Restaurants in Japan

Best Restaurants in Japan

From fresh sushi to crispy tempura, Japan’s diverse restaurant scene excites visitors and locals alike with hundreds of thousands of high-quality Japanese restaurants. Beckoning with drool-worthy plastic replicas in their windows, both contemporary and traditional restaurants offer unique flavors and atmospheres. Enter any restaurant in Japan and immediately be welcomed with a hearty “irasshaimase!”

Many Japanese restaurants focus on one signature dish, like Japanese curry restaurants, ramen shops, or speciality restaurants selling yakitori grilled chicken skewers. Restaurants steam with DIY shabu-shabu hotpots while grill-it-yourself teppanyaki hotplate restaurants sizzle! Find tiny family-owned ramen shops hidden in the backstreets of Kyoto, and yatai street food stalls bustling in alleys of Fukuoka. And let’s not forget, Tokyo alone boasts the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world!

Throughout the country, fine dining restaurants serving exquisite kaiseki banquets contrast cheap “shokudo” cafeterias meals for salarymen on-the-go. You can order dinner directly from a tablet or even a vending machine, or choose your own sushi pieces trundling past on the belt of a sushi train. Nibble on small plates as you drink up during an izakaya dining experience, seated on tatami flooring and cheersing “kampai!” with the locals. There are so many exciting Japan restaurant options with different foods and local cuisines to try, so don’t waste a moment of your trip looking for a restaurant! Reserve ahead of time at some of the best restaurants in Japan with byFood and secure some of the country’s best cuisine for your taste buds. Don't forget to say, “gochisosama deshita” when you leave any Japan restaurant, meaning “thank you for the meal!”