The Japanese cuisine is famous the world-around. Ramen. Yakitori. Sake. Sushi. Udon.
Millions of people descend on Japan, in particular Tokyo, every year to devour as much of the delicious cuisine as possible in Tokyo's best restaurants. Travellers often forget that as one of the world’s most advanced metropolis’ - it is a diverse city with just as diverse a food offering. There’s more to Tokyo’s dining scene than Japanese cuisine.
We chat to Paolo, a Klook team member based in Japan who has a penchant for good ol’ Italian food.
1. What’s the best pasta dish in Tokyo? And where is it?
It has got to be Elio Locanda Italiana at Kojimachi (Chiyoda-ku.) I can also highly recommend Trattoria Dai Paesani in Shinjuku.The chefs are Italians and it feels just like being in Italy, despite the fact that I am 10,000 km from home.
2. What’s your take on Wafu Pasta? Any recommendations?
As an Italian - it’s hard to stray from the authentic, but as a foodie, I’ll try anything once. A very good restaurant with almost 200 shops throughout Japan is Yomenya Goemon, - if you’re a first timer - go for the sesame spaghetti with pork.
3. When hungover or craving creature comforts, a good ol pizza can’t be beaten. Any late night spots? What do you recommend?
No place can beat L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Ebisu, here you can eat an authentic Napoli pizza in the heart of Tokyo. But if Roman Pizza is more your style, head to Pizzeria Romana il Pentito in Shibuya.
4. Tokyo is lucky to have such a diverse range of cuisines on offer. Excluding Japanese food, what cuisines do you think are done really well in Japan? Restaurant recommendations?
Tokyo is the city with the highest number of restaurants in the world, and the highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants globally. You can find the best restaurants for almost every cuisine you are looking for. More than recommending specific restaurants, I’d actually advise travellers to walk around some of the biggest department stores in the city, as they always have a choice of restaurants such as Thai, Indian, French, Spanish, Mexican etc.
If you are in Shinjuku, you can't go wrong at Takashimaya Times Square. It’s not something common in Australia - eating in department stores - but here in Tokyo you can find lots of tasty options.
5. Talking food & drinks - did anything surprise you when you moved to Tokyo?
What keeps surprising me the most is the fact that I can eat authentic food from any country of the world in a single city. In Italy, it’s difficult to find restaurants from other regions. To eat a particular dish, you have to travel to that specific region or city (for example, to eat the best pizza you should travel to Napoli or Roma), but in Tokyo I have been able to try food from other Italian regions that I have never had the chance to try while living in Italy.
6. There's so many incredible activities in Tokyo - what's your pick?
There are too many and it’s difficult to pick, but my personal favourite attractions are:
I loved visiting Mount Fuji - yes it's a bit touristy, but for good reason - the landscape is simply stunning and well worth the trip.
And don’t forget how easy it is to book your transfers and rail passes on Klook - it will save you time, which you can then spend eating and exploring!
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