Simple, well-prepared Japanese standards, including grilled chicken, in a lively atmosphere.

Ginza 1-2-3. (under the highway, across from Seiyo Hotel) Open 11:30am-3am (LO) daily.

Inexpensive pastas, cheap Italian wines, late-night hours.

Ginza 1-2-3. (under the highway, across from Seiyo Hotel) Open 11:30am-3am (LO) daily.

Good solid food from the Tex side of the Tex-Mex border, with colorful frozen and non-frozen margaritas.

Ginza 1-2-3. (under the highway, across from Seiyo Hotel) Open 11:30-3am (LO) daily.

Tropical fruits and vegetables and other Okinawan foodstuffs in a sprawling two-story market. Plus more kinds of Spam than you can shake a stick at.

Ginza 1-3-9. Open 10:30am-7:30pm daily.

This "Indian village restaurant" is a branch of the excellent Southern-Indian specialist Dhaba India in Kyobashi, and serves a good variety of Indian regional dishes. Set menus from Y2800. Cash only. [Go to branch review]

Ginza 1-6-13, Ginza 106 Bldg B1F. Open 11:30am-2:30, 5-10:15pm (LO) daily.

Pizza from custom-made wood-burning ovens, from this upscale chain of Italian eateries.

Ginza 1-13-8. (Ginza 1-chome station exit 10) Open 11:30am-3, 5-11:30pm (LO) daily.

This sister shop of the excellent Dhaba restaurant bill themselves as a tandoori specialist, and indeed the dishes from the tandoori oven here are far better than what you'll find at typical Indian restaurants. The prawns and shish kebab are outstanding, with interesting, complex spices. They also serve some unusual curries like a richly flavored mutton with black pepper, and mutton with salty mango pickles. There's a small wine list and a very refreshing fresh-lime soda and other soft drinks. Budget around Y5000 for ample food with a few drinks; lunch is Y1300-2600.

Ginza 1-14-6. Open 11:30am-2:30, 5-10:15pm (LO) daily.

The third Tokyo restaurant from Lyon-based celeb-chef Paul Bocuse offers prix-fixe dinners from Y5500-9500. Wines are Y5000-250,000, with less scarily priced options by the glass or carafe. The impressively large dining room has a curved wall of windows overlooking Ginza to the south.

Ginza 2-2-14, Marronnier Gate 10F. Open 11am-2:30, 5:30-9pm (LO) daily.

A cheap and cheerful Italian spot with friendly service. The menu focuses on pastas and appetizers, with just a handful of grilled seafood and meat main dishes. The Italian wine list is very reasonable, starting at Y3000.

Ginza 2-2-14, Marronnier Gate 10F. Open 11am-3, 5-10:30pm (LO) daily.

Upscale, sophisticated Thai cuisine in a fun, brightly colored setting. Budget around Y4500 for dinner, or Y1800 for the 20-item buffet lunch.

Ginza 2-2-14, Marronnier Gate 10F. Open 11am-2, 5:30-10pm (LO) daily.

This outpost of the popular Miravile restaurant in Komaba specializes in desserts - with an Y1890 three-course menu (starter dessert with tea, main platter of two desserts with tea, final dessert plus tea or coffee) and a Y2980 version that includes drinks. The decor is elegant and casual - boldly colored graphics on the walls, burnt-orange stools at a wide counter plus a few small tables along the wall.

Ginza 2-2-14, Marronnier Gate 10F. Open 11am-4, 6-10pm (LO) daily.

Accessible Korean cuisine from the Chanto restaurant group, with spicy grilled specialties like dakkalbi (spicy chicken; Y1800), bulgogi (spicy beef; Y2000/Y3500), and a 10-item set menu for Y3500. Lunch is served until 4pm.

Ginza 2-2-14, Marronnier Gate 11F. Open 11am-4, 5-10pm (LO) daily.

Refined Vietnamese classics from the chef behind the upscale Queen Alice restaurants. Try the desserts recommended by their "vegetable sommelier"! Budget around Y4000 for dinner.

Ginza 2-2-14, Marronnier Gate 11F. Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily.

This first Tokyo branch of a famous Nagoya shop prepares eel that's grilled over bincho charcoal and served with their own special Nagoya-style tamari sauce. Lunch and dinner sets are Y1900-3800; there are also other eel and side dish options and a better-than-average sake selection.

Ginza 2-2-14, Marronnier Gate 12F. Open 11am-3, 5-10pm (LO) daily.

You'll find fresh hearth-grilled seafood and more than 100 kinds of sake from Japan's Hokuriku region at this country-style izakaya. English-speaking staff and English menus are available. Budget around Y5000 at dinnertime.

Ginza-Nishi 2-2, Inz #2, 2F. Open 11:30am-1, 5-10:20pm (LO). Closed Sundays.

One of the fancier branches of this reliable tofu and yuba restaurant, convenient for Ginza shoppers.

Ginza 2-3-6, 5F. Open 11am-3, 5-9pm (LO) daily.

The immodestly named Dazzle is one of Tokyo's flashiest restaurants, with futuristic lighting and a theatrical entrance - the elevator deposits you in the middle of the kitchen, after which you take a second ride to the glitzy dining room. The food is entertainingly fusionesque, and is accompanied by wines from France, Italy, Spain, Australia, America and Japan, starting in the Y5000 range. Budget around Y6,000-9,000 per person before drinks.

Ginza 2-4-12, Mikimoto Ginza 2, 8/9F. Open 5:30-10:30pm (LO) daily.

This picturesque little Italian-style cafe-bar is worth noting for their late-night hours (till 2am Monday-Saturday); stop by for coffee, a glass of wine or a light Italian snack.

Ginza 2-4-6, Ginza Velvia-kan 1F. Open 11am-11pm (LO) daily.

A branch of the famous "French teppanyaki" restaurant in Nishi-Azabu, specializing in domestic-beef steaks and other grilled meats along with an original curry-rice after your main course. Prix-fixe menus start at Y2000 for lunch and Y6000 at dinnertime.

Ginza 2-4-6, Ginza Velvia-kan 8F. Open 11:30am-2, 5:30-10pm (LO) daily.

This New Zealand wine bar and restaurant is a branch of the popular Australian wine bar in Shibuya. The cellar offers more than 200 different New Zealand wines, and the kitchen focuses on grilled grass-fed lamb and beef as well as traditional Maori "hangi" dishes. Lunch from Y1000, prix-fixe dinner Y5000, plus a la carte. [Go to branch review]

Ginza 2-4-6, Ginza Velvia-kan 8F. Open 11am-2:30, 6pm-1am (LO) daily.

This cheerful little Spanish kitchen specializes in "olla" (hearty Spanish stews; Y4200 for two persons) as well as tapas, paellas and grilled meats and fish. There's a wide range of Spanish wines and sherries starting at Y3800 a bottle.

Ginza 2-4-6, Ginza Velvia-kan 8F. Open 11:30am-2, 6-10:30pm (LO) daily.

The small, bistro-style ground-floor dining room serves a Y4,800 prix fixe dinner until 10pm (last order). There's also a second-floor wine bar with an a la carte snack menu available till 2am. Saturday lunch starts at Y1800.

Ginza 2-5-6. Open 5:30pm-2am (noon-midnight Sat.). Closed Sundays.

Modern Japanese izakaya fare with Korean influences, from the management of the Osaka-based Daidaiya chain.

Ginza 2-6-16, B1F. Open 5pm-midnight (LO) daily.

The 100-odd different beers in their serve-yourself refrigerator include several previously hard-to-find varieties. Mussels and other Belgian treats are on the food menu, and they're even open on Sundays.

Ginza 2-10-5. Open 5:30pm-2am. Closed Sundays.

Although it looks like an ordinary after-work salaryman hangout, Bulldog offers a nice selection of ten beers on tap, including three "guest taps" for local microbrews. US microbrews are also available (by the bottle). There's a wide assortment of bar snacks to go with your beer.

Ginza 3-1, Ginza INZ #1, 2F. Open 11:30am-2, 5-11:15pm daily.

Drinks and good tofu, pork and chicken dishes in an imaginatively rustic setting. Most of the seating is in tiny semi-private rooms walled off by bamboo screens. [See FULL REVIEW.]

Ginza 3-1, Ginza Inz B1F. Open 11:30am-2, 4-11pm daily.

It's a trip back through time - this Ginza fixture (it opened in 1895) invented the strange Westernized dishes hayashi rice and omu-rice (rice omelette), and they still serve them the same way. Budget Y1500 for lunch or dinner. Guinness Stout is served, and it's a good match for the food.

Ginza 3-5-16. Open 11:15am-2:15, 4:40-8:30pm (LO). Closed Sundays.

Master chef Alain Ducasse's joint venture with Chanel provides excellent modern French cuisine in a lovely setting. The food isn't quite as spectacular as the prices though - mains average Y8000-9000, with prix-fixe dinner menus from Y17,000. Lunches start at Y6000 (for a three-course vegetarian menu), and there are a few wines under Y10,000. There's also a popular afternoon tea set (Y2600) served from 2:30-4pm.

Ginza 3-5-3, Chanel Building 10F. Open 11:30-2:30, 2:30-4 (tea), 6-9:30pm (LO) daily.

Even before their move from the wilds of Asagaya, many yakitori connoisseurs considered Birdland to be THE standard for grilled chicken in Tokyo. The Y6000 prix-fixe menu includes multiple skewers followed by oyakodon (chicken and egg over rice). There's also a surprisingly good wine list, selected to go with the yakitori. Reservations required.

Ginza 4-2-15, Tsukamoto Sozan Building B1F. Open 5-9pm (LO). Closed Sundays, Mondays.

Shabu-shabu and traditional Japanese meals; a good introduction to Japanese food for visitors from abroad. (Also a good introduction to Tokyo prices -- dinner starts at around Y5,000 before drinks.)

Ginza 4-6-1. Open 11am-9:30pm (LO) daily.

Sardines are the specialty here but there's plenty more on the menu as well: a full selection of beef tongue dishes along with original creations like spicy sauteed zucchini and an eye-opening Okinawan-style stir-fried soba with mentaiko and kim chee.

Ginza 4-8-7. Open 4:30-10:25pm (LO) daily.

Vegetable kaiseki is the unusual specialty at Nagamine, a relatively new restaurant in Ginza that's run by a long-established vegetable wholesaler based in nearby Tsukiji. With no meat or seafood to distract one's attention, the vegetables really stand on their own merits, and Nagamine showcases the most beautiful and most flavorful produce of the season. At Y5250, the vegetable menu offers a chance to experience a different take on kaiseki at a very reasonable price. [See FULL REVIEW.]

Ginza 4-9-5, Ginsho Bldg B1F. Open 11:30am-3, 5:30-11pm. Closed Sundays.

The original Hachinoya opened in Kyushu in 1951, and moved to Ginza only a few years ago. Tasty beef, chicken and vegetable curries and hayashi rice are Y700 each, and there's a mega-large option for Y1600 that's 2.5 times ordinary size. For variety there's a crab croquette topping (Y250), Chinese pork bun with Pu-erh tea (Y550), and chocolate curry (Y980). The attractive counter-only basement shop is non-smoking.

Ginza 4-12-7, B1F. Open 11am-8:30pm (LO) daily.

A huge, well-established sushi emporium offering good value for money.

Tsukiji 4-5-1. Open 11am-9:30pm. Closed Sundays.

Almost literally a hole in the wall, this tiny shop in Tsukiji Outer Market is located behind an old store selling dried fish. People come here for the various donburi/chirashi dishes (from Y2500), featuring first-rate uni, ikura, and assorted fish of the day over rice.

Tsukiji 4-10-14. Open 9am-10:30pm (LO) daily.

The second, larger conveyor-belt branch of the reliable Zanmai chain has very reasonable prices and easy ordering.

Tsukiji 4-10-15. Open 7am-9pm daily.

Good value and convenient hours at this outer-market Tsukiji sushi shop. It's fairly spacious so there aren't long waiting lines, and there's an English menu if you need one. Nigiri set menus start at Y3000, or you can order by the piece.

Tsukiji 4-10-6. Open 24 hours a day.

Fresh fish, cheap prices, convenient hours at this well-known tuna specialist.

Tsukiji 4-11-9. Open 24 hours a day.

The small, main branch of a famous sushi-shop chain, actually located inside the market (in the outer section) and boasting the freshest fish selection.

Tsukiji 4-13-9. Open 8am-1pm, 5-8pm. Closed Sundays, holidays.

One of the most popular shops in the Tsukiji inner market area, Daiwa specializes in toro, particularly tuna from the Aomori region. Set menus start at around Y3000. Cash only.

Tsukiji-Shijo 5-2-1 #6. Open 5am-1pm. Closed Sun, some Wed.

This popular inner-market Tsukiji shop has great fish but long lines, as there are only thirteen seats. Budget around Y4500 for breakfast.

Tsukiji-Shijo 5-2-1 #6. Open 5am-2pm. Closed Sun, some Wed.

This 150-year-old shop inside Tsukiji Market specializes in wild (non-farmed) fish, especially anago eel. They're also known for their excellent, thick and syrupy nitsume (sweet sauce) used on their anago and awabi. Set menus from around Y3500. There are only thirteen seats, so expect to wait at busy times.

Tsukiji-Shijo 5-2-1 #8. Open 6am-2pm. Closed Sun, some Wed.

Mother Leaf brews aromatic teas from five varieties of Sri Lankan tea leaves in a peaceful, smoke-free atmosphere.

Ginza 5-14-5. Open 11am-9:30pm (LO) daily.

A late-night hideaway bar in Ginza, with just twenty seats and a selection of around 25 Belgian beers. There's also a small snack menu. (They close at midnight on Saturdays.)

Ginza 5-6-14, Ginza Bldg 3F. Open 5pm-2am. Closed Sundays.

With 450 varieties of world teas from 32 countries, Mariage Freres in Ginza offers the tea aficionado a rare combination of elegance, atmosphere and quality. Only the "finest harvests" are offered to complement an excellent selection of light meals and sinful desserts. Non-smoking.

Ginza 5-6-6. Open noon-8pm.

You can sample a wide selection of authentic Malaysian, Chinese-Malay and Singaporean dishes, including Chinese steamboat (a Hainanese version of shabu-shabu with lots of different seafood and meats). Seating is at small noodle-shop tables, but the decor is pleasant and modern. Budget around Y3500 at dinnertime.

Ginza 5-8-13, Ginza Five Star Bldg 8F. Open 11am-2:30, 5-10pm (LO) daily.

Choose from a wide assortment of sherries (well over 100), along with Spanish tapas. [See FULL REVIEW.]

Ginza 6-3-17, Yugen Bldg. 2/3F. Open 5:30-10pm (LO). Closed Sundays.

This popular Tokyo French cafe-bakery serves light snacks all day (quiche, omelettes, salade nicoise), plus more substantial prix-fixe lunches until 3pm (Y1260).

Ginza 6-3-2, Gallery Center Bldg 1F. Open 9am-11pm daily.

Inexpensive pastas and Italian wines by the glass, with convenient late-night service.

Ginza 6-4-1, Tokaido Ginza Bldg B1F. Open 11:30am-5am daily.

Sliding open the door of Kuri feels like unearthing a secret treasure. Hidden on the second floor of a drab building in Ginza, this cozy bar seats a scant twelve, yet boasts a menu featuring over 100 varieties of sake. The modern Japanese decor deftly employs noren curtains, dark wood, and soft lights to create an intimate and inviting space. Sake bottles are attractively displayed behind the bar on a tall shelf set into the wall. There's room for six at the bar, with a handful of small tables on the other side of a slatted-wood partition. [See FULL REVIEW.]

Ginza 6-4-15, Tony Bldg 2F. Open 5pm-2:30am (LO; 3am Fri, midnight Sat). Closed Sundays, 3rd Sat.

Swan Lake is one of Japan's best microbreweries, and their Tokyo outpost serves most of their beers (varying with the season) along with excellent regional cuisine and sakes from Niigata. Prix-fixe menus are Y6,000-12,000, plus a big a la carte menu.

Ginza 7-16-21, Kumo Bldg B1F. Open 11:30am-1:30, 5-11pm (LO). Closed weekends.

Well-executed Balinese fusion cuisine, with giant fish tanks as the backdrop (and a main source of lighting). Dishes range from the traditional (grilled chicken with peanut sauce) to the more experimental (nam-pla-flavored Caesar salad). [See FULL REVIEW.]

Ginza 7-2, Ginza Corridor 2F. Open 5pm-3am (LO; earlier weekends). Open every day.

This smart, comfortable izakaya specializes in mushi-ryori. Although mushi-ryori translates rather flavorlessly as "steamed cooking", the food at Gonnosuke is far from bland. Full-course dinners beginning with seasonal appetizers and ending with wonderfully textured pera-pera udon - fresh noodles simmered in the broth used to steam your food - are available from Y4000. Seating is largely private room. No lunch on Saturdays.

Ginza 7-2-22, B1F. Open 11:30am-2, 5-11:30pm. Closed Sundays.

World-class French cuisine from MOF master chef Jacques Borie in an elegant modern dining room. Highlights include the roast suckling lamb and the enormous cheese selection. Prix-fixe lunch from Y6800, dinner from Y16,000; a la carte mains Y6200-9800. Reserve well in advance. [See FULL REVIEW.]

Ginza 7-5-5. Open noon-2:30, 6-9:30pm. Closed Sundays.

Authentic and homey Eastern European cooking from Tokyo's only Romanian restaurant. The Y3800 chef's special includes a three-part appetizer plate and three types of mains along with a few other courses; other dinners are Y2800-5800, while lunch starts at Y950. The small basement dining room is modest but cheery in an Old-World style. The Romanian wines mostly run Y4000/bottle, with several choices available by the glass or decanter.

Ginza 7-8-5 B1F. Open 11:30am-3, 5-9:30pm (LO). Closed Sundays.

You'll find good Belgian food (including mussels and great frites), a nice selection of beers, and convenient late-night hours from this branch of the Belgian Beer Cafe chain (they also run Antwerp Central in Marunouchi). [Go to branch review]

Ginza 8-2-1. Open 11:30am-4am daily.

This legendary sushi counter has just ten seats, so be sure to book your place well in advance (in Japanese, please). Lunchtime can be easier to book than dinnertime. Set menus start at Y16,000; cash only.

Ginza 8-2-10, B1F. Open 11:30am-1:30, 5-9:30pm. Closed Sundays.

Some of the best cooking in this part of town - magnificent French, Italian, Middle Eastern dishes from the former chef of Grape Gumbo. There's also a very nice wine selection, and a small bar area up front. Around Y4000 plus drinks.

Ginza 8-6-19, Nodaya Bldg. B1F. Open 6pm-midnight (LO). Closed Sundays.

Some of the finest sushi in the land, from the inventors of gunkan-maki (the wrap-around technique for fish roe and similar sushi). Lunches start at Y4000 for a nigiri set menu, or Y8000 for omakase. Dinners from Y10,000, with a Y30,000 kaiseki sushi course that's quite a spectacle.

Ginza 8-7-6. Open 11:30am-2, 5-10pm. Closed Sundays.

Hearth-grilled seafood fresh from northern Honshu is the specialty at this attractive "slow-food" izakaya. Prix-fixe menus feature several types of grilled fish, sashimi and locally grown chicken and vegetables, and range from Y5500-12,000. The impressive sake cellar stocks some 500 varieties from 180 breweries in Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui. Seating is all in private rooms. Dinner averages around Y8000 for ample food and drink.

Ginza 8-8-8, Ginza 888 Bldg 7F. Open 5-11:30pm. Closed Sundays.