5 mid-range rooms in Tokyo, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good rooms in Tokyo — no surprise on the bill, real cooking. All Tokyo food.
Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta ★ 4.7
shibuya · 3-2-4 Nishihara, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0066
Tsuta in Tokyo's Yoyogi-Uehara was the first ramen shop with a Michelin star (2016 guide), held it four years, still pours shoyu and shio with stone-milled noodles.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays. Lunch only, 11:00 to 15:00, no numbered ticket system. Arrive by 11:00 or after 14:00.
Kanda Yabu Soba ★ 4.5
kanda · 2-10 Kanda-awaji-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0063
Kanda Yabu Soba in Tokyo has served Edo-style buckwheat noodles since 1880. The current building reopened in 2014 after a fire, sing-song order calls intact.
Tip: Closed Wednesdays. Cash and major cards. Lunch queues from 12:00; weekday afternoons are calmer.
Kanda Yabu Soba ★ 4.5
kanda · 2-10 Kanda-awaji-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0063
Kanda Yabu Soba in Tokyo has served Edo-style buckwheat noodles since 1880 and is the canonical room for the yabu lineage. Sing-song order calls still in use.
Tip: Closed Wednesdays. Queue from 11:30; afternoons are calmer. Cash and major cards.
Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama Honten ★ 4.4
jingumae · 4-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
Tonkatsu Maisen's 1965 Aoyama main shop occupies a former public bathhouse off Omotesando. The kurobuta cutlets are the room's signature, sliceable with chopsticks.
Tip: Open 11:00 to 22:45 daily. Long lunch lines; arrive before 12:00 or after 14:00 for a counter seat.
Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama Honten ★ 4.4
jingumae · 4-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
Tonkatsu Maisen's 1965 Aoyama main shop occupies a former public bathhouse off Omotesando. The kurobuta cutlets are the room's signature, sliceable with chopsticks.
Tip: Open daily 11:00 to 22:45. Long lunch lines from 12:00; counter seating turns faster than tables.