Going to Japan this summer and I was just wondering if you guys knew of any must visit restaurants that require a reservation way in advance. Not looking to spend more than 100-200 USD per person without drinks
Florilege is the cheapest 2 michelin star restaurant I've been to. About $145. It was good, but not too memorable for me compared to more expensive restaurants I've been to. It might be more memorable for you if you rarely get fine dining.
Other options are teppanyaki. About the same cost as Florilege for high quality steak. But these places don't need a reservation months in advance.
There's some sushi restaurants in your price range. But theyre not award winning or anything.
Thank you! I'm guessing then that you really don't need to reserve anything far in advance unless it's like a top tier restaurant that is probably out of my price range?
I'm checking out now. I see their lunch course is about half the price. Do you think it would be a good idea to try a higher end restaurant with a lunch course in my price range or just go with a place like Florilege for a dinner course?
High-end restaurants (Tabelog awards, Michelin) eg sushi omakase, kaiseki, tempura, yakitori, European etc will require reservations because restaurants in Japan typically have limited seats, competitive demand from local & international gourmands and they need to prepare ingredients (typically seasonal) in advance.
Casual or everyday food restaurants typically don’t require reservations except for :
- Tabelog highly rated places, for example Tomita Ramen, Ginza Hachigo ramen, Tonkatsu Narikura, Unagi Uomasa, etc.
- Long queue casual places like Hikiniku to Come hamburg steak or Ajinoya okonomiyaki or several Neapolitan pizza shops in Tokyo in order to beat the queue
- casual places like izakayas, yakiniku etc if you want to dine at specific time
It's a Sushi Omakase but they mainly focus on fish found in or near the Okinawan waters, so you'll get to try a variety of fish that generally isn't served in common omakase lineups.
You can look through the Michelin list.
Florilege is the cheapest 2 michelin star restaurant I've been to. About $145. It was good, but not too memorable for me compared to more expensive restaurants I've been to. It might be more memorable for you if you rarely get fine dining.
Other options are teppanyaki. About the same cost as Florilege for high quality steak. But these places don't need a reservation months in advance.
There's some sushi restaurants in your price range. But theyre not award winning or anything.
Thank you! I'm guessing then that you really don't need to reserve anything far in advance unless it's like a top tier restaurant that is probably out of my price range?
Depends on the restaurant. Florilege that I mentioned needs a reservation months in advance.
A Michelin star or bib sushi restaurant under $200 will be very difficult to reserve, so that needs early preparation.
You can reserve some michelin bib ramen restaurants in advance. But they're like $18 max.
I'm checking out now. I see their lunch course is about half the price. Do you think it would be a good idea to try a higher end restaurant with a lunch course in my price range or just go with a place like Florilege for a dinner course?
look on tabelog and look at their ratings and price.
High-end restaurants (Tabelog awards, Michelin) eg sushi omakase, kaiseki, tempura, yakitori, European etc will require reservations because restaurants in Japan typically have limited seats, competitive demand from local & international gourmands and they need to prepare ingredients (typically seasonal) in advance.
Casual or everyday food restaurants typically don’t require reservations except for : - Tabelog highly rated places, for example Tomita Ramen, Ginza Hachigo ramen, Tonkatsu Narikura, Unagi Uomasa, etc. - Long queue casual places like Hikiniku to Come hamburg steak or Ajinoya okonomiyaki or several Neapolitan pizza shops in Tokyo in order to beat the queue - casual places like izakayas, yakiniku etc if you want to dine at specific time
For Naha - I enjoyed dining here on my visit last year - https://maps.app.goo.gl/iM3ACcxFuLHdFCxc9
It's a Sushi Omakase but they mainly focus on fish found in or near the Okinawan waters, so you'll get to try a variety of fish that generally isn't served in common omakase lineups.
Forgot to add the price - top course is like $140 USD and the normal one is like $115 USD.