Last Updated on July 18, 2025

Bargain Basements in Tokyo

Tokyo boasts more Michelin stars than any city on the planet – a total of 263 were awarded in 2023. For foodies seeking the best eating experience while visiting the city, this can lead to stress overload. Trying to select three exquisite meals a day, multiplied by the number of travel days, leaves many difficult decisions about which restaurants to book. Many of us would struggle to keep up such a schedule of fine dining, and in any case, Tokyo has many sights to see aside from what is on a plate.  In Tokyo, you can avoid a state of FOMO breakdown and wallet collapse as the city has excellent food at all price points.  Often, bargains are to be found underground, where you will discover a lively eating scene with some delicious dishes.

Izakayas

Midnight Diner on Netflix piqued the interest of many tourists and certainly influenced my decision to travel to Tokyo. The show was an excellent introduction to the izakaya, which are hugely popular with the so-called suited salarymen, who arrive after work to eat and drink before taking the train home. Translated loosely as a pub, izakayas are quite different from the British pub (aside from serving alcohol) and have a distinct atmosphere and a unique selection of food. The bar snacks are a far cry from pork scratchings and peanuts. Boiled edamame beans, kara-age (fried chicken), tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette), yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), and agedashi-dofu (deep-fried tofu in broth) are just some of the delicious items commonly found in izakayas. Along with sake, of course, there is beer and shochu, which is a very popular distilled drink.

 Izakaya Sanzoku

Located in the neighbourhood of Akasaka, up an alleyway – check out Google Maps – you will find a sign pointing down a set of stairs to Izakaya Sanzoku. This is a typical izakaya with Midnight Diner vibes. A lone man propped up the bar, drinking a fair amount of sake while nibbling away on small bowls of intriguing foods. Highballs of all sorts are very popular in Japan. Try the plum wine and soda.  The izakaya specialises in Southern Japanese food. There is an English menu – order bowls of fried gyoza and sizzling udon noodles topped with a layer of bonito flakes that ‘wave’, making the dish look as if it is alive. Sit at the bar and watch the woman behind the counter preparing plates of sashimi. Then order some for yourself.

Hanekawa Yaesu Nihonbashi

A local friend took me to Hanekawa Yaesu Nihonbashi was also in a basement.  This izakaya was a rabbit warren of small, private cubicles enclosed with sliding slatted screens. The restaurant seemed to have been there for many a year, and felt almost like being in a film set.  Order your sake – the waiter can help you navigate the list of options. Then choose several small plates for sharing –  edamame, chicken skewers, asparagus, skewers of quail egg, peppers, and pork were all good. This very local izakaya is so atmospheric, generally tourist-free, and is an experience that is so different from what you will have back home.

Tokyo Station Ramen Street

Rokurinsha noodle bar

A further example of a fine time enjoyed in a very casual Tokyo setting was another basement bargain. Underneath Tokyo Station is a mini-mall lined with small eateries, including eight ramen restaurants specialising in noodles from different Japanese regions, hence it is referred to as Tokyo Station Ramen Street. You could probably eat a satisfying meal in any of the many restaurants lining this passage of eateries. You will notice a queue outside Rokurinsha – there is almost always a queue for popular eateries in Japan. Go to the front of the queue where you select and pay for your meal choice from a vending machine. The machine prints out a ticket. Now take your place at the back of the queue until you reach the front and a space inside becomes available. I waited 20 minutes. At this point, the chefs behind the counter take the ticket, and the chosen dish is brought to the table. Almost everyone was eating tokusei tsukemen, which hits the spot.

Tokusei tsukemen translates to ‘special dipping noodles’ and, as the name suggests, is a two bowl affair. One contains a heap of ramen, thick and slightly chewy, like an al dente pasta. The other is a steaming bowl of broth, made from pork and chicken bones, plus a selection of seafood, which is said to have simmered for thirteen hours. Perched in this umami bombshell is a naruto fish slice with its characteristic pink spiral, a pulled pork meatball, a slice of chashu (braised fatty pork), a jammy egg, nori (seaweed), sliced spring onions, and menma (fermented bamboo). The idea with tsukemen is that you dip the noodles into the hot, umami-flavoured broth. You have the option of topping up the broth from flasks on the countertop. This was no-frills eating that was both as cheap as chips and deeply satisfying. If I had outlets like this at my local train station, I might never eat at home again.

Depachika food halls

In the basement of the department stores, you will find huge food halls called depachika. Here you can buy anything the stomach and eyes desire. The sheer scale and quality of food is astonishing. You could spend a lifetime eating from depachika. Department stores with outstanding depachika in Tokyo include Takashimaya at Shinjuku Station, Isetan near the same station, and Daimaru at Tokyo Station. I discovered so many items I had never seen before and would have needed to spend months in Japan to scratch the surface of all that was on sale.

Baumkuchen

Don’t be put off by the queues for certain items – these are often the best things to buy. Standing in one such line, I discovered a Japanese treat with an unusual history. It was a cake called Baumkuchen (tree cake), a delicious sponge baked in concentric circles on a rotisserie-like rotating shaft in a specially designed oven. It has a surprising name for a Japanese cake because it was introduced to Japan by a German baker who was a prisoner in a Japanese internment camp in Hiroshima during World War I. After his release, he opened up a bakery selling this wonderful cake, which became far better known in Japan than in Germany. Baumkuchen is now very popular in Japan as a festive gift. The cakes were flying off the shelves. Buy an extra slice, you won’t regret it.

Bento Boxes

While consuming in public is frowned upon in Japan – no one eats on the streets or on the metro, for example – on the Shinkansen (bullet train), it is customary to bring food to eat. Perhaps this is permitted to while away the lengthy journeys often being undertaken on these phenomenally fast trains. Many travellers buy their food from the depachika before boarding since every major train station seems to have a department store alongside – imagine a visit to Harrods Food Hall before your departure. You may well use the Shinkansen while travelling from Tokyo to other parts of the country. Make sure to leave enough time to shop first for a host of beautifully packaged treats. Over three weeks of travel, the moment I felt most ‘local’ was seated on the shinkansen, opening a mouthwatering bento box along with almost everyone else in the carriage. In Japanese, there is a beautiful word spoken when beginning a meal, it translates as giving thanks to everyone involved in producing it. As you snap apart your chopsticks, don’t forget to say, itadakimasu.

This is part one of a three-part feature on Food in Tokyo.  Follow along for more!  You’ll find all our content on Japan here.