No shop paid us: 10 Tokyo sushi spots an AI picked from 12 traveller posts saved 17,069 times
Plenty of "best sushi in Tokyo" lists come from someone who got a free omakase in exchange for a nice post. This one was put together by software that has never eaten a piece of tuna, so it had no reason to be polite to anyone.
How our AI picked these
- It read 12 traveller posts about eating sushi in Tokyo on social media. Together those posts were saved 17,069 times by other travellers.
- It pulled out every sushi place that was named, 41 in total, and scored each one.
- The score works like this: every post that names a place adds points, and posts that more people saved count for more. A place gets extra points when several different authors recommend it on their own, because two strangers rarely praise the same counter by accident. We add a point when we have confirmed the place is open, and take one off when the comments flag a real problem, such as price rises or a fishy smell.
- Places we could not confirm, or that were only mentioned in passing, were thrown out. 10 made the list.
No shop paid to be listed here, and we accept no free meals, drinks or gifts from any shop. Read the full rules.
A note on what the numbers mean: the top three were each recommended in two separate posts. Numbers 6, 7 and 8 all come from one very popular post, saved 2,648 times, by a traveller who worked through Roppongi's omakase counters. Number 4 comes from a public ratings list of highly rated counters that still had seats free, which is rare enough to be worth knowing about.
Pick by budget first
- About ¥1,500 to ¥4,000: standing bars and conveyor belts, no booking. Numbers 3, 9 and 10.
- About ¥4,800 to ¥15,000: lunch omakase and mid-range counters, book online. Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5.
- About ¥25,000 and up: high-end counters, book weeks ahead. Numbers 6, 7 and 8.
High-end prices in Tokyo move fast and different websites quote very different figures for the same counter. We give a band. Always check the booking page before you go.
The list
1. Sushi Azabu (鮨あざぶ 麻布台ヒルズ)
Why the AI picked it: Named in two separate posts saved 6,247 times in total, the highest score of any place. The reason both authors went back to it is the weekday lunch: a full omakase at a price that looks like a typo. It lost a point because some commenters said prices have gone up and a few found it ordinary.
Order this: The weekday "light" lunch omakase, around 14 to 15 courses including nigiri and the house sesame tofu, which arrives on a sizzling hot plate.
Price: Lunch about ¥4,800 on weekdays (not public holidays). Dinner has been listed from about ¥9,800, with a larger course around ¥15,000, and commenters have quoted higher. Check the booking page for today's price.
Queue / booking: Book online through TableCheck with a credit card. The counter has 19 seats. Travellers report booking anywhere from two weeks to a month ahead for lunch.
Getting there: Azabudai Hills Tower Plaza, 3rd floor. Kamiyacho Station (Hibiya Line) or Roppongi-itchome Station (Namboku Line).
Heads-up: The ¥4,800 lunch is weekdays only. Weekend lunch, if offered, costs more.
2. Sushi Tatsuya Yoshikawa, Nakameguro (鮨 たつ也 よしかわ 中目黒)
Why the AI picked it: Named in two separate posts saved 2,531 times. One author has gone back two years in a row and the chef recognised them. We confirmed the address and opening times ourselves, which lifted it to second place.
Order this: The omakase, around 14 courses with nigiri, a few cooked dishes, a rice bowl with roe and a dessert. The signature is a fat roll cut at the counter, packed with fatty tuna, sea urchin and raw egg yolk.
Price: Sources disagree. Courses have been listed from about ¥11,000 to around ¥14,000, and close to ¥20,000 with drinks. Check the booking page.
Queue / booking: Book online. Two seatings a night, at 6pm and 8:30pm, at a 14-seat counter. Travellers mention a small deposit when booking. Some commenters could not find it on the big Japanese ratings site, so search the Japanese name on the booking platforms, or book through its sister restaurant, Sushi Yoshikawa Katsu in Ginza, which says it takes bookings for this branch too. Cards accepted.
Getting there: Kamimeguro 1-19-4, Nakameguro TN Building 1F, about two minutes from Nakameguro Station (Hibiya and Tokyu Toyoko lines).
Heads-up: It lost a point because one commenter noticed a fishy smell at the group's Ginza branch. The comment was about Ginza, not this counter, but the AI counts what it reads.
3. Nemuro Hanamaru (根室花まる)
Why the AI picked it: Named in two separate posts saved 1,860 times. It was number one in a traveller's ranking of conveyor-belt chains, and a second author praised the fresh fish and the prices at the Ginza standing bar. It lost a point because one commenter asked why such an "ordinary" place ranked first.
Order this: Fish shipped from Hokkaido: salmon roe, scallop, and whatever the board says has just arrived.
Price: A few hundred yen per plate. Budget roughly ¥2,000 to ¥4,000 for a full meal (our estimate).
Queue / booking: The Ginza branch is a standing counter with fewer than ten spots and takes no bookings, so you queue. It moves fast. There is also a conveyor-belt branch on the 10th floor of the same building, and another in KITTE Marunouchi by Tokyo Station.
Getting there: Tokyu Plaza Ginza, basement 2. Ginza Station, connected underground. KITTE Marunouchi is next to Tokyo Station's Marunouchi South Exit.
Heads-up: Expect a queue in the early evening. Cards and e-money accepted at Ginza.
4. Shutoku 2nd Branch, Tsukiji (秀徳 2号店)
Why the AI picked it: It appeared in a post saved 786 times that shared a public ratings list of highly rated sushi counters that still had seats free on a busy evening. We confirmed that it is open, how to book and its price band. It is the cheapest serious counter on that list, and it is in Tsukiji.
Order this: The Edomae nigiri omakase. The rice is seasoned with red vinegar made from sake lees, so it is darker and more aromatic than you may be used to.
Price: Averages listed at about ¥5,000 for lunch and about ¥10,000 for dinner. Courses with extra small dishes cost more. Check the booking page.
Queue / booking: The restaurant asks for bookings through its online form. Reviewers say same-day seats are sometimes possible on weekdays; weekends fill up.
Getting there: About seven minutes' walk from Tsukiji Station (Hibiya Line). The main shop is on the ground floor and the 2nd Branch is upstairs. Listed hours are 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10:30pm; check the shop's page before you go.
Heads-up: One reviewer was unhappy with the service. Pair it with a morning walk around the outer market; see our Tsukiji and Toyosu guide.
5. The Sushi Ryoken (THE SUSHI りょうけん)
Why the AI picked it: One post saved 377 times, from an author who said the sea urchin and tuna were both excellent and the chef was generous with them for the price. We confirmed the address and booking page.
Order this: The course that includes sea urchin, for the uni hand roll and the pressed sushi that arrives under a cloud of dry-ice smoke.
Price: Courses on the booking page run from about ¥10,900 to ¥16,200 (service charge extra). Check the booking page for today's price.
Queue / booking: Book on TableCheck. There is a counter and a private room.
Getting there: GEMS Roppongi, basement 1, Roppongi 6-2-6, about 100 metres from Roppongi Station.
Heads-up: Commenters were confused about which tier includes sea urchin. Check the course description when you book.
6. Sushi Nakamura (鮨 なかむら)
Why the AI picked it: From the most saved post on this list (2,648 saves), a traveller's round of Roppongi omakase counters. The author rated the food above average and said the squid melted on the tongue. It carries a bronze award on a big Japanese ratings site. It lost a point for comments about the price and a chef who barely speaks.
Order this: The omakase. Watch for the squid and the small snacks between nigiri, such as shrimp with grated radish.
Price: About ¥30,000 to ¥40,000 at dinner. Check the booking page.
Queue / booking: Book on TableCheck. The author said the counter was about half visitors, half locals. Listed as closed Sundays and public holidays.
Getting there: Roppongi 7-17-16, Yonekyu Building 1F, about three minutes from Roppongi Station.
Heads-up: A quiet, serious counter. If you want chat and jokes, pick number 8 instead.
7. Edomae Sushi Sushitsu (江戸前鮓 すし通)
Why the AI picked it: Same 2,648-save post. The author called the portions big and the fish top quality, with sea urchin appearing again and again, including a pale variety they had not seen elsewhere. They got a seat by booking only one day ahead. It lost a point because the author called the value only "okay".
Order this: The dinner omakase, built around aged fish and a lot of sea urchin.
Price: This is the place where sources disagree most. Dinner has been listed anywhere from about ¥25,000 to over ¥40,000, and lunch from about ¥12,500 to over ¥24,000. Check the booking page before you go.
Queue / booking: Phone 03-3404-2622 in Japanese, or book through an English-language booking platform. Listed as closed Sundays and public holidays.
Getting there: Nishi-Azabu 3-1-15, RF Building B1, about five minutes from Roppongi Station.
Heads-up: There is a dress code and children must be 10 or older.
8. Roppongi Fukuzushi (六本木 福鮨)
Why the AI picked it: Same 2,648-save post. A family business founded in 1917 and now run by the fourth generation. The author liked that it was warm and traditional, with no gold-leaf showmanship, and that the host speaks fluent English. It lost a point because the rice portions are small.
Order this: Traditional Edomae nigiri: sea bream, sardine, lean and medium-fatty tuna, scallop, sea urchin and simmered conger eel.
Price: The restaurant's English page lists three dinner courses, at about ¥24,000, about ¥34,000, and from about ¥48,000 depending on what you choose.
Queue / booking: Bookings only, through OpenTable or the restaurant's English website. Write the course you want in the special request box; everyone in a group must order the same course. Eight seats, ages 13 and up. Cancelling the day before or on the day costs 100% of the course, whatever the reason. Closed Sundays and public holidays.
Getting there: Roppongi 6-5-24, Compex 665 1F, a short walk from Roppongi Station.
Heads-up: If you leave hungry, ask for extra pieces at the end. The chef expects it.
9. Umegaoka Sushi no Midori, Ginza Corridor (梅丘寿司の美登利 銀座コリドー店)
Why the AI picked it: One post saved 1,767 times, from a traveller who ate well in Ginza for about ¥6,000 for two. The brand has been around since 1977 and is a Tokyo favourite for big pieces at fair prices. It lost a point because a commenter found the counter seats smelled of fish.
Order this: The seared pieces, especially seared shrimp with cheese and seared salmon, plus tuna, scallop and sea urchin.
Price: About ¥3,000 per person.
Queue / booking: No online queue. Take a ticket from the machine at the door and choose counter or table. Expect about 20 minutes at a weekend dinner. Bookings are only possible if you order a set course.
Getting there: Under the railway tracks on Ginza Corridor street, between Ginza, Yurakucho and Shimbashi stations.
Heads-up: Choose a table. Tables have a tablet menu where you can ask for no spring onion or mayonnaise; at the counter you order from the chef, which is harder without Japanese. It closes earlier than you might expect, so check the shop's page before you go.
10. Tachi Sushi Yokocho, Shinjuku West Exit (立ち寿司横丁 新宿西口店)
Why the AI picked it: One post saved 371 times, from an author who found it full of locals, with chefs shaping each piece in front of you and rich, oily fish. It made the list as the cheapest real counter in the data. It lost a point because commenters could not find it on maps and did not like the idea of eating standing up.
Order this: Tuna, salmon, sea urchin and the seared pieces, two or three at a time.
Price: Pieces from about ¥80 to about ¥450. A filling meal is about ¥1,500 to ¥3,000.
Queue / booking: Walk in. You write your order on a slip (fish name, wasabi or not, how many). When you finish, ask for the bill and pay at the register. Visa and cash accepted.
Getting there: Nishi-Shinjuku 1-18-13, Omi Building 1F, about three minutes from Shinjuku Station's West Exit. Search the Japanese name on your map app, because the English name often fails. Listed as open until 10:30pm on weekdays; check the shop's page before you go.
Heads-up: It is a standing bar. Twenty to thirty minutes is normal; nobody lingers.
What did not make it
- Big conveyor-belt chains such as Kura Sushi, Sushiro and Uobei appeared only in one ranking post with no detail, so the AI could not score them properly. They are easy to find and fine for a first try; they just did not earn a place here.
- Sushi Saito at Azabudai Hills was only mentioned in passing by an author who ate next door. It is one of the hardest bookings in the city.
- A small izakaya-style sushi shop in Asakusa had a glowing review, but we could not confirm it on any public listing, so it stays off until we can.
How to plan a sushi day
- Roppongi and Azabudai: Weekday lunch at Sushi Azabu (1), then browse Yamayuki, the fishmonger in the Azabudai Hills market that supplies top sushi counters, where you can buy sashimi to take away. For dinner, Ryoken (5) is the mid-range choice; Nakamura (6), Sushitsu (7) and Fukuzushi (8) are all within a short walk of Roppongi Station if you are splurging.
- Ginza and Tsukiji: Lunch at Shutoku (4) after a morning walk around the outer market, then the standing bar at Nemuro Hanamaru (3) or a seared plate at Midori (9) for a cheap dinner. All of it is on the Hibiya Line.
- Shinjuku and Nakameguro: A quick standing-bar lunch at Tachi Sushi Yokocho (10), then the evening seating at Tatsuya Yoshikawa (2).
Counter rules in 30 seconds
- Eat each piece as soon as it is served. If it is already brushed with sauce, skip the soy sauce.
- Hands or chopsticks are both fine for nigiri. Ginger is for between pieces.
- Mention allergies when you book, not at the counter, and arrive on time: courses often start together.
- No tipping. Read the cancellation rules before you pay; at many counters a late cancellation costs the full course.
For breakfast sushi and the markets themselves, see our Tsukiji and Toyosu guide. For more eating around the city, try our Tokyo food guide, and for a drink after dinner, our AI-picked Tokyo bars.
Booking pages, ticket machines and fish boards all need data
Most of the pricier counters take bookings only through online booking pages, the cheap places run on ticket machines and handwritten fish boards, and one standing bar is hard to find unless you search its Japanese name on a map. With an eSIM you can book the slot, follow the map to the right basement and translate the menu at the counter. Install it before you fly and you are online from the airport.
Japan eSIM from ¥480