Top Restaurants in the Shinjuku Area

Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's most active neighborhoods, is considered the city's nightlife epicenter. The streets of Shinjuku get brighter at night with flashing neon lights, earning it the nickname "the city never sleeps." Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai are two well-known bars in Shinjuku. The Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo is the biggest in the world and has evolved into one of the city's most unique and authentic tourist destinations.

One of the most significant areas to learn about Tokyo's food culture is Shinjuku, which is home to thousands of eating establishments, including cafés, restaurants, and bars. The variety of food in Shinjuku is incredible, and it ranges in price from cheap to quite expensive.

Tsukemen Gonokami Seisakusho

An hour before opening, especially on weekends, hungry customers are lined up outside this wildly popular tsukemen (dipping ramen) restaurant, located behind Shinjuku's Takashimaya department store.

The star of this dish is the Ebi (shrimp) tsukemen; unlike ordinary ramen, it is consumed by dipping thick, chewy noodles into a hot, thick soup cooked with a generous amount of shrimp. Ebi miso tsukemen and the riskier Ebi tomato tsukemen are a few twists on the subject.

If you want to eat the best food in Shinjuku, There are many Japanese restaurants, so you should know where to dine well in Shinjuku.

Sugoi Niboshi Ramen Nagi Shinjuku Golden Gai

Currently, with six locations throughout Tokyo, the Nagi ramen chain returned in 2008 by reopening a location in Golden Gai, Shinjuku's renowned old-school bar neighborhood. This Nagi, located on the second story of an ancient wooden house, exudes the vibe of the neighborhood the moment you step through the door. This area is known for its spicy niboshi ramen, created by boiling a large quantity of dried sardines for 12 hours to produce a unique, strongly flavored soup.

Konjiki Hototogi

Only three ramen restaurants worldwide have received a Michelin star, with Sobahouse Konjiki Hototogisu being the first (awarded in 2019, after Tsuta and Nakiryu). The distinctive should soba is created with three soup stocks—pork broth, wa-dashi (Japanese stock), and hamaguri clam dashi—and topped with truffle sauce, porcini oil, and flakes to pack a powerful umami punch.

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However, we agree with the restaurant's recommendation to order the shio soba. The balanced base stock perfectly offsets the hamaguri clam and red sea bream soup's characteristic seafood sweetness, which combines two types of salt (Okinawan sea salt and Mongolian rock salt). Finishing sauces for the noodles include Inca berry sauce, pancetta bacon bits, porcini mushroom sauce, and Italian white truffle oil. This enhances the full flavor by giving it strength and depth akin to pesto. You'll be forced to consume the entire soup pot since it is alluring.

Shinjuku Kappo Nakajima

Nakajima may offer the most affordable lunch in town for a restaurant with a Michelin star. While their kaiseki dishes can cost up to 15,000 yen at dinner, set lunches start at just 880. These are filling dinners with rice, miso soup, pickles, and tea.

The lunch menu features sardines, which come in four main dishes: deep-fried, stewed in shoyu stock, sashimi marinated in sesame and ginger, and our favorite, the Yanagawa nabe set. The latter is a casserole dish of deep-fried sardines in a simmering shoyu broth, topped with an egg and onions.

If you want to try Wagyu beef, go with Ninjafoodtours. You'll be surprised by the variety of alternatives available to you and how much outstanding wagyu differs from other types of beef. Ask us about accommodating many dietary concerns; our tours are inexpensive!

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Top Kyoto Restaurants

Even Tokyo cannot compare to Kyoto's culinary scene. The city is home to numerous well-known, long-standing, traditional restaurants, but there has also been a recent surge of new shops that have drawn notice.

Japanese, sushi, ramen, udon, French, and Spanish cuisines are also popular.

For those of you who want to get the most out of your trip to Kyoto, we'll be exposing hidden gems of eateries that serve a variety of cuisine. Take a Shinjuku food tour to sample some excellent local fare and beverages while learning about Japanese cuisine.

This list is a classic version! Before leaving, ensure that you read it!

Ogata

The highest point in Kyoto is home to the Japanese restaurant Ogata.

The proprietor, who spent many years honing his abilities at the renowned restaurant "Wakuden," is known throughout Japan for his "simple yet deep" and "bold but delicate" meals.

It can be challenging to acquire a seat at Ogata during the winter because it is the only time of year when the best "Taiza crab" from Kyoto's north is available. Customers from all over the world travel here to sample the seasonal tastes from the Sea of Japan.

Yukifuran Sato

This Japanese restaurant is hidden in Shinbashi Dori, a neighbourhood that still exudes an air of the past.

Many people go from Tokyo to sample the meals that its distinctive chef has produced.

Yukifuran Sato's plethora of charcoal-grilled meals, which are prepared at the grill in the restaurant's middle, are its main attraction.

Bamboo shoots in the spring, ayu in the summer, unagi in the fall, and wild game (like deer and bear) in the winter are just a few examples of seasonal ingredients that are appealing all year long.

aca 1゜

The most well-known Spanish eatery in Kyoto is this contemporary eatery.

Many visitors go great distances to visit this restaurant to learn how Japanese cooks recreate these distinctive meals using Japanese ingredients.

The restaurant's "paella," a traditional Spanish meal cooked by boiling together seasonal ingredients, is frequently featured on foodies' Instagram feeds.

The delicious and umami-packed rice prepared with these seasonal treats will take your breath away, from delicacies like a crab to black throat perch, scabbard fish to anago.

In Japan, the world's top food destination, Best Food Tours Japan, can assist you in finding the best gourmet experiences.

The Hyotei Bekkan

One of Kyoto's most prominent dining establi

shments, Hyotei Bekkan, opened its doors almost 200 years ago.

The restaurant's "asagayu" (breakfast rice porridge), offered in the morning, is well-liked by foreign guests as a very inexpensive way to sample its cuisine.

The asagayu is a straightforward dish consisting of simmered and steamed ingredients, soup, and rice porridge, but it has a rich flavour that gives you an understanding of the skills behind this well-known restaurant.

Starting your day here at Hyotei is highly recommended if you're looking for luxury throughout your visit to Kyoto.

Tominokoji Yamagishi

This Japanese eatery is so well-known that Kyoto counts it among its "three fingers."

It has gained a lot of popularity for its one-of-a-kind and inventive omakase (chef's choice) menu, which includes a variety of dishes prepared with fresh seasonal ingredients and ends with its renowned "Uni Dokku."

Although it draws much attention on social media, some people would mistake it for a "fad" restaurant. However, the proprietor, who has extensive experience in flower arranging, tea ceremonies, and calligraphy, carefully crafts each dish to be entirely authentic.

Be sure to savour the cute small touches paired with the otherwise conventional meals inspired by traditional tea dishes!

If you're looking for the best Kyoto restaurants, contact Ninja Food Tours. We provide memorable and private dining experiences in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, or even at your home.

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