Where to eat sushi in Tokyo

Hi there everyone, and welcome to a special edition of the Food + Travel Edit. This is another monthly missive that’s for paid subscribers only, a curated list of my favourite restaurants, bars and hotels from cities around the world that I know very well. This month, we’re talking sushi in Tokyo, which is surely some of the best food on the planet. These are my top choices, which will cater to every budget from $20 a head to $500-plus. Thanks, as ever, for your support – I couldn’t do this without you.

Everyone wants sushi when they go to Japan. It’s the iconic cuisine, the style of food Japan is most globally famous for, and a true cultural experience when you’re in the country. You should eat sushi in Japan. It’s the greatest.

However, not all sushi joints are created equal. To begin with, there are some very different styles and price points out there. You can go from $800-a-head omakase to $1-a-plate sushi trains. It pays to have a little knowledge before you arrive.

You will find three basic styles of sushi restaurant in Japan. At the lowest, cheapest end, there’s “kaitenzushi”, or conveyor belt sushi, where everything is pre-made and passes in front of you, you just choose what you want. Some of these places are priced on an all-you-can-eat basis, while some charge per plate.

Next up, there are sushi joints where ordering is done a la carte. Sometimes you can do this plate by plate, with two or three pieces of nigiri per serve, while other times it will be a set of, say, nine pieces that will all arrive on a platter at the same time. These places tend to be higher in price than kaitenzushi joints, and the quality can sometimes be very high (note there are also kaitenzushi places that offer a la carte options).

Finally, there’s omakase sushi, the artisanal high end of sushi culture. At these restaurants you will need to book weeks, if not months ahead (or you won’t be able to get a booking at all), and pay hundreds of dollars per person to be treated to an extensive meal of sushi and appetisers decided by the chef on the day.

If you’re heading to Tokyo soon and want to eat sushi, these are my nine favourite places to do it, ranging from cheap and casual to high-end (though still accessible and bookable).

Ginza Kyubey
To me, this is the ideal high-end sushi experience in Tokyo. Ginza Kyubey is a historic restaurant, founded in 1935, and a leader in the development of sushi as artisanal cuisine. Barack Obama dined here. It’s the real deal. And yet, Ginza Kyubey is not impossible to book, or at all stuffy or exclusive; its chefs speak some English, and its experiences are easily bookable online. Kyubey also offers a range of menu options, from budget-friendly lunches for less than $A100, to full set dinners of up to $A500 a head. With multiple outlets in the “honten” or headquarters, as well as luxury hotels around Tokyo, you will always find a seat and a meal to suit your budget.
How to book: Check out the Ginza Kyubey website, where you can book direct.