20 Recommended Restaurants in Tsukiji: Still a Bustling Area for Foodies!

9 Traditional Restaurants in the Tsukiji Outer Market

1. Shutoku

Shutoku is a traditional sushi restaurant and one of the pioneers when it comes to Edomae style sushi, a type of sushi from Tokyo that uses marinated fish instead of plain cuts. You might think that the delicious fresh fish they use here is all there is to Shutoku's sushi, but the vinegared rice – prepared with a secret recipe – is also something else! Here, you can fully enjoy a gastronomic experience with Edomae style sushi prepared by highly skilled sushi masters. Fresh toppings, perfectly seasoned rice, and outstanding craftsmanship are all condensed into each exquisite piece of sushi!

Visitors from all over the country come to the restaurant to try this sushi, superbly seasoned and served at a temperature that accentuates the flavor of the fish. Shutoku’s chef is also a licensed sommelier and offers a selection of wines that goes perfectly with his dishes. As you can see, at Shutoku you can savor sushi that has evolved without the constraints of tradition.

2. Ichiban 4-Chome Outer Market Branch

Sushi Ichiban is famous for offering its patrons the opportunity to savor top-grade tuna. Restaurants of this group are very particular about their tuna, and fillet around 200 tuna a year at live demonstrations. Here you can try some of the flavorful fatty tuna that  Ichiban prides itself on.

One more reason for Ichiban’s popularity is its bountiful menu which includes fresh seafood and seasonal fish. They also have a wide variety of drinks and spirits that match perfectly with their food. Do try some fresh fish accompanied by Japanese sake, and try pairing different drinks with different dishes!

3. Sushidai

Sushidai is a very popular restaurant that offers high-quality sushi prepared with only the finest fish and seafood delivered from the market that day. The restaurant is very particular about using seasonal ingredients, so here you will find many toppings only available at certain times of the year. One of their most recommended dishes is the Omakase Nigiri, a plate of assorted nigiri sushi recommended by the chef. You can choose between different categories, such as seasonal sushi. The rice portions for each piece are on the smaller side, so you can try a range of types without filling up too fast!

Visiting Sushidai at night is also highly recommended because they offer a careful selection of a la carte dishes. Dinner provides you with a completely different experience with sushi that you won’t find in their lunch menu. How about stretching your visit a little longer so that you can enjoy Sushidai’s night menu?

4. Yoshino

Run by an intermediate wholesaler of anago (conger eel), Yoshino is a restaurant specializing in dishes prepared with this delicious fish. Here you can try their famous anago-don, a bowl of hot rice topped by grilled conger eel. Yoshino’s anago-don is made with fatty conger eels carefully chosen from those that arrive from all over Japan to the market each morning. It's said Yoshino is so meticulous about this dish that they even adjust their grilling sauce to best match the eel's quality and place of origin. You shouldn’t miss this delicious dish!

You can see their keen eye for detail not only in the dishes but in every aspect of the restaurant as well. Even their chopstick holder has the shape of an eel! How about trying top-notch anago dishes in a very relaxing atmosphere? You should treat yourself to some great food once in a while!

5. Segawa

Segawa specializes in maguro donburi, a bowl of rice topped with raw pieces of marinated tuna. The fresh tuna procured from the market is soaked in a special marinade highly praised for its deep rich taste and for how it accentuates the flavor of the fish. Their vinegared rice creates a perfect balance between the raw tuna, wasabi, seaweed, and other condiments. Segawa is a famous restaurant with a great number of repeat customers.

Segawa starts serving early in the morning, but they are so popular that by lunchtime they are usually completely sold out. Each day, everyone from families with children to groups of friends and couples line up to eat at Segawa. Even if the line is long, you should wait a little for Segawa because their fresh maguro donburi is just exquisite.

6. Toritoh

Run by a chicken wholesaler established in 1907, Toritoh is a restaurant famous for its oyako-don, a bowl of steamed rice topped with simmered chicken and soft, runny egg. The chicken used by this traditional establishment is flavorful and juicy, and its tender but firm texture is very satisfying. This chicken and the fresh, soft-cooked egg makes for a delicious oyako-don dish that has been praised by gourmets from all over Japan.

Another dish that is very popular among patrons in the know is their richly flavored chicken stock soup. It's made by slowly simmering the chicken for an entire day, so by the end of the process the soup is full of collagen! The soup is also used to prepare the oyako-don. Ｃollagen is said to be very good for the skin, so when you wake up the next day, you might just find out that your skin feels bouncier than usual!

7. Tempura Kurokawa

Tempura Kurokawa is famous for its crispy and light tempura prepared using fresh ingredients from Tsukiji. Here you can savor high-quality tempura prepared by the owner himself, Kurokawa Takeshi, a tempura chef with more than 30 years of experience. Not only does he use his expertise to make tempura using traditional ingredients, including shrimp and conger eel, he also tries to come up with new creations, such as egg yolk and cucumber tempura. Try some delicious dishes at this restaurant that never ceases to evolve. 

On your table, you will find 4 different types of salt that you can try with different tempura: Himalayan salt, rock salt, green tea salt, and curry salt. One is very sweet, another becomes sweeter the more you chew, and one is also quite salty, so try them all out and find your favorite combination!

8. Ebi Kin

With its red interior design, red bowls, and red counter, Ebikin will impress you with its famous Ebi Soba (Shrimp Noodles). Prepared with a stock made from around 50 shrimp per serving, the full-bodied soup is so good you won’t leave a single drop in the bowl.

To create the noodles, the restaurant makes a powder from the shrimp used to make the stock, which is then mixed into the noodle dough. The rich aroma of shrimp creates a flavor you're sure to have never tasted before! Take the time to enjoy this exquisite shrimp ramen.

9. Saiwaiken

Saiwaiken is an old favorite Chinese restaurant in Tsujiki. One of the most popular dishes on the menu is the shumai (steamed meat dumplings) with sauce. Usually, you should eat this shumai with a little bit of Japanese mustard, but a famous Japanese TV personality praised the restaurant for serving it with sauce, making the dish an instant hit in Tsukiji. People come from all over to eat at this popular Chinese restaurant. 

Saiwaken also has other popular dishes, such as ramen, chawan curry (curry rice bowl), and hiyashi chuka (chilled Chinese noodles). The abundant menu should satisfy every foodie out there. The restaurant only serves the Chinese noodles during summer, so if you want to have a light and refreshing meal on one of those hot days in Japan, this is the place for you!

5 Chic Restaurants Around Tsujiki

1. Tamatomi

Tamatomi is a restaurant that serves seafood cuisine. Every dish here is as gorgeous as it is delicious, something that only a restaurant located in Tsukiji can provide. A cozy little establishment with counter seating, it’s perfect for coming alone or with that special someone!

Tamatomi has a great selection of wines that go perfectly with seafood dishes. The restaurant is one of Tsukiji’s hidden treasures, so how about a night in Tsukiji with delicious food and perfectly paired wine?

2. Maguroya Kurogin

Maguroya Kurogin is a restaurant specializing in bluefin tuna where you can get some rare cuts including tuna cheeks and kamatoro (collarbone meat). A great number of customers come to the store every day to check out their selection of tuna. 

One of the most popular dishes here is the otoro nigiri sushi, a piece of sushi prepared with the fattiest part of the tuna. The flavor takes hold of your taste buds as soon as you take a bite! Topped with a generously thick slice of otoro, the fatty tuna gets juicier and juicier the more you chew.

Packets of wasabi are provided separately, so if you're sensitive to spicy foods or are dining with children you can avoid it if you prefer. If you're on a budget, you can also order sushi by the piece. Finally, if you want to savor some of the best cuts, you should visit the store as soon as it opens, from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning, because many cuts are completely sold out by noon.

3. Itadori East-Exit Branch

Itadori is a chain of restaurants with branches not only in Tokyo but Karuizawa and Kyoto, too. It is a very popular chain with many shops in Tsukiji as well. At this particular store, you can find one of their signature dishes. 

This shop is famous for popularizing the kaisen hitsumabushi, a dish made with rice topped with assorted seafood, such as bluefin tuna, salmon roe, and sea urchin roe. First of all, it looks beautiful and, second, the aroma of the grilled sea urchin roe is amazing! Try it on its own first, and as you eat you can add in other ingredients that make the dish taste even better!

4. Unitori Naka-Dori Branch

At Unitori, you'll find the delicious kanimiso-yaki, a very popular dish served right in front of the restaurant consisting of grilled crab tomalley. The amazing aroma of this dish will take you by the nose, and the rich flavor of the crab is irresistable. 

If you've never tried tomalley before, Unitori is the perfect place for you to try this delicacy. It is thick and flavorful, concentrating all the juices from the crab in one single place. You will break into a smile amazed by how good this is. Before you know it, you'll be asking for some Japanese sake and steamed rice to accompany the dish! 

5. Tsukiji Unagi Shokudo

As the name suggests, Tsukiji Unagi Shokudo is a shop specializing in unagi (eel) cuisine. Here they offer unadon (rice bowl topped with grilled unagi), unaju (same as unadon but served in a lacquered lunch box) and hitsumabushi (a set of unagi topped rice served with other small dishes). A great number of customers come to the restaurant in search of the best unagi dishes. 

Tsukiji Unagi Shokudo also offers other foods, such as the jumbo size prawn skewer. Grilled until nice and crispy, you won’t have any problems eating this whole beauty as it is, shell and all! The tender texture and amazing aroma is to die for! A cold beer is all you need to make this experience even better.

5 Budget-Friendly Restaurants in Tsukiji

1. Saitoh’s Fish Market

Fish and shellfish sold at Saitoh’s Fish Market are still very much alive until a few moments before you purchase them. One dish that you will want to try here is their raw oysters. Only oysters as fresh as these have the milky texture you'll find here, and you're sure to find the sweetness and tender texture irresistable.

The person in charge of the store is a licensed authority in oysters, and chooses only the finest specimens on the market from all the various regions in Japan. Here you will have some of the tastiest oysters out there, regardless of the season. The shell is opened right in front of your eyes, and you can see how springy the oyster is! The oysters are served with a homemade recipe of ponzu sauce containing soy sauce, citrus juice, and also kombu seaweed stock, making for a refreshing delicacy. During summer, Saitoh’s Fish Market even offers rock oysters!

You can also find some unique menu items, such as small dishes of sashimi perfect for nibbling. If you're a fan of crab meat, you can choose a live one from the counter and they will cook it for you on the spot! The store ships nationwide, so these make a great souvenir for someone in Japan. 

2. Suga Shoten

With more than 70 years of tradition in Tsukiji, Suga Shoten is a very popular shop where you can try authentic Chinese dishes such as shumai and nikuman (steamed pork buns). The steamer located right in front of the store produces a delicious aroma that is sure to draw you in. This amazing aroma is responsible for attracting a whole lot of customers every day!

One of the most popular dishes here is the Kurobuta Pork Shumai. This shumai has no sugar in its recipe; all its sweetness and flavor comes straight from the excellent cut of shoulder loin. Be sure to also try their chicken shumai and spring rolls.

3. Saiwaiken

Speaking of shumai, we have to mention Saiwaken’s very generous dumplings again. Saiwaiken is a Chinese restaurant located in one of the back streets of Tsukiji Market. However, they sell their most famous dish in another shop nearby. 

Saiwaiken’s shumai are big! The pork is chopped roughly and the portion is generous, making for a very filling treat! Because of all the flavors from the meat, this dumpling is already delicious as it is but, as mentioned before, you have to try it with their sauce! Its savory and sweet flavor accentuates the taste of the dumpling.

People usually eat shumai with soy sauce, but this special sauce makes all the difference. Don’t forget to add some Japanese mustard too! Saiwaiken’s shumai is one of the most famous foods in Tsukiji and makes for a great treat. You can dine-in, take away, or even purchase the frozen version to eat later at home or give as a gift.

4. Marutoyo

Marutoyo is an onigiri (rice ball) shop that offers rice balls of a wide variety of fillings and flavors. Every morning many people stop by on their way to work to pick up some onigiri. They have more than 40 different types of onigiri here. Some types are very traditional, such as grilled mackerel and salmon, and others are quite innovative, such as grilled cheese!

One of the main features of Marutoyo’s onigiri is its huge size. They are molded soft and gently, which makes for a rice ball that is fluffy and very easy to eat, despite its large size. They are delicious hot as well as cold, so you can buy a couple and take them home for later, too. 

5. Marutake

Run by the family of a well-known Japanese celebrity, Marutake is a famous shop specializing in atsuyaki-tamago, a thick Japanese omelet usually used as a sushi topping. Originally, the shop would deal mainly with sushi restaurants but nowadays the clientele also includes locals and tourists. Marutake is very popular and is always bustling with customers.

The signature dish here is yakitama, an omelet prepared with Marutake’s secret dashi recipe. This thick omelet is incredibly juicy and has a very soft texture. The more you chew the more you can taste the delicious dashi flavor! Served in small portions that can be finished quite quickly, the dish is perfect for people of all ages. Marutake opens at 4:00 in the morning, but be aware they only start selling yakitama at 6:00 am.

Make the Most of Tsukiji and its Fresh Seafood!

How did you like this long list of restaurants and stores located in Tsukiji? There are probably more than a few places here that caught your attention, right? All of the restaurants presented in this article use seafood freshly brought in, so you are bound to have a delightful gastronomic experience here. Tsukiji is alive and well, so drop by and enjoy all the exquisite seafood the area has to offer!