30 casual dining worth the trip across Japan, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Japan guides.
Senmonten ★ 4.8 · Kyoto
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0085, Japan
A Gion counter on Hanamikoji that sells one item: pan-fried gyoza orders, paired with cold Asahi. Wood-finished room, cash only. Priced at ¥.
Tip: Cash only and no reservations. Counter seats are limited, queue forms by 18:30.
Tempura Yoshikawa Counter ★ 4.8 · Kyoto
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8093, Japan
The walk-in counter of the Yoshikawa tempura ryokan in Kyoto, an alternative to the full kaiseki room. Eight seats, garden window, lighter price tag.
Tip: Lunch counter under 7,000 yen, dinner course 14,000-22,000. Counter seats eight.
Takoume Honten ★ 4.8 · Osaka
Dotonbori and Namba · 1-1-8 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0071
Operating since 1844, this Dotonbori institution serves the city's most storied oden: daikon, octopus, ganmodoki in unchanged ancient dashi.
Hakata Issou Honten ★ 4.7 · Fukuoka
hakata · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0013, Japan
Hakata Issou's flagship 10 minutes from Hakata Station pours the tonkotsu cappuccino, a foam-headed pork-bone bowl that built the brand from 2012 onwards.
Tip: Open 11:00-24:00 daily. Queues run the block; arrive before 11:30 or after 21:00.
Yakitori Mako Yakuin ★ 4.7 · Fukuoka
yakuin · Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0022, Japan
Mako's Yakuin counter grills Kuro Satsuma chicken from Kagoshima, raised 120 days. Tabelog Yakitori Top 100 in 2024. Eight counter seats wide.
Tip: Reserve four to six weeks ahead through TableCheck. Closed Sundays.
Mitchan Sohonten Hatchobori ★ 4.7 · Hiroshima
hatchobori · 6-7 Hatchobori, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
The Hatchobori flagship of Mitchan Sohonten is the Hiroshima okonomiyaki counter most locals still send first-time visitors to, a brand trading since 1950.
Tip: Evening service adds teppanyaki plates of oysters, horumon and koune that the lunch menu does not carry.
Tori-ryori Sumiyaki Akari ★ 4.7 · Kyoto
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8042, Japan
A yakitori counter on Teramachi in Kyoto using Omi-jidori and Kyoto-duck. Signature tsukune comes with a yolk-bath dip, all grilled over binchotan.
Tip: Reservations open online 30 days ahead, dinner-only counter seats six.
Yakiyasai Isoya ★ 4.7 · Kyoto
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
A vegetable-led counter on Kiyamachi in Kyoto, the chef-owner running his own farm in north Kyoto. Morning-picked Kyo-yasai, charcoal-grilled and lacquered.
Tip: Reservations open one month ahead. Counter eats nine, dinner only.
Kawamichi-ya Kosho-an ★ 4.7 · Kyoto
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8094, Japan
Kawamichiya's adjacent Kosho-an counter in Kyoto, a renovated 110-year machiya. Cleaner soba menu than the Sohonke parent, faster-paced lunch trade.
Tip: Open lunch 11:00-15:00 and dinner 17:00-21:00. No reservations.
Hokkyokusei Shinsaibashi ★ 4.7 · Osaka
Shinsaibashi and Amerikamura · 2-7-27 Nishishinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0086
Birthplace of omurice in 1922: thin omelette folded over seasoned chicken rice on a teppan. The Shinsaibashi original location is still the benchmark.
Kinryu Ramen Dotonbori ★ 4.7 · Osaka
Dotonbori and Namba · 1-7-26 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0071
The neon dragon landmark on Dotonbori canal, open 24 hours. Pork-based tonkotsu-soy ramen for under ¥800; kimchi and garlic are self-service at the counter.
Menya Saimi ★ 4.7 · Sapporo
toyohira-ku · Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-0010, Japan
The miso-ramen counter consistently ranked top of Sapporo Tabelog at 3.96. Saimi blends three white misos with a clear pork-bone base; queue early.
Tip: Three minutes from Misono subway; queue from 11:00 weekdays. Closed Mondays.
Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta ★ 4.7 · Tokyo
shibuya · Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0066, Japan
Tsuta in Tokyo's Yoyogi-Uehara was the first ramen shop with a Michelin star (2016), held it four years, still pours shoyu with stone-milled noodles.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays. Lunch only, 11:00-15:00, no numbered ticket system. Arrive by 11:00 or after 14:00.
Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka Akasaka ★ 4.6 · Fukuoka
akasaka · Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0042, Japan
Yamanaka invented miso-style motsunabe in 1984. The Akasaka branch is the most central of three Fukuoka outlets and the easiest reservation.
Tip: Reserve a day ahead for dinner. Closes between 14:30 and 17:00 for the afternoon break.
Lopez ★ 4.6 · Hiroshima
nishi-ku · 1-7-13 Kusunoki-cho, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima
Lopez in Hiroshima is run by a Guatemalan okonomiyaki cook in Kusunoki-cho, and the jalapenos on the griddle are the reason people cross town.
Tip: The counter is small, opens only in the evening from 16:30 and shuts all weekend, so plan a weeknight visit.
Tentenyu Shijo-Karasuma ★ 4.6 · Kyoto
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8164, Japan
A chicken-paitan ramen counter on Karasuma in Kyoto. House-raised Kyotamba bird boiled to a milky broth and finished with bright grated yuzu skin.
Tip: Open lunch through dinner without a break; afternoon trade easiest 14:00-17:00.
Kyo Yakiniku Hiro Kyoto Station Front ★ 4.6 · Kyoto
kyoto-station · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8216, Japan
The Kyoto Station tower outlet of the Hiro yakiniku family, five minutes from the platforms. Japanese black wagyu, family-style charcoal grills, 200 seats.
Tip: Reservations needed for parties of 4+ on weekends. Open until 23:00 daily.
Kushikatsu Daruma Shinsekai ★ 4.6 · Osaka
Shinsekai · 2-3-9 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka 556-0002
The Shinsekai Daruma flagship below Tsutenkaku Tower, serving thin-battered skewers with the communal sauce pot; the no-double-dip rule is strictly enforced.
Matsuba Sohonten ★ 4.6 · Osaka
Umeda and Kita · 9-20 Kakudacho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0017
A standing kushikatsu counter inside Shin-Umeda Shokudogai postwar food alley; from ¥100 per skewer, busy at lunch and after work with office workers.
Sumire Nakanoshima ★ 4.6 · Sapporo
toyohira-ku · Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-0922, Japan
The Murakami family ramen house, Sumire opened in 1964 and codified Sapporo's lard-capped miso bowl that stays piping through Hokkaido winters.
Tip: Ten-minute walk from Nakanoshima subway; the Susukino branch is the late option.
Hakata Ramen Shin-Shin Tenjin Honten ★ 4.5 · Fukuoka
tenjin · Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0001, Japan
Shin-Shin's Tenjin flagship pours a lighter, cleaner tonkotsu than the Hakata norm, with the city's best yakimeshi side and a 03:00 close anchoring the night.
Tip: Open 11:00-03:00, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Walk-in only.
Hakata Ikkousha Honten ★ 4.5 · Fukuoka
hakata · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0011, Japan
Ikkousha's main store five minutes from Hakata Station pioneered the original-froth tonkotsu, a fat-and-water emulsion that runs creamy across the bowl.
Tip: Daily 11:00-24:00; Sundays close at 21:00. Cash and major cards.
Hakata Gion Tetsunabe ★ 4.5 · Fukuoka
hakata · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0038, Japan
The original Hakata iron-pan gyoza, three minutes from Gion subway. Bite-sized dumplings packed in a circular cast-iron pan and pan-fried crisp on every side.
Tip: Open 17:00-22:30. Closed Sundays and national holidays. Queue from 17:00.
Motsunabe Rakutenchi Tenjin So-Honten ★ 4.5 · Fukuoka
imaizumi · Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0021, Japan
Rakutenchi's Tenjin flagship: three floors and 240 horigotatsu seats, the largest motsunabe room in Kyushu. Soy-sauce base, mountain of garlic chives.
Tip: Open daily 17:00-24:00. Reserve through the operator's site or by phone.
Yakitori no Hachibei Shoninbashi ★ 4.5 · Fukuoka
yakuin · Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0023, Japan
Hachibei's Shoninbashi branch is the original yakitori counter that grew into a Tokyo chain. Hardwood charcoal, butabara pork-belly skewers, busy nightly.
Tip: Reserve through TableCheck or the operator's site. Walk-ins fill the counter from 18:00.
Kawataro Nakasu Honten ★ 4.5 · Fukuoka
nakasu · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 810-0801, Japan
Kawataro's three-floor Nakasu flagship runs Yobuko squid ikizukuri live from the tank, plus the canonical Hakata goma-saba and river-view tatami rooms.
Tip: Lunch 11:30-14:00, dinner 17:00-23:00. Reserve through the operator's site.
Nagataya ★ 4.5 · Hiroshima
otemachi · 1-7-19 Otemachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
Nagataya griddles Hiroshima okonomiyaki two blocks from the A-Bomb Dome, and is one of the few counters in the city with plant-based versions.
Tip: Vegan and vegetarian okonomiyaki both sit on the board, cooked in vegetable oil and listed on the English menu.
Bakudanya Honten ★ 4.5 · Hiroshima
shintenchi · 2-12 Shintenchi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
Bakudanya is the Shintenchi shop that pushed Hiroshima tsukemen beyond the city: cold noodles dipped in a chilli and seafood-stock sauce you grade yourself.
Tip: The dipping sauce comes in graded heat steps, so order low on a first visit and add chilli powder at the table.
Chukasoba Youki Eba Honten ★ 4.5 · Hiroshima
eba · 3-4-1 Ebaminami, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
Chukasoba Youki has cooked one dish in Eba since 1958, and its soy and pork-bone bowl is exactly what Hiroshima people mean when they say chuka soba.
Tip: The Eba flagship shuts on the 1st, 12th, 13th and 26th of each month, so check the date before crossing the river.
Sumibikushiyaki Torito ★ 4.5 · Kyoto
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8044, Japan
A binchotan-grill yakitori counter near Karasuma in Kyoto. Specialises in rare cuts: furisode shoulder, sankaku-nankotsu cartilage and chicken hotpot sets.
Tip: Two-hour all-you-can-drink option after 21:00. Reserve a counter seat to see the bird.