Top Restaurants in Bunkyo
Bunkyo Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Bunkyo
Discover the best restaurant in Bunkyo, Japan including Elio Locanda Italiana, Asakusa Imahan Kokusai Dori Honten, Asakusa Okonomiyaki Sometaro, Isen Honten, Innsyoutei, Tonkatsu Marugo, Fire House, Matsuya Honten, Ishikawa, Maruka
Things to do in Bunkyo
1. Elio Locanda Italiana
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 237 reviews
Reviewed By SuperShan1 - Singapore, Singapore
Service is excellent the moment you walk into their door. Luciano is very attentive, so are all their staff. We'd nice sparkling wine to start (wish their sparkling wine glass is LARGER though). I'd their hot Fish Carpaccio which is so tasty! Partner has the Mozzarella cheese with Tomato but looks a bit boring though he said was very good.
We'd a gluten free pasta to share which is cook to perfection. My main course is grilled fish which arrive in small portion (exactly what I need after the pasta) while my partner had lamb chops. Both beautifully presented and taste so good! I really can't fault any of the dishes. We couldn't figure out their wine by the glass list so Luciano let us try their Pinot Grigio which is very good. We'd 4 glasses in total. Didn't ask for the price of the wine.
Total bill came to ~ 22,000 Yen ~ USD 210 which I thought was justifiable unlike T.Y Harbor.
Will certainly be back again & again & again! ;)
2. Asakusa Imahan Kokusai Dori Honten
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 195 reviews
Reviewed By GeorgeFMarkhamON - Markham
The staff are pleasant enough. The English menu rather non-descriptive. The simpler meals were OK but the sirloin was a disappointment. I asked for the meat to be cooked medium-well, but this was beyond the comprehension of the staff. The meat was served slightly seared and still mooing. I sent it back to the kitchen for additional grilling, but it came back as raw s before. Desserts were rather bland.
3. Asakusa Okonomiyaki Sometaro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 641 reviews
Reviewed By ajmoreno25 - Asia
Finally found our okonomiyaki go-to place in Tokyo. Not easy to find in a quiet, mostly residential neighborhood. We walked into the wrong place at first but they said we needed Reservations. Glad they turned us away because we walked down the road and saw a hand written sign here saying “Sometaro”. Wear your nice socks since this is a traditional no-shoes place. An English menu is available & includes cooking instructions. You do the cooking here at your table, but they’ll help
if you need it. The okonomiyaki is made w/ batter, no noodles unlike Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki which is our favorite. But we really enjoyed this. The yakisoba was good, but we’ll come back for the okonomiyaki!
4. Isen Honten
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 75 reviews
Reviewed By mt188 - San Francisco, California
I came with relatives who live in the area and knew about this place, which has apparently been around for 85 years. They reserved a private room. The restaurant is small, cramped (typical feel for Japan), and is reminiscent of the Showa (WW2 era). The service is excellent and the tonkatsu is indeed fantastic. It is fried very lightly, so that the crispy part is very airy. It is seasoned perfectly. They also served a few standard side dishes such as tonjiru (a pork based miso strew) which was also delicious. I don't recall whether there was any English language support.
5. Innsyoutei
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 143 reviews
Reviewed By amomfromnyc - New York City
We were spending the afternoon at the Tokyo National Museum and had our concierge call to make Reservations. We were thrilled to be in the gorgeous restaurant housed in a building from 1875 and the tatami room overlooking the garden. Sitting on the floor was fine, and cushions with back rests are also available. Three levels of kaiseki dinners were offered as well as regular entrees on the English menu. We ordered the mid-level kaiseki dinner that consisted of eight courses. The sublime flavors and attention to details were exquisite! Dinner here was one of the highlights of our trip. And it was not that hard to find at the south end of Ueno park. It is next to Gojoten Shrine (with its lovely tori gates) and Google maps could find it by just inputting the name. Please note that there is no English signage at the front of the restaurant.
6. Tonkatsu Marugo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 137 reviews
Reviewed By poshluxe u - Maryland
Expected a lot from this resto after Reading all the great reviews. Lined up for an hour on a cold December morning. Finally got seated and the food was so disappointing. Tonkatsu was tender but very bland. Butagumi tonkatsu was so much better.
7. Fire House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 98 reviews
Reviewed By jeff m - Minato, Japan
Talk about an amazing burger, here you have it in central tokyo. Nice ambience, only waited 7 minutes, even though the place is very small- typical in tokyo. Easy to order- english /japanese menu. Burger was huge and generous toppings, took the wrapper to ensure i could eat it without messing up my shirt! Had "large" size ceaser salad- beautiful greens, small crouton, tasty dressing. Had the mozzarella/mushroom burger (my wife had same), and it is accompanied by tasty and perfectly done fries. drinks were reasonable vs tokyo typical prices. Fantastic job for the team of waiters in small kitchen area that is open- i counted 7 people- great for service. Thank you!
8. Matsuya Honten
Overall Ratings
4 based on 183 reviews
Reviewed By nishi381 - Hong Kong, China
Pretty popular spot, so we had to wait on line, however it moved quickly and well worth the wait.
The staff (especially the host) were absolutely superb. They provided an English menu, and explained the different types of soba they offer.
The place is always full so be prepared to share a table. Which is quite fun, because hopefully locals will explain more!
Cozy and very quaint decor.
Try the house specials! They will also serve hot water at the end of meal so you can finish the soba sauce like a soup.
$$
9. Ishikawa
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 116 reviews
Reviewed By NataliePatricia - Singapore, Singapore
Lovely understated yet highly rated restaurant in a nice little district of Tokyo. Book months on advance( we asked our hotel concierge).
9 course chefs menu with fresh tasty ingredients of the day- Heavily weighted towards exquisite seafood and seasonal vegetables.
Paired nicely with well chosen subtlety delicate fruit liquor or shoju and finished with dainty but elegant desert and green tea. Even scored a doggie bag of the most delicious rice made into takeaway parcels.
Greeted warmly by staff and even the chef waved us goodbye from the road.
10. Maruka
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 164 reviews
Reviewed By Abzollo - Los Angeles, California
Japanese people take their food seriously. It's like they're doing business with their appetite. The line can get pretty long here, but it does move fast, so don't worry.
Udon here is very tasty. It is silky smooth, chewy, and delicious. I also got chicken tempura and it was really tasty. I don't like undercooked chicken, but this chicken tempura was quite good it burned my tongue (I was hungry, ok).
If you're looking for a great udon joint in Tokyo, try this one. Authentic, well-made udon. 5/5.
