Ueno is popular among foreigners due to Ameyoko, one of Japan's leading shopping streets, where you can enjoy shopping for affordable fashion accessories and daily necessities, as well as food hopping. It's one of the few areas in Tokyo where you can experience the downtown atmosphere while redevelopment progresses in various parts of the city.
Also, Ueno Park, which houses Ueno Zoo where you can see pandas, and various museums, offers a vast area and greenery in the middle of the city, allowing you to enjoy a leisurely stroll.
Ueno is perfect for sightseeing in Tokyo as it's served by various train lines such as the JR Yamanote Line and Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.
Ueno, which attracts many domestic and international tourists, is also rich in eateries such as ramen shops, restaurants, and stylish cafes.
This time, we'll introduce recommended sushi restaurants where you can eat delicious sushi among these options.
About Japanese Sushi
With the Japanese food boom, sushi, a representative of Japanese cuisine, has become famous overseas as well. Even within Japan, sushi consistently enjoys top-level popularity, surpassing other Japanese foods like tempura and sukiyaki.
Recently, conveyor belt sushi (a system where sushi arrives at your seat on a conveyor belt) has become very popular among young people and families as it offers affordable sushi. On the other hand, high-end, long-established sushi restaurants that showcase carefully selected ingredients and craftsmen's skills never lose their popularity.
While we say "sushi" in one word, there are various types, such as nigiri sushi, which is standard in Japan, maki sushi that became popular overseas, oshi sushi and chirashi sushi where you can enjoy various ingredients.
Even in Japan, the charm lies in the regional characteristics of food culture, such as the concentration of vinegar used for seasoning the shari (rice part) and the proportion of sugar. There are even sushi that have undergone unique changes, like sasa sushi, where fish pressed sushi is wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Recommended Sushi Restaurants in Ueno
Sushi Hyakumangoku
source：Tabelog
"Sushi Hyakumangoku" is a long-established sushi restaurant with about 50 years of history. It has been loved by local regulars for many years due to its use of fresh fish purchased from the market every morning and careful preparation by skilled chefs.
If you want to eat high-quality nigiri sushi at a reasonable price, lunchtime is recommended. You can order for one person or one and a half persons, and the chef's recommended sushi from the fresh seafood of the day is served in order. Another attractive point is that it comes with a rich miso soup made from shrimp heads and a flavorful chawanmushi (steamed egg custard).
At night, you can also enjoy rare side dishes that go well with sake, such as homemade karasumi miso-zuke (dried mullet roe pickled in miso) and sujiko and tarako kasuzuke (salmon roe and cod roe pickled in sake lees).
There's an English menu available, and the owner can communicate in English, so foreign visitors can use it with peace of mind.
- Address: 1F Ebato Building, 2-11-5 Higashi-Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Business Hours: Lunch 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM (L.O. 1:30 PM) / Dinner 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM (L.O. 8:30 PM)
- Closed: Sundays and public holidays
- Phone: 03-3835-0487
- Official Website
Yushima Tenjin Sushihatsu
source：Tabelog
At "Yushima Tenjin Sushihatsu," the owner, who has won sake competitions, serves sake that pairs well with each sushi.
It's a unique concept sushi restaurant where you can listen to detailed explanations about the wide range of sake gathered from all over Japan, almost as if you're attending a lecture.
Sushi and sake, both representative flavors of Japan, are known to pair particularly well. Sake has the effect of softening the distinctive smell of raw fish and enhancing its umami. On the other hand, the sea aroma of sushi matches well with the fragrant sweetness of sake.
At "Yushima Tenjin Sushihatsu," not only can you enjoy sushi made with fresh fish, but there's also a rich selection of side dishes such as grilled fish and creative dishes that go well with sake. My recommendation is the gindara no saikyo-zuke (miso-marinated black cod). The rich sweet fat and flavorful miso that you wouldn't believe came from fish pairs well with dry sake.
When you visit "Yushima Tenjin Sushihatsu," try to fully experience Japanese culture with exquisite sushi and sake.
- Address: 1F Core Yushima, 3-35-8 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
- Business Hours: 6:00 PM - 10:30 PM
- Closed: Sundays and public holidays
- Phone: 03-3831-4467
- Official Instagram
Matsuyama Sushi
source：Tabelog
"Matsuyama Sushi," with over 100 years of history since its establishment, is a sushi restaurant located in a residential area. While local regulars often use it due to its location, foreign tourists who have seen highly-rated reviews also frequently visit. As a result, the restaurant has a homey atmosphere where foreigners can feel at ease.
The main menu items at "Matsuyama Sushi," such as sushi and sashimi, use fresh ingredients like maguro (tuna) and uni (sea urchin), so there's no fishy smell, making it easy for foreigners who are not used to raw fish to enjoy.
Also, while the shari is usually seasoned with vinegar and sugar, at "Matsuyama Sushi," less sugar is used, which is characteristic. This allows you to directly taste the sweetness of the rice. When you visit "Matsuyama Sushi," why not take your time to savor the harmony of fresh neta (sushi toppings) and shari?
- Address: 3-20-2 Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Business Hours: 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
- Closed: Unknown
- Phone: 03-3831-3828
Tasuke Sushi
source：Tabelog
The charm of "Tasuke Sushi" is that seasonal seafood is served each season. This includes hard-to-get ingredients like tuna from Oma, known as the most expensive tuna in Japan. The owner himself goes to the market to select quality ingredients.
My recommendation is the Jo Sushi lunch menu. You can enjoy first-class sushi at surprisingly low prices, such as fatty chutoro (medium fatty tuna) and tai (sea bream) so translucent that you can see Wasabi through it.
The Japanese architecture built by a miyadaiku (a craftsman who builds and repairs traditional buildings like shrines and temples) is well-received for allowing dining in a calm atmosphere, so foreigners are sure to be satisfied.
- Address: 2-26-6 Matsugaya, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Business Hours: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM / 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM (L.O. 8:30 PM) *Closes when ingredients run out
- Closed: Wednesdays (Other irregular holidays)
- Phone: 03-3841-4811
- Official Website
- Official Instagram
Yoshizushi Ueno Branch
source：Tabelog
At "Yoshizushi Ueno Branch," you can eat fresh sushi carefully selected by skilled chefs. They are committed to sourcing from Toyosu Market (Tokyo's market where fresh ingredients gather from domestic and international sources) every morning.
Not only sushi, but the restaurant also has a rich selection of side dishes such as grilled shellfish and fish, tempura, and wagyu steak, so many people visit to enjoy alcohol as well.
You can experience not only fish nigiri sushi like tai and salmon but also unusual vegetable nigiri sushi like kaiware (daikon sprouts) and menegi (green onion sprouts).
Among the various attractive dishes, my recommendation is the tai kabuto yaki (grilled sea bream head). It's a dish where the sea bream head is slowly grilled with salt, and you can taste the soft flesh containing high-quality fat melting in your mouth. Try enjoying it with smooth and fresh light-bodied sake that enhances the umami of the sea bream.
There's an English menu available, so foreigners can enjoy it with peace of mind.
- Address: 6-7-8 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Business Hours: 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM (L.O. 9:30 PM)
- Closed: New Year's Day (1/1)
- Phone: 03-5812-1678
- Official Website
Sushi Yuuki
source：Tabelog
"Sushi Yuuki" is a sushi restaurant that offers a rich selection of side dishes such as seafood gratin and grilled fish in addition to sushi.
Also, with a wide variety of alcohol menus including sake and shochu, and open until late at night, it's often used as a second stop for drinking parties.
The specialty is nigiri sushi made with high-quality tuna directly sourced from Toyosu Market. You can eat akami (lean part), which is the standard of tuna, chutoro (medium fatty part) with moderate fat, and otoro (fatty part) where you can fully enjoy melting fat. It's interesting to compare the taste differences from parts cut from the same fish.
Anago (conger eel) nigiri sushi, characterized by its soft and puffy texture, is also popular. As they use rare anago caught in Nagasaki, one of Japan's leading production areas, orders are limited to one piece per person.
Why not take this opportunity to enjoy precious sushi?
- Address: 1F Ueno Hirokoji Taiwa Building, 2-6-4 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Business Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat 5:00 PM - 4:00 AM (L.O. 3:00 AM)
Wed 5:00 PM - 1:00 AM (L.O. 11:00 PM)
- Closed: Sundays and public holidays
- Phone: 050-5872-9879
- Official Instagram
Sushi Kou
source：Tabelog
"Sushi Kou" is a popular sushi restaurant where you can casually enjoy fresh and generously portioned neta.
The specialty negitoro is a dish made from minced tuna meat. It uses plenty of fresh tuna, and it's recommended to eat it wrapped in nori seaweed with a savory sea aroma. Also, the perfect salt balance of the accompanying pickled daikon radish pairs perfectly, making you finish the generous portion of negitoro in no time.
The standard nigiri sushi menu has a rich lineup of over 40 types. When you're not sure which neta to choose, the set menus prepared by the shop are recommended. You can enjoy a little bit of various types of sushi.
The menu has careful English descriptions from individual items to sets and drinks, so foreigners who are not confident in Japanese can enjoy it with peace of mind.
- Address: 4-2-11 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Business Hours: Mon - Sat 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM (9:20 PM)
Sun & Holidays 11:30 AM - 8:30 PM (8:00 PM)
- Closed: Irregular
- Phone: 03-3831-9648
- Official Instagram
Summary
This time, we introduced sushi restaurants in Ueno where you can eat delicious sushi.
There are various types of sushi restaurants in Ueno, such as those where you can eat sushi made with fresh ingredients directly delivered from the market, or those where you can enjoy the fusion of sushi and alcohol.
Sushi, which is famous not only in Japan but also overseas as one of the Japanese foods, is a gourmet experience that many foreigners visiting Japan partake in. Therefore, as seen in the sushi restaurants we introduced this time, efforts are made for foreigners to use them easily, such as having English menus or owners being accustomed to communicating in English.
When you visit Ueno, please try to find your favorite sushi restaurant.