5 Dishes to Try in Tokyo During Your Cruise Stop (and It’s Not Just Sushi)

When you step off the ship in Tokyo, the impact can be dizzying. There are thousands of restaurants, and the risk is to randomly enter the first place you find and order a mundane dish. The true cuisine of Tokyo is made of quick griddle strokes, skewers cooked over charcoal, and piping hot snacks to eat on the street. If you have just a few hours before re-boarding, look for these five dishes to discover the true flavor of the city.

Okonomiyaki: Tokyo’s “pizza”

Often called Japanese pizza or omelet, it’s an incredible dish cooked on a sizzling hot griddle right in front of you. It’s a batter base with shredded cabbage, to which pork, shrimp, or cheese are added. It’s finished with a special sweet sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi) that dance with the heat. It’s flavorful, fun to watch, and very filling.

Yakitori: Alley Skewers

If you want to eat like a true Tokyo office worker, look for the Omoide Yokocho area near Shinjuku station. These are chicken skewers (using all parts, from meatballs to wings) grilled over special charcoals and brushed with a sweet and savory sauce (tare sauce) or simply salted. They are eaten piping hot in tiny establishments, often with trains passing overhead.

Takoyaki: Piping Hot Octopus Balls

This is the quintessential street food. They are ball-shaped batter dumplings, cooked in special griddles with hemispherical molds. Inside there’s a piece of octopus, pickled ginger, and green onion. The chefs turn them at an impressive speed using chopsticks. Be careful with the first bite: inside they are lava-hot, but they are an unmissable delight.

Tendon Tempura: Rice with Light Fry

Forget heavy fried food. In Tokyo, you must try Tendon, which is a bowl of hot rice topped with pieces of Tempura (shrimp, pumpkin, eggplant, shiso leaves) fried in a very light and crispy batter. The whole thing is drizzled with a sweet and thick soy sauce. It’s the perfect quick lunch to get back to exploring the city.

Melonpan with Ice Cream: The Walking Dessert

For a sweet note, look for a bakery and ask for a Melonpan. It’s a sweet bun with a crispy crust that resembles a melon rind (but doesn’t taste like melon!). The definitive version you find in Asakusa, near the temple, is cut in half and filled with a generous scoop of matcha green tea ice cream. The contrast between the warm bread and cold ice cream is amazing.

Bring a piece of Tokyo home: Quick Takoyaki Recipe (serves 4)

Making Takoyaki at home is a great way to impress friends. If you don’t have a griddle with holes, you can easily use a muffin tin or a small pancake griddle; the important thing is to create small portions!

Ingredients

• 200g all-purpose flour
• 600ml cold water (in which you’ll have dissolved one teaspoon of granular Dashi broth, if you find it, otherwise light vegetable broth)
• 2 fresh eggs
• 150g pre-boiled octopus, diced
• 2 finely chopped green onions
• Soy sauce, mayonnaise, and barbecue sauce (for garnish) to taste
• Vegetable oil to taste

Method

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, add the cold broth, and then the sifted flour. Mix well with a whisk until you get a very liquid, lump-free batter. Heat the griddle (the one with holes or a non-stick pan suitable for making small portions) and grease it very well with vegetable oil using a paper towel. Pour the batter into the holes until almost full. Immediately place a cube of octopus and a little chopped green onion into each hole. When the edges start to cook, use a long wooden skewer to detach the ball from the edge and turn it 90 degrees, letting the remaining liquid batter flow into the bottom of the hole to create the spherical shape. Continue turning until they are golden and round. Place the balls on a plate and decorate by drizzling mayonnaise in stripes, a little barbecue sauce, and a dash of soy sauce. Eat them hot!