This page is my personal list. The places I text friends when they ask where to eat in Tokyo. Broken into breakfast, lunch, and dinner so you can work them into whatever day you're already planning.
Breakfast
My take: No seats, just a barista who asks what you are in the mood for and picks from about 20 beans. Tucked down a backstreet off Omotesando, easy to walk past if you are not looking for it. Get a pour over and walk around the neighborhood with it. One of the better coffee stops I have had anywhere.
My take: Tiny wooden two story house tucked in the backstreets of Nakameguro, right next to the train tracks. Sit upstairs and the trains roll past close enough that you feel it. Get a pour over, take your time, and walk the Meguro River after. Five minute walk from Nakameguro Station.
My take: Small French bistro near Yoyogi Park, dim lighting, vinyl records, and a bar counter where you can watch the Dutch pancakes go in and out of the oven. Only 50 a day and they take 30 minutes to bake. Prosciutto, burrata, and maple syrup on a pancake sounds like it should not work and it absolutely does. Get there before they open on weekends or you will wait a long time.
Lunch
My take: Stopped here for lunch once and ended up going back two more times. The rice and beef plates, gyoza, and crispy fried chicken are all exactly what you want them to be. Tucked into a small Shinbashi alley, easy to miss and worth finding. Good stop before walking around the area.
My take: One of the only anago specialty restaurants in Tokyo, tucked into an old wooden building in Nihonbashi that has been there since 1953. Anago is saltwater eel and completely different from unagi, lighter and softer with a natural sweetness. Get the hako meshi with both grilled and simmered and at the end pour the hot anago broth over whatever rice is left in the box. Do not skip that part.
My take: Six counter seats in Ginza and nobody talks inside. Everyone just stares at the bowl. The broth is clear, built on chicken and duck with French technique behind it, and there is a ravioli version stuffed with truffle and foie gras that is worth going out of your way for. One of the best bowls of ramen I had in Tokyo. Get there early, this place fills up fast.
Dinner
My take: Tiny counter on a side street near Shinjuku Station where you can watch them roll, cut, and drop the noodles to order. The carbonara udon with parmesan, butter, egg, and bacon tempura sounds like it should not exist and is one of the better things I ate in Tokyo. Go early for the shortest wait.
My take: No reservations, mostly locals, and charcoal smoke out front before you even walk in. Counter wraps around the kitchen and the chefs grill Date-dori chicken from Fukushima over binchotan right in front of you. Get the chochin if it is available. Found this one while wandering around Nakameguro and ended up staying for a few hours. About a three minute walk from Nakameguro Station.
My take: Counter seats on the ninth floor in Ichigaya where Chef Nakahara grills every cut in front of you and walks you through the whole cow. The wagyu tongue comes in three different cuts and is the one everyone talks about. Add the wagyu katsu sando if it is available. Best yakiniku I had in Tokyo. Book a few weeks out.
