Araikawa

Traditional Japanese high-end dining is known to be high-priced, but Araikawa is lauded among gourmets as the restaurant that offers omakase courses at a great value. Opened by chef-owner Tomoya Araikawa, the chef's menu includes a variety of dishes including Shiba shrimp, cream croquettes, charcoal-grilled young sweetfish, and fried tiger pufferfish. Chef Araikawa's past experiences over the last twenty years have shaped his current restaurant, and his own vision of the future of kaiseki cuisine. He follows his instincts, imagining what guests would like and creating dishes based on that. Other than the most popular dish, karasumi soba, guests enjoy surprises from the everchanging dishes in the courses. There seem to be no rules at Araikawa — a course can start with sashimi one time and soup or skewered meat another. This quirkiness along with their fine ingredients is what makes Araikawa distinctive from the rest.