An oasis of calm in the middle of a bustling fashion-boutique district, Aburiya moves at a gentler pace than the rest of the city. Most of the food is slowly grilled at your table's private hibachi, and the menu offers an extraordinary selection of meats and seafood from every region of Japan—venison from Hokkaido, pheasant from Aomori, and so on—all changing with the seasons. If you're lucky, you might snag the one outdoor table, surrounded by bamboo trees in the tiny front garden.

This tiny shop wedged under the Yamanote-sen train tracks feels like a street-food stall in downtown Bangkok. The aromas of fish sauce and fried garlic and spices permeate the air, while insistently bouncy Thai pop music blasts from the speaker system, competing with the rumble of trains overhead. All the food here is priced at 600 yen (about $5), including spicy salads, curries, stir-fries, and more than a dozen combination platters.

The extensive tapas-style menu here draws on Spanish, Italian, Greek, and Moroccan influences. Assemble your components into a full pan-Mediterranean meal, or just nibble from the big selection of hams, salamis, cheese, and vegetable platters. There's a sensibly priced Old World wine list—choose from more than 30 wines by the glass, plus a dozen varieties of sherry. The rare-in-Tokyo smoke-free dining room fills up nightly with a lively international crowd. (Smoking is permitted in the separate late-night bar.)

The food of Okinawa—Japan's colorful slice of the tropics—is hypertrendy in Tokyo at the moment, but this lively pub-style spot predates the fad by quite a few years. The decor is an endearing mix of traditional Okinawan crafts and retro-kitsch bric-a-brac; the music follows a similar approach. The kitchen turns out a good sampling of traditional island fare: lots of pork, with the occasional goat dish for variety; interesting tofu and noodle variations; and home-style delicacies such as papaya pickled in miso. (Menus are in Japanese.)

(Located along the shopping street on the north side of the station.)

A fun Asian-Latin fusion restaurant that's popular with foreign and Japanese customers alike, Fujimamas is still going strong since opening in 1998. The setting is charming (a traditional old wooden building with exposed beams and Japanese-style dining rooms upstairs), the food entertaining (dishes like lamb seared with tomatoes and mint), the wine list diverse and affordable. Unusually for Tokyo, Fujimamas is child-accommodating and vegetarian-compatible, and it does a knockout weekend brunch.

The chef at Gesshinkyo has created his own rusticated version of shojin-ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine), using exotic vegetables and grains from all over Japan. The ten courses in the 12,000-yen set menu (about $100) and the eight in the 8,000 yen set menu (about $70) are each deceptively simple—a small block of perfect sesame tofu topped by a crisp snow-pea pod, for example. Like the food, the setting is understated rather than showy: simple, private tatami-mat rooms for two to four people, with hanging scrolls, a small flower arrangement in the corner, and the pleasant hint of incense in the air. There's also a cooking class on the second Saturday of the month.

Dinner only; closed Sundays.

The drawing card at this popular shop is the spicy, extra-rich noodle broth made from long-simmered pork bones (hey, no one claimed that ramen was health food!). The thin, chewy noodles are relatively plain, the better to soak up flavors from the soup and optional condiments such as spicy bean sprouts and raw garlic cloves that you grate for yourself. Instead of water, you're served pitchers of an African iced tea that supposedly neutralizes the fat from all the pork; we recommend drinking an extra glass or two.

This unassuming restaurant in a quiet Meguro neighborhood is well-known among ramen and dumpling aficionados, and worth the subway or taxi ride from the city center. While it may look like every other run-of-the-mill Tokyo ramen-ya, Kaduya takes its dumplings seriously, serving both pork wontons and pork gyoza, steamed, fried, and in soup. The quality of the pork and the richly flavored broth make the difference. Try all the preparations, plus an order of chashu (braised pork) and a bowl of ramen (known here as shina soba). Beer is the ideal accompaniment. If you're in the mood for an after-dinner stroll, there's a lovely ancient Shinto shrine just a few minutes away.

Open daily 11 am to midnight.

Expect a line (and the possibility that you might have to share a table) weeknights, when local college students and office workers crowd into this lively, casual eatery near Yotsuya Station. It serves heavenly pork-based ramen (called shina shoba) and a menu of Japanese-spun Chinese dishes, such as sparklingly fresh and crunchy jellyfish salad, boiled shrimp, and stir-fried oysters (in season). It's easier to grab a seat at lunch, although the menu is limited at that time of day. Then again, a hearty bowl of the rich, salty ramen—you can hardly see the noodles under the generous slices of pork, hard-boiled egg, sliced green onions, and squares of nori—plus an order of Koya's sara wonton (boiled pork wontons served with a dipping sauce, a dollop of chili paste, and a spray of cilantro), is all you'll need to get you through the rest of the day.

Open Mondays through Saturdays 11:30 am to 10 pm.

This venerable 71-year-old shop is known as the inventor of gunkan-maki ("battleship wrap"), the technique whereby sushi with a loose topping like fish roe is held together with a wraparound seaweed barrier. The chefs haven't been resting on their laurels—the fish here is still as good as it gets. Cuttlefish and abalone, items that have a tendency to be chewy, are incredibly tender, while the egg custard is an inspiration. Even the little entr'acte morsels such as pickled eggplant are outstanding. (Menus in Japanese, but they're happy to explain in English.)

While the number of famous French chefs' outposts in Tokyo is beginning to reach a critical mass, this casual eatery in the Roppongi Hills luxury mall is pure pleasure. The food is served by a well-informed staff at a black lacquered counter that arcs around an open kitchen. The Franco-Japanese cuisine emphasizes clean, bright flavors and inventive pairings, such as the edamame sauce that graces lasagna of ibérico ham and mackerel pike or the soy sauce–spiked caramelized quail. Everyone seems to be having fun here, including the young, enthusiastic waitstaff and the small army of chefs. There's a fine selection of wine by the glass, and the prix fixe menus are both generous in their offerings and reasonably priced. Robuchon has other Tokyo restaurants (as well as mainstays in Paris, New York, and Las Vegas), including the very formal Château Restaurant Joël Robuchon, but none is as much fun as this. (No reservations.)

Open daily 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and 6 to 11 pm.

This stylish little café offers only a few food items, but if you happen to be in the mood for Hainanese Chicken Rice—Singapore's unofficial national dish—this is the place for it. Mu-hung's three homemade sauces (sweet chili, ginger, and a thick soy-based one) set it apart, and the Malaysian-style curry is also a cut above average. The cafe is pleasantly smoke-free and open from lunch through dinner.

For traditional soba noodles in Tokyo, you can't get much more authentic than the century-old Namiki Yabusoba in Asakusa. This tiny noodle shop, a block south of Kaminarimon Gate and the lantern-lit approach to the Senso-ji Temple, is a bare-bones restaurant of tatami mats and communal tables where the elderly staff delivers wooden bowls of homemade soba. The noodles come two ways: hot in a soy-broth soup or cold with a special dipping sauce, topped with seaweed, egg, or shrimp tempura. Namiki's renown derives from the special buckwheat from which the firm soba is made. The restaurant is surprisingly quiet for such small quarters, apart from the odd clatter of dishes and polite shouts into the kitchen at the white-haired chefs who appear to have been cooking here their whole lives.—Douglas Wright

Open daily 11 am to 7 pm.

In a sensory-overload city, this Japanese sweet shop and tearoom is an oasis of calm. Up front, the shop sells traditional sweet bean–paste tea snacks alongside more whimsical, contemporary snacks, such as hoji tea and crème caramel—all in beautiful, eco-friendly packaging. In the back there's a low-lit, tiny tearoom where you can also order bento lunch boxes, alcoholic beverages, and a fine selection of Japanese and Chinese tea.

Sweet shop: Open Tuesdays through Sundays 11 am to 8 pm.

Tearoom: Open Tuesdays through Sundays noon to midnight.

The debate rages, but this Tokyo branch of a two-star Michelin restaurant in Milan may very well serve the best Italian food in town. It certainly has one of the most impressive Italian wine cellars—about 500 choices, some priced under 10,000 yen (about $85) and many over 100,000 yen (about $850). The dining room is bright and airy, the service impeccable, and the cooking creative and modern—artistic, even—with pleasant surprises such as a sharply flavored red pimento ice cream appetizer. Sadler is attached to a more casual pizza spot next door with a different kitchen but the same wine list.

Chef Carme Ruscalleda's magnificent degustation menu (22,000 yen for lunch or dinner—about $190) is a Spanish tour de force: a three-hour cutting-edge Catalan adventure. The meal includes eight courses, with superbly crafted dishes such as stuffed calamari and Iberian pork shoulder, but you'll also be treated to multipart "micro menus" at either end of the meal, with bite-size surprises like anchovy ice cream (a starter) and a tiny brochette of rabbit and kiwi fruit. The elegant twin dining rooms are luxurious and spacious, and the cellar includes more than 500 wines, mostly Spanish, at all prices.

Closed Mon.

The distinctive ball of cedar leaves hanging outside the entrance identifies Seigetsu as a sake specialty pub, and its selection of limited-edition, small-brewery rice wines from around the country is truly impressive. The food is equally noteworthy, especially the charcoal-grilled chicken and fish. The warm, comfortable interior is carved into oddly shaped little nooks, and the overall ambience is far more sophisticated than the usual pub.

Menus in Japanese.

One visit to this tiny jewel—with nine counter seats, no tables, and a kitchen the size of an airplane galley—in the heart of Ginza will forever wean you off clever sushi concoctions and remind you what the best sushi is really about: the freshest, choicest fish available. There are no menu and no price list. While you shouldn't hesitate to let chef Fumio Sato know your likes and dislikes (and your spending limit), you'd be wise to leave yourself in his very experienced hands. He's been in the sushi biz for more than a quarter century, and he personally goes to the fish market before dawn each morning to pick out the day's offerings, which might include tuna from the Indian Ocean, abalone from California, and sea urchins from Maine. Be sure to order his miso soup with shijimi baby clams at the end of the meal. The charming, amiable Sato-san is as big a draw as his sushi. Though his English vocabulary is limited, he uses it with great enthusiasm and humor. Pricey but not outrageous (your check will depend on what Sato serves you, what you ask for, what the day's offerings are, and the fluctuating prices of fish). Reservations a must; a day ahead should be fine.

Dinner only.

When the Japanese want tempura, they go to a restaurant that serves nothing but. This high-end tempura-ya in Ginza has a number of outposts in Tokyo, including in the Isetan department store and the Imperial Hotel—but the ritual doesn't change. Sit at the sleek wood counter and watch as your chef batter-coats each stalk of asparagus, plump mushroom, and luscious prawn, then serves them, one at a time, piping hot from the oil. Tempura is all about the batter, the freshness and quality of the deep-frying oil, and the ingredients, and Ten-Ichi gets high marks all around. Each time you bite through the hot, crunchy coating, you get a burst of fresh flavor. The contrast in textures and temperatures is so perfect, it's a surprise each time. There are differently priced set menus, and you can also order separate items, including seasonal specialties. Salt and lemon are provided, which are a better alternative with some of the more delicately flavored offerings than the usual dipping sauce. The lunch set menu starts at 7,000 yen ($61); dinner starts at 8,000 yen ($69).

Open daily 11:30 am to 9:30 pm.

Located at the foot of Tokyo Tower (a flashy copy of the Eiffel Tower), Tofuya Ukai is set in an old sake brewery in the middle of peaceful rolling gardens, pebbled paths, and koi-filled ponds. Inside you'll find a traditional restaurant of private tatami dining rooms and kimono-clad waitresses. At first glance, it's as improbable as a giant flying saucer landing by the Imperial Palace. But it's all ersatz, as a Las Vegas–esque re-creation built recently on the site (oh, wonderful irony) of a former bowling alley. Yet, everything about it works, and the experience and the multicourse meals (which highlight tofu but also include fish and meat) are as evocative as any you'll find in ancient Kyoto. So sit back and enjoy being fooled. Go for lunch, so you can enjoy a daylight view of the lovely gardens.

Open daily 11 am to 8 pm.

Though he recently opened a New York outpost at the hip Gramercy Park Hotel, chef Yuji Wakiya's original Tokyo restaurant concentrates on the food, with no coolness factor to compete with the menu for attention (the vaguely Old World European interior design looks like it was left over from a former restaurant). This is Chinese food with a Japanese spin—small individual portions beautifully presented and served in consecutive, individual courses, not family-style. The set menu is a reasonably priced way to go, but nothing is astronomical. Don't miss the wontons in matsutake mushroom sauce or the shark's fin soup.

Open daily 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and 5:30 to 10 pm.