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
Yamanashi · Izakaya
An izakaya in Kofu specializing in beef tongue, served in many forms. The main draw is the signature *tan-shabu*—paper-thin slices of tongue cooked briefly at the table and served with a special egg-yolk ponzu.
Book days aheadView details
Yamanashi · Casual Dining
A family-run yakiniku restaurant in the village of Oshino, near Lake Yamanaka, celebrated for its exceptionally thick-cut beef tongue and generous portions. A destination for high-quality grilled meat.
Book days aheadView details
Nagano · Fine Dining
A lamb specialist in Matsumoto, relocated from Hakuba, serving an unusually wide range of never-frozen cuts. Known for its fresh, tender meat and attentive staff who grill each piece for you at the counter.
Book months aheadView details
Hiroshima · Casual Dining
A landmark ramen shop in Fukuyama, serving a textbook bowl of Onomichi-style ramen. Its rich, soy-based broth topped with sweet backfat makes it a local favourite, just minutes from Fukuyama Station.
No bookingView details
Ishikawa · Ice Cream Parlor
The originator of the full-sheet gold-leaf soft-serve, Hakuichi Higashiyama ten is a craft shop and café in Kanazawa's Higashiyama district. Visitors come for the spectacle of watching staff wrap a rich, milky ice cream cone in an entire sheet of…
No bookingView details
Hokkaido · Fast Casual
A popular standing sushi bar inside a seafood market at New Chitose Airport. It's known for exceptionally fresh, thick-cut Hokkaido seafood, served quickly for travellers wanting a high-quality meal before or after a flight.
No bookingView details
Osaka · Casual Dining
In Osaka's Dojima district, Sawada Shoten (澤田商店) serves a highly distinctive tantanmen. Its signature is a rich, fish-forward broth built on mackerel (saba), sesame, and nuts, with customizable spice and numbing levels.
No bookingView details
Kyoto · Dessert Shop
Explore the craft of fresh wheat gluten (fu) and tofu skin (yuba) at this specialist restaurant in Higashiyama, Kyoto. Sabou Hanbee serves a single, elegant set lunch in a renovated Meiji-era house with a garden view.
Book days aheadView details
Osaka · Izakaya
A lively izakaya in Osaka's Dojima district specializing in yakiton—charcoal-grilled pork skewers. It's a top choice for trying rare cuts and offal, including a signature pork "sashimi" plate, in an authentic counter setting.
Book days aheadView details
Hokkaido · Casual Dining
Enjoy high-grade wagyu sukiyaki in a registered cultural property dating to 1901. Located in Hakodate's Horaicho district, this restaurant offers private tatami rooms and table-side service, with meat from its own butcher shop.
Book months aheadView details
Kanagawa · Casual Dining
A small, counter-only ramen shop in the Tsurumi district of Yokohama, celebrated for its signature soupless tantanmen. Diners queue for the exceptionally chewy house-made noodles and a unique two-stage experience, where a hot broth is added midway…
No bookingView details
Osaka · Fine Dining
A local favorite in Nishishinsaibashi, Osaka, for its signature tecchan nabe, a chiritori-style hotpot piled high with beef, offal, and bean sprouts. The staff cook everything for you, finishing with a memorable two-part finale of udon and rice…
Book days aheadView details
Okinawa · Delicatessen (Deli)
Famous for its intensely garlicky rotisserie chicken, this popular spot in Urasoe, Okinawa, serves whole birds slow-roasted in a vinegar-herb marinade. A local specialty worth the trip for its unique flavour.
No bookingView details
Kanagawa · Delicatessen (Deli)
A renowned butcher shop in Hakone's Sengokuhara area, famous for its melt-in-the-mouth "Monjiro" roast beef and high-quality prepared foods like croquettes and char siu, perfect for a special hotel meal or souvenir.
No bookingView details
Okinawa · Steakhouse
An all-Okinawan teppanyaki counter in Kumoji, central Naha, on the ground floor of the Urban Life Kumoji building. Visitors come for Ishigaki beef, agu pork and Kume Island prawns, cooked in front of them.
Book days aheadView details
Kyoto · Take-out / Takeaway
This is the takeout counter of the famed Kyoto restaurant Murasakino Wakuden, located in the JR Kyoto Isetan department store. It offers a chance to sample high-end restaurant techniques in beautifully packaged bento boxes and signature lotus-root…
No bookingView details
Hokkaido · Dessert Shop
A fourth-generation wagashi shop in Sapporo, celebrated for its regional, handcrafted sweets. Visitors come for the signature 'zukume dango'—soft rice dumplings you dig out of a box of fragrant black sesame powder.
No bookingView details