Tokyo dining, verified in person

Eat well in Japan —
whatever your diet

A hushed ten-seat Edomae counter. A vegan ramen that fools carnivores. Wagyu that melts on the tongue.

We hunt down Japan’s most worthwhile tables, taste them ourselves, and bring back the verdict — real links to book, an honest word on what you can eat, and the story behind every bowl.

Find a restaurant Dietary guides Map

© Tim Reckmann · CC BY 2.0

169Tokyo tables, tasted

Editor-visited & tasted

Real booking & official links

Dietary handling confirmed in person

169

Tokyo tables, tasted

Independent · no paid placements · re-verified on a rolling basis

Editor-visited & tasted

Every listing is editor-visited and tasted — never compiled from other people’s reviews.

Dietary handling confirmed in person

Dashi, mirin, cross-contact — confirmed face-to-face with the staff, and dated.

Real booking & official links

Genuine Tabelog and official pages, working booking links — no dead ends.

The seasonal table — 旬の膳

All Japanese food

SPRING

Sakura sea bream sakura-daiSpring's celebrated fish — raw at its seasonal peak.Mountain vegetables sansaiWild spring greens, in a lace-light tempura.

Bamboo shoots takenokoTender young bamboo — a fleeting delicacy of spring.

SUMMER

Unagi (grilled eel) unagiSummer-stamina eel, steamed then charcoal-grilled and glazed.Kakigori kakigōriFeather-fine shaved ice — Japan's summer in a bowl.

Hamo (pike conger) hamoA delicate white fish prized in the summer months.

AUTUMN

Sanma (Pacific saury) sanmaSilvery saury — the taste of autumn, grilled with salt.

Mushrooms kinokoAutumn's fragrant mushrooms, course by course.New-crop rice shinmaiThe year's first rice, at its glossy, fragrant best.

WINTER

Oden odenWinter's comfort pot of daikon, egg and fish cake.Sukiyaki sukiyakiWagyu simmered in sweet soy — a celebratory winter dish.

Crab kaniSweet winter crab, at the peak of its season.

Find your restaurant by diet

Vegan, vegetarian, halal, gluten-free or pescatarian — tap your diet and see every place we’ve confirmed.

Vegan Vegetarian Halal Gluten-free Pescatarian

Also: Kosher · Dairy-free · Nut-free — All dietary guides

Show-to-staff phrasebook

Pick your diet and hold your phone up to the staff. The exact Japanese to say what you can’t eat — plus the hidden traps (dashi, mirin, wheat in the soy) that catch first-timers.

Vegan Vegetarian Halal Gluten-free Pescatarian

Open the full phrasebook

Show this card to staff

私はヴィーガンです。肉・魚・卵・乳製品は食べられません。

I'm vegan. I can't eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy.

And always ask —

出汁に魚やかつおは使っていますか？

Is there fish or bonito in the dashi (stock)?

Explore Japanese food — the menu

ラーメンrāmen

天ぷらtenpura

焼き鳥yakitori

懐石・会席kaiseki

Editor’s picks — the 選 seal, our highest word

Atago · Shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian kaiseki) · ¥¥¥¥Shojin Ryori DaigoA one-Michelin-star Buddhist vegetarian kaiseki house at the foot of Mt. Atago, serving seasonal plant-based courses overlooking a garden since 1950.

VegetarianVeganJul 2026

Nihonbashi · Fruit parlour (parfaits & fruit desserts) · ¥¥¥Sembikiya Fruit ParlourThe dine-in fruit parlour of Japan's oldest luxury fruit purveyor, founded in Nihonbashi in 1834, serving lavish parfaits of world-class fruit in a bright, elegant salon.

VegetarianJul 2026

Yanaka · Kakigori (shaved ice) · ¥¥HimitsudoA pioneering kakigori specialist in old-town Yanaka, hand-shaving natural Nikko ice into fluffy mountains drenched in house-made seasonal fruit syrups — summer lines wrap the block.

VegetarianJul 2026

Okachimachi · Kanmidokoro (anmitsu & sweets) · ¥Mihashi UenoFounded in 1948 in front of Ueno Park, this beloved anmitsu parlour crowns chewy agar jelly with Hokkaido azuki anko and Okinawan brown-sugar syrup.

VegetarianJul 2026

Explore by area — Akihabara · Mita · Atago · Nihonbashi · Yanaka · Okachimachi · Tsukiji · Jimbocho

Japanese food & dining guides — beyond Tokyo, same standard

Area guidesHalal Restaurants in Hiroshima: A Verified Guide to Hondori, Otemachi, and TokaichimachiHiroshima has no third-party certified fully-halal restaurant yet, but four verified, currently-operating spots — halal wagyu ramen, Turkish cooking, Indian curry with a prayer space, and a self-branded "Halal Restaurant" — cluster along the Hiroden tram line downtown. This guide gives exact addresses, hours, prices, and honest caveats, including which venues serve alcohol despite halal branding.Area guidesGluten-Free Restaurants in Hiroshima: Where to Eat Safely, From Miyajima to OkonomiyakiHiroshima has a genuine dedicated gluten-free kitchen on Miyajima island, plus an okonomiyaki shop that will fire up a separate pan for celiac guests if you reserve ahead. Two more spots offer real gluten-free options with real cross-contact caveats. Here's exactly where to go, what to ask, and what to avoid.Area guidesVegan Restaurants in Hiroshima: Where to Actually Eat Plant-BasedHiroshima has one fully vegan restaurant (JoGeSaYu, near Hiroshima City Hall), one shojin-ryori restaurant that's vegetarian but not fully vegan (Saishoku-Kenbi), and one mixed-menu cafe with a genuinely vegan lunch set (Kissa Saeki). All three sit in or near central Hiroshima, making a one-day plan realistic — just confirm dashi and dairy before ordering anywhere outside JoGeSaYu.Area guidesHalal Restaurants in Nagoya: 5 Verified Spots, From Certified to Muslim-FriendlyNagoya has a small but real halal dining scene: five verified restaurants across Osu, Minato, Showa, and Higashi wards. Only one — Mega Kebab in Osu — carries genuine third-party certification, from the Kyoto Halal Council. The other four are Muslim-owned or Muslim-friendly with self-described halal cooking and no alcohol. Here's exactly where to go, what makes each one halal, and the traps to avoid.

Plant-based & planet-friendly

Vegan Japan

Explore Vegan Japan