Food & Drink
The restaurants Japanese people queue for, and how to read the signals tourists miss.
3 articles
- Omakase in Tokyo: How to Book It (and What Money Can't Buy) Tokyo omakase runs from $60 to $600, and the hardest counters can't be bought at any price. A Tokyo local explains the three tiers, the booking fees nobody mentions, and where your money actually works.
- Tabelog Ratings Explained: Why 3.5 Is Actually a High Score On Tabelog, Japan's biggest restaurant review site, a 3.5 isn't middling like on Yelp — it's roughly the top 3-4% of the country. Here's the math, and how Japanese diners actually read the score.
- How to Book Restaurants in Japan: The Reservation System Explained Why Japanese restaurants run on phone bookings and no-show fees, an honest look at Tabelog, byFood, OMAKASE, TableCheck and Pocket Concierge, and why money can't buy every table.