Best Seasonal Restaurants in Ochanomizu

I had a ten hour connection in Tokyo so I went into the city for sushi. Takaya was a terrific choice. Delicious fresh fish combined with a friendly relaxed attitude. I was a bit apprehensive about dining alone, but the chef made me feel welcome, and I had fun chatting with him. Tip: the seats at the far right side of the counter have a direct view of the chef preparing sushi, which was fascinating.

My number one sushi experience in the whole world. Tremendous care and thought went into the preparation of every ingredient and the entire experience. I shan't share any spoilers here. Enjoy!

We visited Sougo on our first night in Tokyo. We had heard it was excellent, and it truly surpassed all our expectations. The ambience, the quality and favor profile of the food, the drinks, the attention to every small detail, the service, the extremely welcoming staff and chef: everything was perfection. The value for money for the quality you get is amazing! We will definitely be back. I would highly recommend dining there while in Tokyo!

One of the best meals in my life, and I have a lot of experience. The chef was funny, kind, and an artist. The food was really special, all the ingredients were sourced from wherever the food originates from and ordered freshly days before. We had raw whale as sashimi, and fresh porcini muchrooms cooked in an incredible soup, and special rice that he even used the water from the area that the rice came from to cook it. Everything was special and incredible but also his design was amazing. One of the dishes came in a picnic basket with leaves and flowers from the season decorating it. And another had the flowers in season added into the cup that held the dish. The place is also about 6 seats so very important

My partner and I were the only customers dining that evening. I speak Japanese and chose to play interpreter for my partner, but the staff seemed quite willing to accommodate us in English. I'm not certain of the exact title of our server (maitre d'?), but he was incredibly friendly and well versed in all things food and drink! The meal itself was delightful, of course. Some highlights included the presentation of the first course (the best hamo I've had all summer: just a little bit warm and soft, and beautifully arranged atop a dewy lotus leaf); the perfect sashimi course (uni with fresh wasabi, tender sumi-ika, and a sensational smoky katsuo (bonito) that had none of the metallic fishy flavor I usually associate with bonito); the hairy crab with a creamy abalone gratin of sorts, served inside a lemon; not to mention the desserts! (a nutty zunda warabi mochi, peach pannacotta with peach jelly and fresh peach slices, and a quenelle of milk tea ice cream). But what really made the night special was the service. (Having the restaurant to ourselves might have helped.) My partner and I were having a little chat about what "umami" actually tastes like, and the entire restaurant staff was able to explain to us, off the top of their heads, the types of amino acids comprising different types of umami flavor -- in seaweed/kelp, tomato, tea, meat, seafood, etc. . They even printed out a chart for us! Even better than "impeccable service" is being made to feel like a welcome guest by those who genuinely know and love food.