So you’re thinking about your next Tokyo food tour, and you’ve got your eye on a fancy-looking restaurant in Ueno—or maybe it’s in Shinjuku, or Minato. They’ve got a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu beef on the menu, some fresh seafood options, and a superb selection of wines to choose from… but how do you make that reservation? If you’re wondering what the social norms around restaurant reservations are in Japan, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Whether you’re looking at fine dining experiences, or at some of the one- or two-Michelin-starred places that you just want to try out, here’s an all-inclusive guide on how to get a reserved seat or table at any one of the most popular restaurants in Tokyo!
Should I Make a Reservation?
While some high-end places accept walk-ins, in a city as densely populated as Tokyo, sometimes making a reservation is the best way to ensure that you will have a seat at the restaurant – or that the item or course that you’re after will be available for you when you arrive.
If you’re in the market for a high-quality dining experience with your loved ones, it’s much better to be prepared in this sense – rather than to be disappointed when the restaurant is unable to cater to your party’s size or preferences when you arrive without advanced notice.
Top-tier, Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo are very exclusive and usually have smaller, more intimate settings, so they also tend to fill up quickly due to high demand. It is best to make a reservation as early as possible, to secure your seats as soon as the reservation slots become available! Here are 3 easy ways to make a reservation when planning out your Tokyo food tours!
How Do I Make a Reservation?
1. Online Reservation Services
This is the most convenient way to make reservations, and is highly, highly recommended – especially if you’re based overseas and you’re not in Japan just yet! There are many online, third-party reservation services in Japan, and in the country’s capital, you can trust these to be the most efficient ways to book a table at the restaurant you’re after! Here are some popular services you can use when visiting Tokyo:
Omakase: Find high-end places, Michelin-starred restaurants, and other fine dining experiences through this online booking service. Available in English and in Japanese, the website allows you to choose what kind of food you’re looking for – whether you’re up for sushi, ramen, fugu (Japanese pufferfish), kaiseki, or even French, Italian, or Spanish cuisine!
My Concierge: Find restaurants run by world-famous chefs or browse the places that are recommended by top food critics and connoisseurs, using this online booking service. Covering many major cities throughout Japan, this platform is offered in English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean. Like Omakase, you can also choose what style of cooking you’re interested in, but there are also special preferences you can filter by, such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or certified Halal options!
TABLEALL: A booking service specifically geared towards fine dining and Michelin-starred restaurants, be aware that there is a non-refundable fee for every reservation made through this provider. This is because many Michelin restaurants are highly exclusive, and thus it is difficult to get reservations in the first place. TABLEALL buys a certain number of spots at these exclusive locales for each day of the week, so by using their premium service, customers are guaranteed to always have a spot at their convenience!
Other Online Third-Party Reservation services:
TableCheck: This company’s service has them all: from high-end, fine dining experiences, to your more everyday restaurants that are still local gems. This makes it a very convenient platform to use when planning your Tokyo food tours, since you can make reservations for those luxurious, fine dining dates, as well as for the run-of-the-mill breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in between. You can even browse for bars and izakayas through TableCheck – catering to your every dining need!
Tabelog: This is one of Japan’s most extensive restaurant listings and review sites, and it sometimes has reservation services available for certain restaurants! Listing restaurants all over the country, this is a great platform to use as an initial check, since you can review the restaurant you’re interested in by browsing through photos, reading comments, and seeing what else is in the area.
2. Contacting the Restaurant
Many restaurants all around the world have their own online reservation system, which you can access through their websites – but not all restaurants offer this service in Japan. Sometimes, the most reliable way to secure a seat is by contacting the restaurant directly via phone call, to talk to a staff member directly.
If you have a friend who speaks Japanese, that might be a good way to make a reservation so that you can get seats at the restaurant of your choice! Or if you know a little Japanese yourself and are excited to put your skills to the test, making a reservation is a win-win situation all around: practice the language and set up your next tasty meal!
3. Through Concierge Services
If you have trouble making reservations online on your own, and if you don’t feel up to the challenge of a phone call, fear not! Upon checking-in for your stay at most hotels in Tokyo or all throughout Japan, you can also ask the hotel’s concierge to help make reservations at local restaurants. This is actually a very handy service for planning out your trip after arrival in Japan, too, and the hotel concierge can also make reservations for you in another major city than where you’re staying! So, if you’re moving onto Kyoto or Osaka after a night or two in Tokyo, you can still secure tables before your arrival, up to a few days in advance.
For this, it will help if you have all the restaurant’s information handy before speaking to the hotel staff. Alternatively, you can ask the hotel to provide recommendations (oh-su-su-meh) for local fine dining, Michelin-starred places, or other popular restaurants located near the hotel!
Credit Card Concierge Services
Major credit card companies like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express also offer concierge services, many free of charge. Your eligibility for these services sometimes depends on the type of credit card you have, but like regular concierge services, the different companies can make restaurant reservations on your behalf, find tickets for events, and plan other exciting travel activities too! You can usually find the number to call for these concierge services through your online bank account, or else with the benefits guide that initially came with your card, to find out if you are eligible for these services.
In today’s digital age, making reservations for Michelin-starred and other high-demand restaurants online has become easier than ever – even from a different country! Are you ready to begin planning for your next Tokyo food tour adventure?