There’s a lot of hype around this pizza. It is indeed very good. The sauce tastes fresh and the salty crust is perfect. Watching the chef make your pizza is almost better than the pizza itself.
Smaller and more intimate than its sister bars, Bar Trench offers amazing cocktails and great ambiance. No smoking! Lots of tourists/ex-pats if you care about that.
Hip place in a hip neighborhood. My Japanese friends tell me this is more of a spot for tourists, but a great place to try okonomiyaki and monjayaki.
Best thing about this bar beside the owner and ambiance: no smoking! So many of the bars in Golden Gai and Tokyo are filled with smoke.
Beautiful tea spot on the 5th floor of the Spiral building. Try the tea and liquor tasting menu.
This is an amazing experience where everything is tactile and interactive. The crystal light forest is my favorite. So well done.
Fancy whisky bar with a huge selection of whisky. Get it over a perfectly clear ice ball.
A beautiful example of failed design. Go back in time to 1972 by taking a tour of an original capsule. Believe it or not people still live in some.
Amazing tonkatsu. They explain the different cuts and pork brands well. There’s usually a wait but the line moves quickly. Upstairs is traditional Japanese seating.
Get the egg omelette sandwich. It’s like nothing I’ve ever had. Made with care by an ex-sushi chef. Fluffy egg on a buttery bun infused with a hint of spicy mustard.
Hidden bar. The door is in a wall. The entire wall is made of plants. Cool vibe.
I think this shrine is highly underrated. It’s one of the oldest places of worship in Tokyo. There’s a multitude of small torii surrounding the shrine. Walk around Yanaka afterward.
Cool izakaya. Everything seems to be in Japanese. They have shirako, aka fish sperm.
Great Japanese restaurant where you can get everything from sashimi to karaage to udon. Chic, modern Japanese decor. A great escape from the craziness of Golden Gai & the Love Hotel District.
This standing room only bar specializes in sours. Try the lemon sour. Books cover the wall from floor to ceiling. Great ambiance.
Great pizza, the first of the Tokyo Neapolitan joints. I think I prefer this pizza over Savoy. The atmosphere is great with cool spiral staircase.
Conveyer belt sushi! Long line that moves fast. Sushi isn’t the best in the world, but you’re there for the fun experience and that doesn’t disappoint.
I loved this. Understand what you’re gonna get: crazy performance, anime style stories, tongue-in-cheekness about foreigners stereotypes of japan. Get a little drunk before & just enjoy the silliness.
Cool beer bar with an outdoor seating area and a food truck. Don’t worry if you’re not a beer fan they also make highballs.
Cute store tucked on a little street in Nakameguro. Go look at all the little travel notebooks and daydream about that next adventure (or how to document the one you’re on).
Beautiful design museum designed by Tadao Ando. Always interesting exhibits, but also worth it just to see the building itself.
SG stands for “sip and guzzle”. Upstairs is Guzzle. You’re gonna want to go downstairs for Sip. That’s where you’ll get to try the drinks with ants and wagyu. Also, the atmosphere is sexier.
Really beautiful shrine up on a hill (walk the very steep Success Steps). Perhaps not a destination if you’re a tourist (unless ur in the Andaz), but a lovely oasis away from the city below.
Spicy ramen! Come early for lunch. Get your ticket then wait in line. Spice level 3 is medium but still caused sweat to drip down my face. There are tissues under the bar for this! Great for hangovers
Maybe you don’t care about Lost in Translation. That’s okay! The view is great, the drinks are impeccably made and the jazz is soothing.
Little bar on the third floor. Extensive whiskey selection. Be respectful and follow the rules.
Stop here after checking out the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. Cool vibe, good whiskey selection, and records. Be aware: 500 yen cover and smoking allowed. (Also a cigar fee).
Beautiful space. Pick two items from the basket and a liquor and they’ll make something original for you. No drink menus.
This is supposed to be the best eel in Tokyo and it did not disappoint. The unagi rice was amazing.
Another cocktail bar with a fruit bowl and no menu. This one is unique because of what they serve the drinks in. Mine came in a bathtub complete with rubber duck.
Delicious Omakase experience. This is a seared toro with “the best mushroom in the world”. Very good.
Great sandwiches. The meatball is amazing. Bonus if you’re from San Francisco. The owner is from SF, so lots of great SF vibes.
The best Indian curry I’ve had in japan. Make a reservation for dinner. Get the two types of curry and cheese nan with mini rice.
Feels like more of a bookstore than gallery, but they have several exhibits and great design books.
Gallery for photo shows. Great space on the first floor with big windows.
