Sushi Kuriyagawa | Time Out Tokyo

Top five Tokyo restaurants for exquisite sushi

Let some of the city's finest sushi chefs treat you to a feast

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In collaboration with Pocket Concierge

Ready to take the step up from conveyor-belt sushi? Aren't we all. The problem is that Tokyo is a city of some 5,000 sushi restaurants, making deciding on the right one quite a challenge. And considering a top-quality omakase ('chef's selection') course can set you back a whopping ¥20,000, choosing a worthy place becomes all the more crucial.

Helping you narrow down the options, we've again teamed up with crack restaurant booking service Pocket Concierge to bring you a more manageable list of five top-of-the-line joints. These are places without price tags or menus – truly the crème de la crème of sushi – but our direct booking service allows you to confirm the bill in advance, ensuring you won't be in for any costly surprises. Now, all you need to do is get ready for the sushi experience of a lifetime. 

For more sushi, check out our picks of the best sushi in Tokyo, or opt for a classy kaiseki meal instead. 

The sushi top five

  • Shirokanedai
  • price 3 of 4
For a taste of tradition, dine in at this sushi restaurant located near the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, in the luxury residential area between Shirokanedai and Ebisu. The fresh, seasonal seafood sits on rice flavoured with either red or white vinegar – whichever makes for the best combination...
  • Sushi
  • Ebisu
  • price 3 of 4
Sushi Kuriyagawa
Sushi Kuriyagawa
Generally, Tokyo's high-end sushi restaurants place value on tradition. Hardly any of them serve avocado or salmon, and some refuse point blank to serve seared toro (fatty part of the tuna), saying that it deviates from the traditions. In this context, Koichi Kuriyagawa, the chef at this restaurant located near the Westin Hotel in Ebisu...
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  • Aoyama
  • price 3 of 4
Masuda
Masuda
Thanks to 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi' and a visit from President Obama, Sukiyabashi Jiro has become one of those places that's near impossible to get a reservation for. Chef Rei Masuda worked as an apprentice at Jiro for nine years before opening his own restaurant, Masuda, in January 2014...
  • Kaminoge
  • price 4 of 4
Sushi Ichikawa
Sushi Ichikawa
Hidden out in the residential wilds of Setagaya, a good 15-minute walk from Yoga Station, Ichikawa combines classic edomae (Tokyo-style) sushi with the flavours of Kyoto's rich kaiseki tradition. Tuna is the protagonist here, so even the shari rice is flavoured...
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  • Higashi-Azabu
  • price 4 of 4
Sushi Yoshii
Sushi Yoshii
A refined, unmarked sushi haven found on the eastern outskirts of Azabu, not far from Shiba Park, Yoshii can be more than a little hard to find: look out for a black-tiled building, right across from a convenience store, and head for the second floor. With only six counter seats...
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