dipping brothWorth it

Tsukemen

Cold noodles, hot concentrated broth, one Tokyo noodle cook, and a founding date that nobody can agree on.

Dipping noodles Higashi-Ikebukuro Date disputed
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

RokurinshaNakiryuEdomae sushi
Glazed grilled eel fillets over rice in a lacquered boxWorth it

Unagi kabayaki

One dish, two national methods, and a difference that comes from Edo being a garrison town and Osaka being a merchant one.

Grilled eel Edo method Over rice
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

Edomae sushiAsakusaMonjayaki

The rest of Tokyo

Every other collection in the city guide, with what is in it.

Sights 6 Museums 3 Districts 4 Restaurants 6 Bars 3 Where to stay 4 Things to do 3 Walks 2 Events 2