I’ve made an effort to include only locations that are English-language friendly. This means they have menus that are in English. Staff may not speak much English, but you should be able to order without a problem. I recommend using their websites to make reservations. You can call if you’re trying to make a reservation on the day, but staff may not speak English.
RESTAURANTS
TY Harbor ($$$) – Waterfront restaurant and lounge offering western food. They have their own brewery – the beer is solid. This company owns and operates the following 3 restaurants.
Ivy Place ($$$) – Chic restaurant owned by the same company as the above TY Harbor. Western food, great brunch.
Smokehouse ($$) – Casual BBQ and beer kind of place. Lots of western food, also offers huge salads. This place is also owned by the TY Harbor/Ivy Place company. Same vibe.
Cicada ($$$$) – Upscale, delicious Mediterranean food with nice terrace seating. Good selection of interesting international wines. Owned by the same company as the above 3 restaurants.
TRUNK Hotel (cat street) ($$$) – Boutique hotel in Shibuya with a great cafe and bar/lounge space and delicious cocktails. They have two restaurants – “Kitchen” offers western food and has a nice terrace to sit at. “Kushi” is Japanese izakaya style; food on a stick and casual seating. (They recently opened a new hotel location in Yoyogi; don’t confuse the locations)
W Cellar Door ($$$$) – Roasted vegetables and seafood (with some pasta). Food menu revolves around wine, as this restaurant also acts as a wine shop. Open kitchen and open flame concept. Upscale casual vibe with really tasty international and fusion dishes. Probably need a reservation.
JS Burgers ($$) – Solid, unique, generally well-made burgers. There are a few locations throughout Tokyo.
Hacienda del Cielo ($$) – Mexican food on a rooftop in a posh neighborhood at a surprisingly reasonable price. Reservation probably needed.
Oxmoco ($$$) – Tiny Mexican spot offering amazing food. Originally a Michelin-starred location in NYC. There are only a handful of seats, so you need to make a reservation. Great for lunch.
Salaam ($$$) – Delicious Middle Eastern food. Located directly next to Oxmoco (they share floor space). It’s a tiny restaurant in an indoor restaurant complex. Need to make a reservation for this one.
Ichiran (Fukuoka style ramen) ($) – Popular ramen shop with tons of locations around Tokyo. You’ll probably eat in a solo booth and be served through a kind of window. Their English website is horrific, but it has all the location info.
Kinka Sushi Bar ($$$) – English friendly “sushi bar meets izakaya” concept. Easy access to the one in Shibuya. A reservation is probably a good idea.
Torikizoku (extremely budget yakitori) ($) – “Yakitori” means “grilled chicken on a stick” (and these restaurants offer other veggies and things). This is a chain restaurant, but it isn’t bad. Torikizou are everywhere. Link goes to an English menu; they have English menus at some of their locations, but their official website isn’t super bi-lingual friendly. If you just type in the restaurant name in Google Maps you’ll see their locations. There are a ton.
Mos Burger/Freshness Burger (budget friendly fast food burgers) ($) – like Burger King or McDonald’s in Japan. Standard fast food. It’s fine.
Rigoletto (standard, basic Italian) ($$) – owned by the same people as the rooftop Mexican place above. Standard Italian food in kind of interesting restaurants. There are a couple locations throughout Tokyo. Pasta, pizzas, appetizers, and some decent drinks.
Tokyo Juice (smoothie shop) ($$) – Delicious and made-to-order smoothies and other healthy drinks. Just one small shop in Omotesando.
Longrain (Thai) ($$$) – Gorgeous Thai restaurant with a view of Tokyo’s cityscape from floor-to-ceiling windows. Lots of great South East Asian fusion dishes and some interesting cocktails. Reservations probably needed.
bar a vin CROISEE ($$$) – small shop inside the Shibuya Scramble complex. French/Italian/Mediterranean fusion place. Food is made to go with wine. Not sure how English-friendly this place is at the moment; haven’t visited in a couple years.
Miyashita Park Complex ($-$$$) – tons of restaurants, and almost every place is English friendly. Prices might be a little inflated due to it being a new complex, but it’s very convenient and there are a ton of cool, stylish options across all floors. You can find lots of different cuisines here. Just check the website or check the maps that are in the complex to see what catches your eye. Some might require a reservation for dinner time, or lunch on the weekends.
Caveman ($$-$$$$) – fashionable, beautifully curated seasonal menu. Great breakfast/brunch options (and there’s a coffee shop next to the restaurant). Inside an old renovated bank building on the east side. Dinner reservations probably required.
Afuri (English-friendly ramen) ($-$$) – Tasty, accessible ramen with a couple shops in Tokyo. English-friendly.
BARS
Baird Beer ($$) – Casual beer spots throughout mostly the Tokyo area. Food changes depending on the restaurant – one place specializes in pizza, another is izakaya style, etc.
Ol ($$) – Scandinavian beer spot on the Shibuya back streets. Small food available. Chill vibe
Mikkeller ($$) – Nice craft beer spots in Tokyo. Two locations in Tokyo. Food is pretty light, but it’s generally good.
Beer Boy ($$) – Standing-only Japanese style beer spot featuring local craft beers. Not 100% sure about English support, but they’re pretty easy going and may be able to help a bit. One in Naka-Meguro and one in the Shibuya Parco building.
SG Club ($$$) – Asia’s 50 best bars listed. Usually somewhere in the top 10. Floor 1 is “G” for “guzzle.” Basement floor is “S” for “sip.” Stay after 1 AM if you want a chance to access the 2nd floor members only cigar bar (if they agree it’s okay; you need to ask the staff if you’re not a member, and there are no guarantees they’ll allow it. You probably won’t get access if you’re a rowdy group or if you haven’t made a positive impression on the bartenders. Speaking Japanese helps) Each floor has a separate menu to go with the theme of the floor. Speakeasy vibe. Staff are professional bartenders and sometimes they have events here.
The Bellwood ($$) – Same owners as SG club. This is the more casual spot. Cocktail-focused and some small food options in a smaller space.
Swig ($$) – Like a cocktail cafe. Very foreigner friendly (it’s run by a foreign team). Casual and fashionable.
INC Cocktails ($$$) – Speakeasy style (white tuxedo bartenders). All analog sound system and vintage records/equipment only. They’ll probably charge you 500 yen just to sit down. They’ll charge you 1000 yen a person if you show up in a group of 5 or more people, so watch out. Cool spot, but go if you want to chill for a while and enjoy the music.
TRUNK Hotel (cat street) – ($$) -The hotel’s lounge/lobby area is a pretty decent bar that often has art installations and music events. The cocktails are good, and there are nice, cushy seats. Easy to stop in.
Peter (the bar) ($$$) – Gorgeous location inside the Peninsula Hotel. You can visit the bar without visiting the restaurant. Upscale (they may have a dress code).
Ginza Music Bar ($$$) – Small, fashionable, upscale spot focusing on vintage jazz records. Lots of subtleties here – don’t go if you’re looking for clubby vibes.
Trench ($$) – Popular cocktail bar on the backstreets of Ebisu. Sometimes quite crowded (you might also try Tram; these two are connected).
Triad ($$) – Also a part of the Trench/Tram group, Triad is a harder to find spot. When you arrive at the address, walk toward the building and find an elevator. Get in and go to the 4th floor. 5th floor is an extension of bar Trench.
A10 ($$$) – Hidden record/music bar in Ebisu. Unique cocktails. Probably need a reservation to get in. The entrance is behind a coin locker false door (pull on the locker “a10” to make sure you open the door correctly).
Devilcraft (Hamamatsucho or Kanda) ($$$) – Deep dish chicago style pizza and craft beer. Pizza is EXCELLENT. May need a reservation if you’re going with a group or visiting on a weekend.
New York Bar (inside the Park Hyatt) ($$$$) – Fans of Lost in Translation like to visit here. Extremely upscale bar inside a luxury hotel. Often has live jazz events. Beautiful views of Tokyo. Probably need a reservation. They have a dress code, so make sure to check that on their website (no shorts for sure). If you call them, they have staff that can help you in English with a reservation. You can ask them about the dress code.
B ($$) – Brooklyn Brewing’s spot in Tokyo. In the basement of a renovated bank. Beer and tacos. Solid, good vibes.
COFFEE
About life ($$) – Small walk-up coffee stand in central shibuya.
Turret Coffee ($$) – Popular coffee spot in Tsukiji
The Roastery by Nozy Coffee ($$) – Under the above-listed Smokehouse restaurant. Delicious coffee. Same owner as the restaurant.
Coffee Base Meguro ($$) – Delicious, fresh-roasted coffee with a variety of menu items. One of the few places in Tokyo you can get a flat white. A couple outdoor seats.
Sidewalk Stand ($$) – They have a cozy cafe vibe and a few locations in Tokyo.
Conbini Coffee ($) – Go to any convenience store and order a coffee there. (seriously, it’s great, cheap, and everywhere)
Onibus Coffee (third wave coffee) ($$) – Same owners as above-listed About Life Coffee Stand. More secluded location in Naka-Meguro backstreets.
Switch Coffee (all locations) ($$) – Tasty coffee, in very small locations. Usually more of a take-out kind of place.
CLUBS
These days, there’s a good chance you’ll have to show ID and maybe even do some kind of guest registration to get in the door at some of the bigger clubs, and entry fees can range from anywhere from 1000 yen to around 3500 yen, depending on who is DJing. Best to just check Instagram in advance.
Vent – Probably the best sound system in Tokyo. One main floor and a smaller lounge floor. Lounge area gets smoky.
Womb – Large, older club with a couple floors. Centrally located in Shibuya.
Oath – Very small DJ bar covered in mirrors and chandeliers and other gaudy stuff. Fun atmosphere, better for talking to people than big clubs. Drinks are extremely basic.
Azumaya – very stylish and designery DJ bar. Made to look like a sauna on one side. Drinks and vibe only very slightly more upscale.
Tunnel/Red Bar – Tunnel’s entrance is in a wall at a literal tunnel in Aoyama. The second floor is red bar. You may have to pay separate entry fees if you want to visit both. They are very, very small. Very local. Basic drinks.
SIGHTSEEING
Meiji Jingu – Huge old shinto shrine right in the middle of Harajuku. Like stepping into a forest. You forget you’re in the city. Worth seeing.
Sensoji – Oldest Temple in Tokyo (Buddhist). The shopping area is popular with tourist (it sells lost of touristy stuff). Can get quite crowded because most people want to go.
Imperial Palace – You can walk around the beautiful outer gardens of the palace and the moat. It’s free.
TeamLab – Mega cool immersive art exhibitions. Everybody goes here for their Instagram pics. Likely will save time in line if you book tickets online in advance.
National Museum of Emerging Science – cool technology museum with robots and spaceships and things. Check exhibits on the website before you go.
Ueno Park (and the Ueno Park Museums) – a bunch of museums, a zoo, and a nice park area. In the back is a pagoda floating on a huge lotus pond. Easy to spend a whole day here. Check museum exhibits to see what looks good.
Shinjuku Gyoen – Massive, beautiful garden in the middle of Shinjuku. There are a few different garden styles and a greenhouse. Costs 200-400 yen entry.
Mori Art Museum and Observation Deck – Well-curated modern Art Museum. Outside the museum is a 360 degree observation deck. Great views of Tokyo. There’s a small restaurant here too, and more restaurants and shops in the mall at the base of the tower.
Shibuya Scramble (the place everyone goes for the intersection photos) – Right outside Shibuya station. Take any exit for the “Hachiko” exit. You can’t miss the massive intersection.
Rikugien (one of the 3 most magical Japanese gardens in Japan) – Gorgeous garden, especially in autumn. In autumn they also do a lightup event at night.
Akihabara station/neighborhood (for anime/manga/technology stuff) – if you don’t have a specific store you want to visit, just wander around and see what there is.
Tokyo Station (especially at night); get a drink in the building across the street to enjoy the view).
ACCOMMODATION
Honestly, I don’t know what’s best because I don’t stay in Tokyo hotels, but here are some ideas. Note that Japanese hotels usually charge by the person, not the room.
Sequence Hotel Shibuya (designery hotel that’s usually about $100 a night, excellent price to stay in the middle of shibuya)
TRUNK Hotel (cat street) – boutique hotel with only 8 or so rooms. Costs more per night, but the facility is cool, it’s located in an excellent place, and the restaurants, cafe, and bar/lounge are nice hangout spots.
K5 – A luxury boutique hotel inside a renovated bank. Ground floor is a couple of restaurants/cafe-ish spaces, and the basement is Brooklyn Brewing’s Tokyo location. Pricey, but a cool vibe on the east side of town.
