A tonkatsu temple set in a traditional Japanese house, with over twenty heritage pork breeds on the menu. Each cut is deep-fried to golden, shatteringly crisp perfection that ruins all other tonkatsu forever.
Order: Iberico pork tonkatsu, Butagumi-zen tasting set, premium rosu katsu, hire katsu
Tonkatsu · Nishiazabu, Tokyo · $$$
Crew: Jamie Patricof, Adam Saper, Eli Meyer, Anthony Jacobson, David Nathanson, Max Chow, Shu Chowdhury, Ben Hundreds, Conde Nast Traveler, Michelin Guide, Eater, Bon Appétit, Goop, Time Out
This coffee shop seats just six people at once, and the meticulous barista makes coffee you'll dream about well after your trip.
Order: Pour-over coffee, made one careful cup at a time
Coffee Shop · Toranomon, Tokyo · $$
Crew: Eli Meyer
An eight-seat cocktail temple where Gen Yamamoto serves omakase cocktails made from seasonal Japanese produce — no menu, no classics, just pure ingredient-driven artistry. Book way in advance.
Order: Omakase cocktail course (4 to 7 drinks), seasonal fruit and herb cocktails
Cocktail Bar · Azabujuban, Tokyo · $$$$
Crew: David Nathanson, Adam Saper, Matt Karatz, Martha Patricof, Adam Smith, Conde Nast Traveler, Eater, Time Out, Goop
Two-Michelin-star tempura temple where Chef Kondo fries sweet potato for thirty minutes until it's impossibly custardy inside. Vegetables get the same reverence as seafood here.
Order: Sweet potato tempura, tempura carrot, tempura sweetcorn, shrimp tempura, kakiage
Tempura · Ginza, Tokyo · $$$
Crew: Jamie Patricof, Adam Saper, Anthony Jacobson, Adam Smith, Conde Nast Traveler, Goop, Michelin Guide, The Hungry Tourist
A casual izakaya with six seats plus standing tables in a lumberyard parking lot, where the chef grills local specialties over binchotan on milk crates and cinder blocks. “Truly special” — Jason Spivak.
Order: Omakase — marinated cucumbers, seared bonito, grilled chicken neck, chicken skin gyoza
Izakaya · Nishijin, Kyoto
Crew: Jamie Patricof, David Nathanson, Jason Spivak, Michelin Guide
The birthplace of Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza — just two pies, margherita and marinara, cooked in sixty seconds at a tiny counter with a roaring wood-fired oven. Tokyo pizza is elite, and this is the proof.
Order: Marinara pizza
Pizza · Azabujuban, Tokyo · $$
Crew: Jamie Patricof, Eli Meyer, Max Chow, Matt Karatz, Jerrold Son, Conde Nast Traveler, Time Out, Bon Appétit
Tokyo's no-frills pizza legend serves just two wood-fired pies — Margherita and Marinara — in a Beatles-themed parlor in Nakameguro. Both are among the best Neapolitan pizzas on earth.
Order: Margherita, marinara, antipasto
Pizza · Nakameguro, Tokyo · $$
Crew: Ben Hundreds, David Nathanson, Adam Saper, Anthony Jacobson, Max Chow, Shu Chowdhury, Conde Nast Traveler, Eater, Time Out, Michelin Guide
This fine-dining steakhouse does something unexpected — they're known for their steak sandwiches. Sometimes the best dishes come in the most casual form. Yum.
Order: Steak sandwich
Steakhouse · Nihonbashi, Tokyo · $$$
Crew: Jamie Patricof, Adam Saper, David Nathanson, Neal Moritz, Anthony Jacobson, Joseph Varet, Eli Meyer
Chef Takashi Saito's eight-seat counter is sushi perfection — former three-star Michelin, once ranked best in the world. The horsehair crab hand roll and tuna progression are legendary, if you can score a seat.
Order: Omakase, tuna progression, kegani no temaki (horsehair crab hand roll), tamago
Sushi · Roppongi, Tokyo · $$$
Crew: Adam Smith, Adam Saper, David Nathanson, Conde Nast Traveler, Michelin Guide, Eater, Anthony Bourdain's Favorite Restaurants
Chef Masa's six-seat counter delivers a finely crafted, intimate omakase where “every bite is purposeful and well thought out” — Jason Spivak. Seating is very limited, so book far in advance.
Order: Omakase, obviously
Sushi · Nishiazabu, Tokyo · $$$$
Crew: Ben Hundreds, David Nathanson, Jason Spivak, Alex Tse, Max Shapiro, Conde Nast Traveler, Michelin Guide, The Hungry Tourist
Family-run, creative omakase featuring tempura and seasonal Kyoto dishes — the kind of place where tradition meets innovation beautifully.
Order: Trust the chef — that's the whole point
Tempura · Kyoto · $$$$
Crew: David Nathanson, Martha Patricof, Conde Nast Traveler, Eater, Michelin Guide
One of Tokyo's best casual yakitori joints, where every cut is grilled over Kishu binchotan charcoal with obsessive precision. The signature chicken skin takes three days to prepare, and the natural wine list is surprisingly deep.
Order: Special chicken skin grill, omakase course, thigh skewer, liver skewer, chochin
Yakitori · Nishiazabu, Tokyo · $$
Crew: Adam Saper, Eli Meyer, David Nathanson, Goop
