Recommend me some places to eat in: Tokyo/Osaka/Okinawa

ondafly

Right Folks

Anyone got some specific recommendations for restaurants in Tokyo, Osaka and Okinawa ? We're heading over shortly and I'm already dying to get my belly filled with okonomiyaki again !

just-joe

Hey there,

I haven't lived in any of those places, but I have been to Tokyo and Osaka a few times, although not Okinawa yet! I think they are all such big places however, that giving specific names/places would be difficult. So I'd say just wander and find somewhere random, which is half the fun anyway! While doing this, try to try all the different foods available. You may know, but for eg. ramen, yaki-niku, yaki-tori, sushi, tempura etc etc..

There are some great sushi and tempura places in Asakusa in Tokyo.

And, if you're going to Osaka, go to Kyoto too!

Tristram

I'll be posting here later!

johnny_ultimate

In general, there's a few chains that are easy to find and always provide delicious treats. CoCo Curry House is heaven for the katsu curry fan (that would be me), and I'm a sucker for cheap, delicious Gyodon restaurants, which you'll find on every block in the country :P

More specifically, sushi breakfast in Tokyo fish market is the single greatest food I've ever had the pleasure of eating. I'm not sure the exact name of the restaurant I've been to (has an animated chef), but there's a row of 'em and I'd imagine they're all pretty damn good.

Asakusa is where I have usually stayed in Tokyo, and there's some delicious restaurants up there. During the day, the path to the shrine there has all sorts of delicious street food - yakatori, octo-balls (takoyaki), daifuku. If you turn right at the entrance (facing it) and walk down that street there's also plenty of delicious restaurants. There's one place, maybe half way down the block, across the road from the shrine, that does absolutely delicious 'men' (I think that's what they call it) - noodles that you can dip in your own broth. Basically make your own ramen.

Osaka I actually can't really recall any specific restaurants that are worth visiting. A tonne here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g298566-Osaka_Osaka_Prefecture_Kinki.html

Giruilla

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

In general, there's a few chains that are easy to find and always provide delicious treats. CoCo Curry House is heaven for the katsu curry fan (that would be me),

Me too! CoCo Ichi Curry is feckin unreal.. eat it twice in one week and you'll be in for some heart troubles though...

me-skywalker

hey hey I posted a response in the Region > Abroad > Japan forum (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=74641381#post74641381
)

me-skywalker wrote: »

A must is to head for the Tsukiji Fish Market. Make sure you go early in the morning ie 6/7am and see the auctions of the Cod etc amazing experience.
Also bring extra money as you will HAVE to get some fresh sushi, there is easily 20sushi shops, very small, very compact, you get t osee the chef making it right infron tof you, so grab a chair and enjoy. All well stocked and with the freshest fish, and made by some of the most experienced chefs. This will not be cheap though, but very very tasty and enjoyable.

On a side note wouldn't that forum be more apt for discussions on all thigns Japan rahter than the language forum?

old hippy

Kokusai Street (main thoroughfare) in Naha, Okinawa has loads of cheap and tasty restaurants. Try pig's ear or the local seaweed delicacy.

Ultimately, the best place for okonomiyaki is Hiroshima but you can find it all over the country...

Konata

me-skywalker wrote: »

On a side note wouldn't that forum be more apt for discussions on all thigns Japan rahter than the language forum?

We take what we're given and we work with it :P They haven't asked for moderators of that forum but they did for this one.

We'd be looking at some way to integrate them all in the future hopefully - if there's enough demand!

Tristram

Zauo Restaurant

This is a pretty cool restaurant with branches in different spots. I went to the one in the Washington Hotel Shinjuku and had a good time!

The Lock Up

Another fun place, this time in Shibuya.

There's a whole host of other gimmicky places that are really good fun and worth a visit. Depends what you're looking for. There's so many great restaurants over here you will be spoiled for choice. I'll come back and post more when I get a chance!

ondafly

some good ideas there folks I got in contact with a guy from Oki and he recommends Pizza in the Sky (http://www.travbuddy.com/Pizza-in-the-Sky-v189326) sounds like fun !

believe it or not I'm actually looking forward to some ready2go meals from Lawsons !

Really liking the sound of the LockUp restaurant and I'll defo hunt down a CoCo Curry House !

old hippy

For a quick fast food fix; (not my normal thing) I recommend Mos Burger. Delicious and doesn't go through you like certain franchises. Allegedly, etc.

Giruilla

old hippy wrote: »

For a quick fast food fix; (not my normal thing) I recommend Mos Burger. Delicious and doesn't go through you like certain franchises. Allegedly, etc.

They do proper chips too!

Giruilla

Hasn't been mentioned yet, but for Japanese fast food restaurants you can't beat Matsuya, Yoshinoya and Sukiya. They're everywhere. You get a massive bowl of rice with meat/vegtables/sause on top, salad, a bowl of miso soup and free tea and water all for about 3 euro!
Sukiya would be my personal favourite as the have a cheese option on top!

Tristram

Giruilla wrote: »

Hasn't been mentioned yet, but for Japanese fast food restaurants you can't beat Matsuya, Yoshinoya and Sukiya. They're everywhere. You get a massive bowl of rice with meat/vegtables/sause on top, salad, a bowl of miso soup and free tea and water all for about 3 euro!
Sukiya would be my personal favourite as the have a cheese option on top!

Your 3 euro wouldn't be getting much in Sukiya these days but it's cheap enough alright.

Giruilla

Tristram wrote: »

Your 3 euro wouldn't be getting much in Sukiya these days but it's cheap enough alright.

Not with the current exchange rate anyway...

Actually must be pretty expensive to go on holiday to Japan from Europe at the moment. If you got to an Irish bar a pint is gonna set you back at least 9 euro!!

old hippy

Giruilla wrote: »

Not with the current exchange rate anyway...

Actually must be pretty expensive to go on holiday to Japan from Europe at the moment. If you got to an Irish bar a pint is gonna set you back at least 9 euro!!

Certainly the imported European stuff will be the most expensive. Stick to national/ local brews.

Which reminds me, check out Orion beer when in Okinawa. Lovely stuff.

Giruilla

old hippy wrote: »

Certainly the imported European stuff will be the most expensive. Stick to national/ local brews.

Which reminds me, check out Orion beer when in Okinawa. Lovely stuff.

Seriously a pint of Asahi or Kirin in an Irish bar in Tokyo will cost at least ￥900 to ￥1000.

Orion beer is great! can be hard to find on the mainland though!

old hippy

Giruilla wrote: »

Seriously a pint of Asahi or Kirin in an Irish bar in Tokyo will cost at least ￥900 to ￥1000.

Orion beer is great! can be hard to find on the mainland though!

Hmm, Paddy Foleys? Dubliners? Yeah, it is steep with the Yen being so strong. I think I'll stick with half pints next trip

There's actually a Japanese restaurant in Islington, London that serves Orion - I was delighted because I normally can't find it outside of Okinawa, as you point out!

Giruilla

old hippy wrote: »

Hmm, Paddy Foleys? Dubliners? Yeah, it is steep with the Yen being so strong. I think I'll stick with half pints next trip

There's actually a Japanese restaurant in Islington, London that serves Orion - I was delighted because I normally can't find it outside of Okinawa, as you point out!

They're the places yeah! think it can be hard to find the cheap places if you go as a tourist for just a week.

On the subject of beer... a 330ml can of Asahi in kaiten sushi in dublin costs 6.50 e!

old hippy

Giruilla wrote: »

They're the places yeah! think it can be hard to find the cheap places if you go as a tourist for just a week.

On the subject of beer... a 330ml can of Asahi in kaiten sushi in dublin costs 6.50 e!

Holy crap! I can get a pint of it here for £3.80 in my local!

As regards the aforementioned pubs, there's nothing wrong with them, they're good craic but it's worth trying Japanese bars - different set up but I find them welcoming. Admittedly, it's the missus who has to do all the translating in my case but it's worth searching them out.

There's an unusual old school American bar in Naha, "Bar Dick", worth a visit & don't let the unusual name put you off

Konata

Thread moved to the Japan forum

Tristram

Beer is just plain expensive over here if you are drinking in pint volume. Wallet certainly takes a hit on nights out.

ondafly

going well so far ! managed to grab 2 pork okonomiyakis with some Kirin beers last night. Tasted soooooo good

Caybar

Sorry not Japanese food but really good grub..

First is a chain of Chinese restaurants called Xi'an. They have a couple of restaurants dotted around the Tokyo/Yokohama. Order a bowl of "Ma Ra Men" Really tasty and a good hangover cure!

Google translated version of their website

Discription of Ma Ra Men

Second one is a falafel place called Pita the Great in Akasaka, probably my favorite place to go for lunch, if you're in the area i highly recommend it!

Pita the great Review

Japanese food wise, i'd just pick something you want to eat, Curry, Sushi, Yaki Niku, Tempura, Gyuudon, ramen, and find the nearest place that sells it, the standard of food here is pretty high so you cant go wrong!

If you're going to Osaka, i'd recommend making the short trip to Kobe (bout 20 mins on a local train) and shelling out for some Kobe beef! You may as well sample it at the source!

ondafly

Just back from Coco Curry house. Awesome food, real comfort food to say the least.

draiochtanois

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Giruilla

draiochtanois wrote: »

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I think they've become almost obsolete these days.. and if they are there pretty sure you need one of the passmo cards to buy beer too!

24 hour konbini is rarely 100 metres away anyway!

Giruilla

ondafly wrote: »

Just back from Coco Curry house. Awesome food, real comfort food to say the least.

Good to hear you enjoyed it! I'd murder a katsu curry with cheese from there right now..

draiochtanois

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old hippy

draiochtanois wrote: »

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Yeah but I prefer beers with company rather than the side of the road

ondafly

so a bit of an update on my diet so far in Okinawa :pac:

we hit Yoshinoya the other night - not blown away to be honest



tonight we went to some barbieQ style place - basically raw meet, and you cook it yourself - great craic altogether ! although we were practically doing smoke signals from our table at one stage.



I'm also turned into a sucker for heading to a Lawson/Family Mart late at night



but remembering to avoid certain sections :pac:

johnny_ultimate

Giruilla wrote: »

Good to hear you enjoyed it! I'd murder a katsu curry with cheese from there right now..

Pop into the local Asian market, pick up some curry roux, Japanese rice and red ginger.

Pop into your local meat reseller and buy some breaded chicken fillets (M&S do nice ones).

Cook.

It does the job

Konata

ondafly wrote: »

so a bit of an update on my diet so far in Okinawa :pac:

<snip>

Ha, cheers for the photos! Dare I ask what exactly the dish in the first photo is...? >_>

johnny_ultimate

Konata wrote: »

Ha, cheers for the photos! Dare I ask what exactly the dish in the first photo is...? >_>

It's gyodon (aka beef bowl).

Of all the things I miss, that's top of the list You just can't make it to great the same standard (or lack thereof, depending on how fussy you are :P)

ondafly

Konata wrote: »

Ha, cheers for the photos! Dare I ask what exactly the dish in the first photo is...? >_>

sure Beef something or other on top of rice. Not great, reminded me of a stew.

Konata

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

It's gyodon (aka beef bowl).

Of all the things I miss, that's top of the list You just can't make it to great the same standard (or lack thereof, depending on how fussy you are :P)

It looks a bit manky tbh >_< What's in it?

johnny_ultimate

Konata wrote: »

It looks a bit manky tbh >_< What's in it?

Beef (or pork, if you misinterpret the menu, which is easy), rice, onion usually. Plus delicious seasoning.

It's the heartiest fast food around. That and a bowl of curry rice. Yummy. The culinary equivalent of a hug. And a hug that costs 500 yen for a big ****-off bowl of the stuff. The backpackers dinner of choice!

Giruilla

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Pop into the local Asian market, pick up some curry roux, Japanese rice and red ginger.

Pop into your local meat reseller and buy some breaded chicken fillets (M&S do nice ones).

Cook.

It does the job

Ha, I'll have to try that!

Giruilla

ondafly wrote: »

so a bit of an update on my diet so far in Okinawa :pac:

we hit Yoshinoya the other night - not blown away to be honest

Oo that looks like a rough yoshinoya! I'd prefer Matsuya or Sukiya myself for gyudon, but yoshinoya does good tempura. Anyway I'm sure it tasted ok and for the price its not so bad!

I used to love those salty squid snacks in the pic! Go great with beer..

old hippy

Giruilla wrote: »

Oo that looks like a rough yoshinoya! I'd prefer Matsuya or Sukiya myself for gyudon, but yoshinoya does good tempura. Anyway I'm sure it tasted ok and for the price its not so bad!

I used to love those salty squid snacks in the pic! Go great with beer..

Absolutely!

EI_Flyboy

In Shinjuku, if you can find "Sizzler," up the top of that building(50th or 60th floor) there's a marvelous Japanese restaurant which is actually very reasonably priced. The food is great and the views are stunning!

ondafly

Well we made it to Pizza in the Sky in Okinawa, I have to say folks, best pizza I've ever had. There is only 1 choice of pizza, and you can only remove toppings from it. But the place is fantastic, if a little hard to find, and really dodgy to drive up to (think really small 1 car wide roads, with drops on either side.)

The menu


The pizza - forgot to photo it before wolfing it down :pac:


And a quick video of the view, but also listen to the sound of the cicadas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIM9btgc5nA

We're in Tokyo now though, and we've already made a return journey to CoCos - and stepped it up a level on the spices :cool: We went to the one in Akihabara, and of course I've done a bit of retro shopping while there





Got my ass handed to me on Street Fighter in HEY arcade after that DOH !

Last night we headed to a Japanese boozer for some beers and yakitori. The food was sooooo good, and the place was mental busy, great fun though.



Spotted this in 7eleven on the way back :eek:

FruitLover

ondafly wrote: »

we hit Yoshinoya the other night - not blown away to be honest

You realise it's a fast food joint, right? Like the Japanese equivalent of McDonald's.

ondafly wrote: »

but remembering to avoid certain sections :pac:

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it - that dried squid and cuttlefish is savage with a few beers!

old hippy

The sound of the cicadas brings me back to our trip to the islands off Okinawa; it's an amazing experience when you first hear them.

Taiwan & Japan next year - yes!!!

octo

ondafly wrote: »

Anyone got some specific recommendations for restaurants in Tokyo, Osaka and Okinawa ?

Murphy's Bar, Shinsaibashi, Osaka, of course!

johnny_ultimate

octo wrote: »

Murphy's Bar, Shinsaibashi, Osaka, of course!

Going to Irish bars in Japan?!

Heresy!

old hippy

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Going to Irish bars in Japan?!

Heresy!

Not at all! It's a bit of fun. Tadgh's in Kyoto is my latest discovery. Independent brewers (local), microbrews, great atmosphere and a far cry from the Dubliners chain (which I still enjoy).

I also drink in traditional Japanese bars as well - it's kind of a running joke with me and the missus - wherever we are abroad we like to check out an Irish bar

BailMeOut

this place is great

http://www.gonpachi.jp/en/casual/home/index

ate that the Minato-ku one a few times and I think it has something to do with the Kill Bill movies.

Probably considered touristy but food was really good and a good place for larger groups.