8 Japanese Restaurants in Ueno With a Variety of Dishes
Ueno is a popular place for both local and international tourists. It is filled with tourist attractions, such as museums, zoos, and of course, great restaurants! Here are some awesome Japanese restaurants in Ueno.
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1. Otooto - Ueno Bamboo Garden Branch [Ueno]
Otooto is an izakaya (Japanese pub) that has a variety of Japanese foods. They have box seats and table seats at this spacious store. Their luxurious interior is another outstanding feature. The dishes they offer include Sashimi Teishoku (set meal) and tempura. You can really enjoy the taste of the ingredients!
One of the things they pay special attention to here is the rice. Carefully selected rice grown in Miyagi Prefecture is cooked in an earthenware pot, which ensures that each grain of rice becomes soft and rich. The rice is so good, but eating it with other Japanese dishes like sashimi and miso soup makes it even better!
[About Otooto - Ueno Bamboo Garden Branch]
Opening Hours: (Weekdays, Day Before Public Holiday)
(Lunch) 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
(Dinner) 4:30 PM - 11:30 PM
(Saturday)
(Lunch) 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
(Dinner) 4:30 PM - 11:00 PM
(Sunday, Public Holiday)
(Lunch) 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
(Dinner) 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Closed: Open all year
Accepted Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, DC, JCB, UC
Access: Around a 1 minute walk from Shinobazu Gate, Yamashitaguchi Exit of Ueno Station, accessible via various JR lines
Around a 4-minute walk from Exit 7 of Ueno Station, accessible via various Tokyo Metro lines
Address: Bamboo Garden 2F, 1-52 Ueno Koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo 東京都台東区上野公園1-52 バンブーガーデン2F (Google Map)
HP: www.otooto-gohan.jp/ (Japanese Only)
2. Horaiya [Okachimachi, Ueno Hirokoji, Ueno Okachimachi]
Horaiya is a tonkatsu (deep-fried pork) restaurant located right behind an old department store, Matsuzakaya. Surrounded by other tall buildings, the restaurant stands out as the only old house around the area. It’s got this nostalgic feeling to it, and it is equipped with counter seats and tatami (Japanese traditional flooring) rooms.
Their fillet katsu is so good that you will understand why this old restaurant has been so successful for many years. It is fried in thin layers, so that it doesn’t get too oily. The katsu is not as greasy as it seems, and the soft pork goes really well with the sauce, which is a bit spicy.
[About Horaiya]
Opening Hours: (Weekdays)
(Lunch) 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM (last order 1:30 PM)
(Dinner) 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM (last order 7:30 PM)
(Weekends, Public Holiday)
(Lunch) 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM (last order 2:00 PM)
(Dinner) 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM (last order 7:30 PM)
Closed: Wednesday (if Wednesday is a public holiday, it'll be closed on Thursday)
Accepted Credit Cards: N/A
Access: Around a 1 minute walk from Okachimachi Station, accessible via various JR lines
Around a 2-minute walk from Ueno-hirokoji Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
Around a 3-minute walk from Ueno-okachimachi Station on the Toei Subway Oedo Line
Address: 3-28-5 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 東京都台東区上野3-28-5 (Google Map)
HP: www.ueno-horaiya.com/egindex.html (English)
HP: www.ueno-horaiya.com/cxindex.html (Traditional Chinese）
HP: www.ueno-horaiya.com/ (Japanese)
3. Rengyokuan [Ueno Hirokoji]
If you take the side road by the huge Tsutaya in Ueno, you will find a rather small soba (buckwheat noodles) restaurant, Rengyokuan. Located inside a traditional Japanese house, it has been serving quality soba for many years. The place has appeared in the works of several influential literary masters of Japan, such as Ogai Mori.
The popular dish here is Tempura Seiro Soba, which is a dish of soba noodles served cold with deep-fried shrimps. In order to enjoy the real taste of soba, dip only the tips of the noodles into the sauce and try to slurp them quickly!
[About Rengyokuan]
Opening Hours: 11:30 AM - 6:30 PM (last order 6:15 PM)
Closed: Monday (if Monday is a public holiday, it'll be closed on Tuesday)
Accepted Credit Cards: N/A
Access: Around a 3-minute walk from Exit A3 of Ueno-hirokoji Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
Address: 2-8-7 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 東京都台東区上野2-8-7 (Google Map)
4. Kisoji - Ueno Branch [Ueno Hirokoji]
Shabu-shabu is a dish of thinly sliced meat that is quickly boiled with vegetables. The cooked ingredients are usually dipped in sauces, such as ponzu or sesame sauce. The meat is pretty soft and very rich in flavor.
[About Kisoji - Ueno Branch]
Opening Hours: (Monday to Saturday)
(Lunch) 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM (last order 2:30 PM)
(Dinner) 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM (last order 9:30 PM)
(Sunday, Public Holiday) 11:30 AM - 9:30 PM (last order 9:00 PM)
Closed: Open all year
Price/fee: (Service Fee)
(Private Room) 10%
*From 5:00 PM on weekdays
*All day on weekends, public holidays
(December 31, Dinner from 3:00 PM) 10%
(January 1 - 5) 10%
*All day during this time period
Accepted Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, DC, JCB, UC
Access: Around a 1 minute walk from Exit A3 of Ueno-hirokoji Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
Around a 5-minute walk from North Exit of Okachimachi Station on various JR Lines
Around a 5-minute walk from Shinobazu Exit of Ueno Station on various JR Lines
Address: JTB Sompo Japan Nippon Koa Ueno Kyodo Bldg. B1F, 2-7-13 Ueno, Taito-ku Tokyo 東京都台東区上野2-7-13 JTB損保ジャパン日本興亜上野共同ビルB1 (Google Map)
HP: www.kisoji.co.jp/kisoji/english/index.html (English)
HP: www.kisoji.co.jp/kisoji/tchinese/index.html (Traditional Chinese）
HP: www.kisoji.co.jp/kisoji/ (Japanese)
5. Kamadoya Ueno [Ueno]
Kamadoya Ueno is a 1 minute walk from Ueno Station, standing in the sideroad by Marui. It is a small building that looks like an old Japanese home, and it has rooms with horigotatsu (traditional Japanese heating device).
Their speciality, Donabe Rice, is a bowl of rice cooked with an earthenware pot. It is very doughy, and the more you chew on it, the sweeter it gets. Fish dishes are grilled in-store, so you can enjoy their taste and smell. In addition, they have a broad variety of sake, so why not try out several different ones and discover your favorite?
[About Kamadoya Ueno]
Opening Hours: (Weekdays) 5:00 PM - 11:30 PM (last order 10:45 PM)
(Weekends, Public Holiday) 2:00 PM - 11:30 PM (last order 10:45 PM)
Closed: Open all year
Accepted Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, DC, JCB, UC
Access: Around a 3-minute walk from Hirokoji Exit of Ueno Station on various JR Lines
Around 3-minute walk from Exit 5a or 5b of Ueno Station on various Tokyo Metro lines
Around a 5-minute walk from Exit A2 of Ueno-okachimachi Station on the Toei Metro Oedo Line
Address: Marui-yoko Okachimachi Chuo-dori Shin-tonoda Bldg. 6F, 6-13-9 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 東京都台東区上野6-13-9 丸井横御徒町中央通り新都乃田ビル6F (Google Map)
HP: nsg-go.com/kamadoya/ (Japanese Only)
6. Tora-fugu Tei - Ueno Station Branch [Ueno]
In the street behind the front of Ueno Station, you'll find Tora-fugu Tei (Ueno Station Branch). It is a fugu (blow fish) restaurant in a small house-like building. The fugu fish tank at the entrance is the main feature of the place. Fugu is perceived as a high-class fish in Japan, so the price will be higher than average, but it is a dish that has a delicate flavor and an authentic Japanese sense of beauty.
The Fresh Tiger Blowfish Course is a course meal that consists of fugu sashimi or nabe (hot pot), as well as fried fugu or rice gruel. You can thoroughly enjoy the taste of fugu with this course. The sashimi is white yet clear, and usually eaten with a special ponzu sauce.
[About Tora-fugu Tei - Ueno Station Branch]
Opening Hours: (Monday - Saturday) 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM
(Sunday, Public Holiday) 4:00 PM - 11:30 PM
Closed: Open all year
Accepted Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, DC, JCB
Access: Around a 2-minute walk from Hirokoji Exit of Ueno Station on various JR Lines
Around a 2-minute walk from Exit 7 of Ueno Station on various Tokyo Metro lines
Address: 6-7-13 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 東京都台東区上野6-7-13 (Google Map)
HP: www.torafugu.co.jp/en/ (English)
HP: www.torafugu.co.jp/tw/ (Traditional Chinese)
HP: www.torafugu.co.jp/ (Japanese)
7. Torigen Ueno Asakusa Branch [Ueno Station]
Located right by Ueno Station, Torigen Ueno Asakusa Branch is a restaurant that serves chicken dishes, such as yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and karaage (Japanese fried chicken). The quality of the yakitori here is particularly remarkable. They are absolutely first-class!
They use Okukuji eggs and Date chicken for their Oyakodon (rice bowl topped with eggs and chicken). The chicken and egg combination is simply amazing! Their Washoku Course is also recommended, as you can enjoy various chicken meals, such as yakitori, rice balls wrapped with meat, karaage, and miso soup.
[About Torigen Ueno Asakusa Branch]
Opening Hours: (Weekdays, Day Before Public Holiday)
(Lunch) 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
(Dinner) 4:30 PM - 11:30 PM
(Weekends, Public Holiday)
(Lunch) 11:30 AM - 4:30 PM
(Dinner) 4:30 PM - 11:30 PM
Closed: Open all year
Accepted Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, DC, JCB, UC
Access: Around a 1 minute from Asakusa Exit of Ueno Station on various JR lines
Around a 3-minute walk from Exit 1 of Ueno Station on various Tokyo Metro lines
Address: Albergo Ueno 1F, 7-3-9 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 東京都台東区上野7-3-9 アルベルゴ上野1F (Google Map)
HP: www.torigen.jp/ (Japanese Only)
8. Echikatsu [Yushima Station]
If you are looking for a nice restaurant that serves some authentic traditional Japanese food, Echikatsu is the place to go! It is a sukiyaki restaurant that was founded in the 19th century, when sukiyaki was brought from a foreign country as gyu-nabe (beef stew). You can really enjoy yourself while sitting and looking at a traditional Japanese backyard from a private room.
They use only the finest ingredients, which include wagyu (Japanese beef), grilled tofu, shirataki (konjac noodles), and shungiku (edible chrysanthemum). The sukiyaki sauce is sweet, but a bit spicy at the same time. You usually dip the cooked ingredients in raw egg right before eating them. You can have a taste of a traditional Japanese dish that has been passed down for generations!
[About Echikatsu]
Opening Hours: 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM (last order 9:00 PM）
Closed: Sundays, Public Holiday
*Other Holidays: Summer, Saturdays in August, Beginning and End of the Year
Accepted Credit Cards: Visa, American Express, DC, JCB
Access: Around a 5-minute walk from Yushima Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line
Around a 7-minute walk from Hongo-sanchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line and Toei Subway Oedo Line
Around a 8-minute walk from Exit A4 of Ueno-hirokoji Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
Address: 2-31-23 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 東京都文京区湯島2-31-23 (Google Map)
Ueno is home to many Japanese restaurants that all have their own specialty areas, such as a yakitori store, a fugu restaurant, and a tempura eatery. If you learn about what's available in advance, you'll be able to safely focus on making the most out of your travels!
*Thumbnail is by mari/Flickr
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.
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