Where to Have Sushi at Tsukiji Market

Tsukiji Sushi

Daiwa Sushi and Sushi Dai are two of the most commonly heard sushi shop names at Tsukiji Market. The problem is that they are so popular that they have such long lines, some queue for three hours. And yes, the sushi is great here, but is it worth hours standing in line? And I believe that you can get comparable sushi at other shops, and you’ll be able to relax and eat leisurely – and isn’t that what a good sushi experience should be? Here are some other Tsukiji sushi shops worth checking out.

All of the restaurants serve an “omakase“, usually about eight pieces of sushi that are all served at the same time. But to have a more authentic experience, order piece by piece. Ask for “shun no mono” or seasonal items.

Sushi Bun 鮨文

Chuo-ku, Tsukiji 5-2-1, Building #8

03-3541-3860

www.tsukijinet.com/tsukiji/kanren/susibun/ (Japanese)

Another sushi shop with a strong following is Sushi Bun, with a rich 150-year history as it originally started out as a yatai (stall) at the former fish market in Nihonbashi. It is currently a 4th generation shop. Sushi Bun only uses wild fish (tennen) that is domestically caught. The 5th generation daughter speaks English and can help you with the menu.

* Please see comments below. One reader went recently and had a bad experience here. No photos allowed at Sushi Bun and she said that the shopkeeper wasn’t so friendly.

Nakaya　中家

Tsukiji 5-2-1, Building #8

03-3541-0211

http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/46_nakaya/index.htm

Another very satisfying way to satiate that craving for raw fish is to have a donburi, or a large bowl of rice topped with seasonal sashimi. Nakaya has a selection of donburi including an uni don of creamy, sweet uni. For a very over the top bowl, you can get toro (fatty tuna), ikura (salmon roe) and uni.

Iwasa Sushi　岩佐寿し (Note in a comment below that a recent diner did not have a good dining experience here. I have always had good sushi here so not sure if it was a bad day or what.)

Tsukiji 5-2-1, Building #1

03-3544-1755

http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/09_iwasa/index.htm

The seasonal seafood is all wild.

Sushi Maru　すしまる

Tsukiji 5-2-1, Building #10

03-3541-8414

http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/45_sushimaru/index.htm

Using wild and top quality seafood. One of their signature dishes is the “aburi jyu”, a chirashizushi of seared fish over rice.

Ichiba Sushi　市場すし

Tsukiji 5-2-1, Building #8

03-3541-1350

http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/40_ichiba/index.htm

It is hard to resist the uni donburi or the uni and ikura donburi (check out the photos at the link above).

A post on Cheap Eats at Tsukiji Market.

May  Seasonal Japanese Seafood (what you should be eating if you come to Tsukiji this month).

Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats

Tenfusa

Nakaya

Toritoh

Toyochan

There are so many great places to grab a cheap and delicious bite at Tsukiji Market. And don’t worry if you can’t stomach raw fish first thing in the morning. Most of these places open early in the morning and close after lunch.

Here is a short list of some of my favorites:

1. Tenfusa 天房 is famous for long anago filets and shrimp that have been deep-fried tempura-style are placed on wide bowl of steaming rice. This is drizzled with an umami-rich sweet soy sauce and served with a side of pickles.  Tsukiji 5-2-1, Building #6 (03-3547-6766). http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/24_tenfusa/index.htm (Japanese – with good photos)
2. Nakaya 仲家 for donburi. Donburi are bowls filled with rice and topped with sashimi. Get the luxury bowl of uni, toro, and ikura, or if you are in the mood for something cooked, grilled or simmered fish over rice. Tsukiji 5-2-1 building #8 (03-3541-0211). http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/46_nakaya/index.htm (Japanese – with good photos)
3. Yoshinoya 吉野家 is a popular fast-food chain famous for its gyudon, thin slices of beef cooked with onions and a sweet soy sauce are ladled over a bowl of rice. A branch of Yoshinoya is in New York City on 42^nd Street. The first shop in the chain dates back to 1899 and was located near Nihonbashi. It moved here to Tsukiji with the move of the market. Tsukiji 5-2-1 Building #1 (03-5550-8504). www.yoshinoya.com/shop/tsukiji/index.html  (Japanese)
4. Oomori 大森 is a curry shop, its signature dish is ½ curry and ½ gyudon. In business since 1923, the restaurant only seats 5 people at the counter. Tsukiji 4-8-7 (03-5565-3704)
5. Yonemoto 米本喫茶本店 has been serving coffee since 1960. www.yonemoto-coffee.com. Tsukiji 4-11-1 (03-3541-6473).
6. If you are craving ramen, head to Wakaba 若葉. Wakaba has been making ramen for 50 years with a 2^nd generation cook. Tsukiji 4-9-11. (03-3546-6589).
7. Nakaei 中栄 is a 4^th generation shop serving up curry and beef hayashi. Tsukiji 5-2-1 building #1 (03-3541-8749). http://www.nakaei.com/
8. There are many standing bars for food along Shin-Ohashi Dori. Here you will find hormone don (grilled offal over a bowl of rice) at Kitsuneya きつねや, Ramen at Inoue 井の上, soba at Jindaiji Soba Maruyo 深大寺そばまるよ. Tsukiji Donburi Ichiba 築地丼市場 runs 24 hours and the grilled tuna cheeks is juicy and meaty.
9. Toritoh 鳥藤 is a 4^th generation shop serving grilled chicken over rice. There is a large blue noren with red and blue writing to the left of the entrance. Their retail shop is just around the corner. Tsukiji 4-8-6 (03-3543-6525). www.toritoh.com (Japanese)
10. Toyochan 豊ちゃん is a yoshoku restaurant famous for its omuhayashiraisu (ketchup flavored rice surrounded by a juicy omelet and topped with a beef stew).  Other popular yoshoku dishes include katsukare-raisu (tonkatsu and curry served over rice) and kanikurokke (creamy crab croquettes). Tsukiji 5-2-1 building #1. 03-3541-9062. http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/11_toyo/#04 (Japanese – but great photos)

A post on sushi restaurants in Tsukiji Market.

Book Review – Sushi

Sushi

A professor of biophysics at the University of Southern Denmark, Ole G. Mouritsen has penned the most extensive and authoritative book—dare I say encyclopedia?—on sushi to date. This weighty tome is packed with more information than most readers will ever need. Yet that’s exactly where it shines. The author’s curiosity and passion about fish is evident throughout. Perhaps most notable is that, unlike other sushi books written by non-Japanese, the information about seafood is factually correct. Sushi will educate readers on all aspects of fish—texture, taste and how they are served. Packed with photos and illustrations (by the author’s son), this comprehensive guide also includes information on other dishes at the sushi counter, from the rice and vinegar used to make theshari to the green tea that ends the meal. With an extensive glossary and a rich bibliography, Sushi will find its way onto the bookshelves of chefs and foodies the world over. After consuming this work, readers themselves should be given a PhD in sushi.

SUSHI

By Ole G. Mouritsen
Springer, 2009, 330pp, ¥3,357

This review first appeared in Metropolis magazine:

http://metropolis.co.jp/dining/local-flavors/the-food-files/

 

Ginza Harutaka 銀座青空

Ginza Harutaka

Chef Harutaka developed his skills with 12 years at Sukiyabashi Jiro. This sushi restaurant is popular with top chefs in the city. Sit at the counter and watch the young, talented and soft-spoken chef as he handles the seasonal seafood with care and deft. Part of the delight in dining here is taking in the beautiful vessels he uses to hold the seafood. No detail is overlooked at this restaurant that comes highly recommended by top chefs in the city.

Ginza Harutaka 銀座青空

Chuo-ku, Ginza 8-5-8, Ginza Kawabata Building 3F

03-3573-1144

5:00 – 24:00 (Saturday until 22:30)

closed Sunday and holidays

no website

Ginza Kyubey 銀座久兵衛

Ginza Kyubey

Ginza Kyubey 銀座久兵衛

Chuo-ku, Ginza 8-7-6

03-3571-6523

11:30 – 13:30, 17-21:45

closed Sunday and holidays

www.kyubey.jp/index_e.html (English)

Kyubey Sushi, is famous as a top-class sushi restaurant in the city. It is so popular that it often turned away customers. To accommodate everyone they have opened a bekkan (annex) across the street. They are accustomed to foreigners coming in and you may be seated in front of an English-speaking chef. It is popular with Japanese as well as tourists. The sushi chef may ask you if he should change the size of the shari (rice) or the amount of wasabi. This thoughtfulness is especially appreciated by the ladies who lunch there who may want to have a little less rice as they may be watching their weight. Kyubey is a nice option if you are looking for a top quality sushi experience but want to avoid the prohibitive prices at some shops that are only open for dinner. The lunch here is very reasonable for classic Edo-style nigirizushi.

Magurobito Kaitenzushi in Asakusa 浅草のまぐろ人

Magurobito

Magurobito まぐろ人

Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-5-9 台東区浅草1-5-9

Phone: 03-3844-8736

Monday – Friday (11:00 – 15:00, 17:00 – 22:00)

Saturday (11:00 – 22:00)

Sunday and holidays (11:00 – 21:00)

www.magurobito.com/ (Japanese)

Magurobito is kaitenzushi (revolving sushi) with a good value and a selection of seasonal fresh fish. It is very popular so there is often a line, but it tends to move quickly. This is a chain so you may see shops around the city. Of the many kaitenzushi, this chain is one of the better ones. It is also very popular for its bang for buck. There is a second shop in the area but it is tachigui (stand and eat) and only accommodates a handful of customers.

Kizushi in Ningyocho 人形町の㐂寿司

Kizushi in Ningyocho 人形町の㐂寿司

Kizushi 㐂寿司

Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi Ningyocho 2-7-13 中央区日本橋人形町2-7-13

Tel. 03-3666-1682

11:45 – 14:30, 17:00 – 21:30 (Monday – Friday)

11:45 – 21:00 (Saturday)

closed Sunday and holidays no website

Opened in 1924, this third generation sushi shop feels as though time as stopped. The third generation owner works with his sons, fourth generation, behind the counter. This is classic style sushi that is served not onto a plate but onto a narrow counter in between the chef and the diner. If the sushi needs to be seasoned the chef will puts some tsume on it. You should eat your sushi with your fingers, which is why you are presented a small wet napkin in a small basket. The seafood is displayed in small refrigerated cases on straw trays, some which still may be moving. Dinner can be on the pricy side so come for lunch if you are on a budget. While some of these old style sushi shops have the reputation for not being friendly, you will be warmly greeted and looked after here.

Nipponia magazine has an excellent write-up of Kizushi online at:

http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia47/en/feature/feature01.html

Tokyo Cheap Eats – Oedo Kaitenzushi 大江戸回転寿し

Ooedo Kaitenzushi

Ooedo Kaitenzushi

As a fishmonger, Shinji is always craving sushi. There are many ranks of restaurants, even within the kaitenzushi (revolving sushi). Ooedo Kaitenzushi came highly recommended for its variety of fresh fish at a reasonable price. Ooedo has several locations throughout the city. This one is near Okachimashi, just south of Ueno station and near the boisterous Ameyoko market.

Shirako

Assorted Sushi

Assorted Sushi

Ooedo Kaitenzushi – Okachimachi Kitaguchi Ten

Taito-ku, Ueno 6-2-1

Phone: 03-5812-2097

www.ooedo.co.jp

Food & Wine Magazine’s 2009 Tokyo Go List

Tokyo

My contribution to Food & Wine magazine’s 2009 Go List for Tokyo:

Japanese chefs are dictating the world’s dining trends with their fierce devotion to seasonality and respect for aesthetics.

GINZA HARUTAKA

Chef Harutaka Takahashi may have a Michelin-starred resume, but he isn’t showy. He turns exceptional seafood into perfect sashimi and sushi in a simple space down the street from Tsukiji Market.
We loved: Anago (eel) broiled in a sweet soy-based sauce.

IVAN RAMEN

Native New Yorker Ivan Orkin faced skeptics when he opened a 10-seatramen counter in the Setagaya neighborhood almost two years ago. But now, ramen connoisseurs make pilgrimages to eat his homemade noodles doused in a chicken-and-seafood broth and topped with luxurious slabs of roast pork or nests of pickled bamboo shoots.
We loved: Whole wheat noodles with slow-cooked charred pork topped with a spicy sesame-and-peanut salad.
Insider tip: Ask for the gentei, or daily special.

KONDO

At this tiny tempura temple, baskets of seasonal vegetables sit on the counter waiting to be battered, deep-fried and served right out of the bubbling oil. Chef Fumio Kondo carefully monitors the temperature of the oil and the cooking time to create a delicate, crisp shell. He serves sweet soytsuyu dipping sauce on the side, but purists stick to salt.
We loved: Lacy nests of julienned carrots and Satsumaimo sweet potato.

TOFUYA UKAI

At this 100-year-old reconstructed sake brewery, the classic kaiseki courses, like seasonal sashimi and seared wagyu, are delicious. The highlight is soy in several forms, including decadent twice-cooked tofu and freshly made tofu simmering in a hot pot of creamy soy milk.
We loved: Deep-fried tofu spread with dengaku miso.
Insider tip: The gift shop sells jars of the sweet dengaku miso.

WAKETOKUYAMA

Revered chef Hiromitsu Nozaki owns several other places in Tokyo, but he likes to hang out behind the counter at his little kappo restaurant (a relaxed relative of kaiseki) in upscale Hiroo. Nozaki preaches the philosophy ofshun, or seasonality, as he assembles gorgeous dishes like uni-toppedshimeji mushrooms.
We loved: Abalone with kimo (liver) sauce and toasted nori.

Hot Food Zone: Kagurazaka

Once renowned for its geisha houses, this area near Iidabashi Station is now called “Petit France” for its many brasseries, bistros and wine bars. Also here are some of the best places to eat nearly every style of Japanese cuisine, like steamed dumplings at 50 Ban, tempura at geisha house–turned–restaurant Tenko and traditional sweets at Baikatei.

Where to Eat Near: Omotesando’s Shops

MAISEN TONKATSU

Hidden behind the Omotesando Hills shopping complex, this is a classic spot for humble tonkatsu: fried panko-breaded pork cutlets made from prized regional breeds like Okinawa’s red benibuta hog.

OMOTESANDO UKAI-TEI

At this luxe new teppanyaki restaurant, Venetian glass and European art set a fancy stage for chefs grilling extraordinary seafood, vegetables and marbled beef.

YANMO

Seafood from the Izu Peninsula, brought in daily, elevates the reasonably priced lunch specials at this excellent restaurant on a side street behind Comme des Garçons.

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/go-list-2009-tokyo-city-guide

 

Sushi Etiquette (2 of 2)

Metropolis magazine did a great job of laying out the basic categories of sushi. Click on the link below.

http://metropolis.co.jp/dining/local-flavors/sushi-etiquette/2/

Sushi etiquette part 1 of 2