Ranking
An editorial ranking of restaurants, cafés and bars: grades from A+ to F, price range, and the Tabelog score where one exists.
Places ranked: 2,446
Kanagawa · Casual Dining
Sagamihara Keyaki (Sagamihara 欅) is a small ramen counter in Sonan, Sagamihara, a few minutes from Odakyu Sagamihara Station. People come for clear, chicken-forward shoyu ramen and kelp-broth tsukemen.
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Kanagawa · Gelateria
Authentic Italian gelato in Kamakura, known for its intense, single-origin flavours and unusually dense texture. This is a takeout-only spot for connoisseurs seeking premium ingredients like Matera pistachio.
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Shizuoka · Casual Dining
A specialist tuna shop in Shizuoka, serving exceptionally fresh and generous bowls of southern bluefin tuna. It's famous for its lunch-only 'comparison bowls' that let you taste multiple cuts at once for a very reasonable price.
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Kyoto · Dessert Shop
An elegant tea room from famed confectioner Hosen, located inside the Shinkansen gates at Kyoto Station. It's a quiet oasis for high-quality traditional sweets before or after your train journey.
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Tokyo · Casual Dining
A celebrated taqueria in Setagaya, known for its seasonal, chef-led taco menu served on fresh, house-made blue-corn tortillas. It's a destination for a unique brunch or lunch, with queues forming early.
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Nagano · Casual Dining
A celebrated tonkatsu specialist in Ueda, near the station, known for its slow-frying technique that produces exceptionally juicy, light cutlets. Expect queues for what many consider Nagano's best pork cutlet.
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Fukuoka · Diner
Experience top-tier seafood in a casual diner setting in Fukuoka's Imaizumi district. This popular spot from the Tanakada group is famed for its exceptionally fresh kaisen-don and customisable set meals.
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Osaka · Casual Dining
A long-standing counter-only yakiniku spot in Sakai, Osaka, famed for its theatrical table-side flambéed chateaubriand and exceptionally thick cuts of meat. A lively, smoky experience for serious meat lovers.
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Osaka · Fine Dining
Genji (源氏) is a long-running creative kitchen in Tamadehigashi, south Osaka, on the ground floor of GRACE Tezukayama. Visitors come for dishes that cross Japanese, Western and Chinese lines, and for a lunch bento that delivers far more than its…
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Ishikawa · Fine Dining
Sushi Shinosuke (鮨 志の助) is a ten-seat omakase counter in a house in residential Irie, Kanazawa, run by a Komatsu Yasuke-trained chef. It is known for nodoguro nigiri and hand-passed negitoro maki.
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Hokkaido · Bar
In Sapporo, this stylish restaurant serves creative Italian tasting menus built around Hokkaido's best produce. The main draw is the counter seating, which offers a front-row view of the open 'theatre' kitchen.
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Hiroshima · Casual Dining
A celebrated tonkatsu specialist in Fukuyama, offering a tasting experience built around premium, single-breed pork. Guests praise the precise, low-temperature frying and the guided progression of salts and sauces that elevates each cut.
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Aichi Prefecture · Fine Dining
In Nagoya's Marunouchi district, Yamaneko Ken offers a long, multi-course tasting menu built on rare ingredients. The experience is defined by a mandatory, lengthy pre-meal lecture from the chef, making it part dinner, part performance.
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Kyoto · Casual Dining
A course-only yakiniku restaurant in Kyoto, celebrated for its rare beef cuts and solo-friendly counter seating. It's a destination for those seeking a structured tasting of high-quality grilled meat, from a signature yukke to a famous curry finale.
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Hokkaido · Pizzeria
A solo-run pizzeria in a log cabin in Sarabetsu, Hokkaido, known for its unique, chewy crust and pizzas topped with generous amounts of local cheese. Expect long but worthwhile waits for a taste of this regional specialty.
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Ishikawa · Fine Dining
A seven-seat sushi counter in Kakinokibatake, central Kanazawa, near the 21st Century Museum. It serves semi-omakase nigiri of local fish, sliced in thin layers, from a warm, talkative chef.
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Hyōgo · Fine Dining
An intimate, one-chef restaurant in Kobe's Chuo ward where the crackle and aroma of a wood fire are central to the experience. Expect inventive, multi-course tasting menus with housemade pastas and curated wine pairings.
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Aichi Prefecture · Fine Dining
A unique tasting-menu counter in Nagoya's Meieki district, where a single chef blends Peruvian and Latin American flavours with authentic Italian pesto, all cooked over a wood fire. An intimate, theatrical dining experience.
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