Tokyo Local Food Tour: Noodles, Skewers, Dumplings, Sweets

We had a great time. Went into restaurants that we would not have, but do to this experience we were a lot more open to walking into "any restaurant" in Tokyo.

Oh my goodness! Talk about ending our Japan trip on high. Ryu was fantastic, he hand picked the local restaurants that served great food. He was friendly and answered all questions that we had. We definitely recommend him. A kunama thadah!

Ryu was a great host. Gave a really nice picture of what the area was like and how local business people go out after work.

Ryu was an amazing host for this tour! He handpicked every place and he spends the whole time getting to know you, answering any questions and being such a pleasure. He made our first night in Tokyo so special. Take this tour!!! You won’t find anything as unique as this.

We had the best time with Ryu. He took us to a variety of local food spots. We had dumplings, noodles with tempura, a variety of skewers, and custard filled pastries for dessert. All were delicious and filling. Ryu filled us in on everyday life in Japan. I would recommend this tour it was delicious, entertaining, and educational.

Our guide was a nice young man named Moto. He did a great job of describing the meeting point and taking us to local eateries. We started with some awesome dumplings and then had some noodles with chicken. We then tried some yakatori…chicken, strip steak and a few others with some veggies. They were very good, but we had more food than we could eat. We finished with a freshly made pastry filled with red bean or cherry blossom. All the food was very good and we would never have been able to find these places without Moto.

We had a great time on the food tour. Went to some places we would never try on our own, authentic stops. There is loads of food so go hungry! Ryu is a great guide full of chat and happy to answer the constant stream of questions for us! Thanks

Food was great! Perfect for teens - guide was friendly and knowledgeable! Dumplings were our favorite! Guide was helpful with other recommendations in Japan!

Excellent experience with Ryu. Food was amazing, everything we tried was from shops where locals eat which is what we were looking for. Not only did he hit the spot with all the eateries but he went out of his way to help us purchase a product at a pharmacy that we needed for our older son. He also made our youngest son (whose 20th birthday was on the day of the tour) feel very special. And he didn’t stop there, he helped us make reservations (needed to be made by phone) to a restaurant for the next day and gave us recommendations for our stop in Osaka. Thank you Ryu, we’ll never forget this day in Tokyo!

5/5. Ryu arranged a thoughtful and well-organized eating tour. I recommend you come very hungry because the food is non-stop for 2 hours. Ryu is great company and very welcoming on the tour. I’d recommend this tour without any hesitations!

Great time getting to know some eateries around the Shimbashi Station area-3 great restaurants -Udon, Gyoza and skewers and of course a taiyaki for desert

We had such a great time on this Tokyo local food tour. Ryu was fun, energetic, and truly the highlight of the experience. His personality set the tone for the whole night. The gyoza were delicious, although the stop at the tiny noodle shop ended up being our favorite. It was the kind of local spot we never would have found on our own, and that made it even more special. In fact, I think we were the only foreigners in every place we visited, which added to the charm and authenticity. Recommend this tour if you want to get off the beaten path and try things you might not normally try. It was a memorable way to explore Tokyo’s food scene.

Ryu was a generous and engaging guide! He knowledgeably answered our (many) questions, not just about food, but about life in Japan. He chose restaurants with unique dishes, and was a pleasure to have as a host. Five stars!

Thankyou Ryu for a fabulous night of trying wonderful food, company and creating great memories. Thanks also for your tips for other great foods to try.

Amazing! 10/10 would take this tour every day of our trip if we could. He's kind, gentlemanly, he listens carefully and has very fluent (and fluid) English. I encourage EVERYONE to book him for your first night, to ease any "tourist anxiety" because the places he took us were all eat to order at, we're tourist friendly, and had opportunity to ask questions (he helped us with the subway/metro station.) I would go back to Japan just for Lou's tour!

This tour was an absolutely amazing one. Our guide Ryu was one of the nicest people I have ever met. He was very chatty and was very knowledgeable about Tokyo and Osaka. We ate at places that me and my friend would never have thought to eat at and they were amazing. The dumplings were my personal favourite. I would 100% recommend this tour to anyone who is new to or visiting Tokyo for an authentic Japanese dining experience.

Ryu was an amazing guide - very funny and a great insight to the local food scene. Definitely the highlight of our trip!

Had a really great time with our guide Ryu. The places he took us too were interesting and we would not have found them on our own. We are really glad we had this experience with such a cool, native, guide. He was engaging, friendly, entertained us, and was just a really cool guy!

Convenient and easy meeting place near the iconic train exhibit. Our guide, Ryu, was a pleasure, and he was very well spoken in English! Loved eating the gyoza, udon, skewers, and dessert in an area where the local population lives—away from the common tourist paths! It gives you a better understanding of the local lifestyle which is important to me as a visitor! Thank you, Ryu!

Amazing stops and food. Well planned. 4 stops total. Even accommodated my soy allergy. Very personable and fun to visit with. Our son also had fun talking manga with Liu.

We had a great time on this food tour. Ryu was very friendly and knowledgeable about the food in Tokyo. It’s obvious that Ryu knew the area and the food provided. We especially like the fresh udon noodles and dumplings. Sweet treat was a nice conclusion of the tour.

Whether you are new to Japan and would like an introduction to Japanese food, or a more experienced traveller who would like to explore new eating places, this tour is an option you should consider. Our host Ryu sent us straightforward instructions of where to meet him, and he was punctual in arriving. During the two hours, we did a bit of walking around Shimbashi but most of the time was dedicated to eating the wonderful food on offer. The dumplings, ramen, and skewers were absolutely delicious. The restaurants Ryu chose were cosy and welcoming, and not too loud which allowed for convivial conversation. The quantity of food was abundant resulting in full stomachs, which meant we took sweets back to the hotel room. Ryu showed great local knowledge, answering our questions about Tokyo and the food we were eating. At the end, he walked us back to the train station and made sure we knew which train to catch to get back to our hotel. Overall, a wonderful evening.

Ryu was an excellent guide and the food at each stop was delicious and plentiful and at non-touristy locations! Ryu provided a lot of interesting information about the food and Japanese customs. We highly recommend this tour!

Ryu was a great and friendly host. We ate some really good gyoza and udon, some amazing chicken skewers, and a sweet treat to top it all off.

What a wonderful tour. Our guide was very friendly and engaging. He had everything organized and we just walked into each restaurant and enjoyed the food. All the places were within a few blocks of each other and places we would not have gone to on our own. This was a huge highlight of our trip

My wife and I shared this experience yesterday and we were amazed by the delicious food and great company with our wonderful guide Ryu! We have booked many experiences here in Tokyo and this was one of the best by far. We had a wonderful evening! If you’re interested in enjoying local spots with authentic local food you his is it and look no more. Great job Ryu!

The Local Food Tour was so much fun! Ryu was super friendly. He took our group of 5 to some real delicious local spots and gave us a crash course on some common Japanese phrases. He made all of us feel welcomed. 5 stars, would definitely recommend.

This was a great experience and I would highly recommend everyone to do it. We went to 4 different restaurants and tasted 4 distinct food dishes (bring an appetite because it is a lot of food) and the establishments were local restaurants and non-touristy so you experienced the real Japan. Our guide (not sure of spelling but phonetically her name was pronounced Majito) was delightful. She had a companion (I think a trainee) and both young ladies were delightful and funny. Their mission was to make sure we had a great time and we did. It was one of our favorite things we did while we were in Tokyo. We have probably done more than 30+ food tours around the world and this was our favorite. Don’t pass this by.

We had a wonderful time with Ryu who took us to 4 different local restaurants with the most delicious dumplings/goyza, skewers, udon and fish-shaped waffle with custard. Each location was unique to Tokyo and we never would have stumbled on them ourselves. He was a very friendly and funny host and we highly recommend booking with him. Both our teenagers and husband and myself had a great time and loved the food. He even got us to try skewers with types we would not have ordered ourselves. Very memorable!

We booked the private tour and it did not disappoint. We were fortunate to have Riu as our tour guide for the evening. We ate at some great, local, off-the-beaten-path restaurants and enjoyed our very local experience of seeing a different side of Toyko with a knowledgeable guide. He gave us some great recommendations in Toyko, Osaka, and Kyoto for meals too!

Ryu was a DELIGHT! He made sure that one member of our group could try everything as she was a vegetarian. Ryu’s English was perfect, he was extremely funny and kind, and he chose EXCELLENT food. We felt like we got a very authentic experience. Ryu answered all of our Tokyo and Japan questions (no matter how simple) and kept us smiling for the whole tour.

It’s a great tour of local Japanese meals led by a Japanese local! Ryu was wonderful as a guide for my wife and I, we had an amazing time

Ryu was a friendly and funny guide who showed me some delicious food and one surprise lol. I only wish I could have spent more time sampling the many different foods

Ryu was great, super friendly and engaging. My teenage boys were incredibly comfortable with chatting with him and happily tried all the food. We went to three restaurants and one spot for treats, the pace was perfect and these were places we would have never found on our own. I highly recommend this tour if you want a fun, casual and local experience in Tokyo.

Visited three different restaurants and the guide ordered food for us that we might well have eaten before or ordered ourselves. We thought the food was nothing special but plentyful. Don’t get me wrong, the food was very good, but some of it we had ordered ourselves before. I was expecting something very ,special….. we had eaten dumplings many times .our guide was very friendly and polite and eager to answer any questions .

This is a great tour! Food was delicious and in very locals only places! Super fun and a definite highlight of our trip!

Ryu was an absolute delete! Wonderfully informed, knowledgeable and terrific energy! He will be a great guide for couples, family's or just you! Wonderful young man.

Wow! Our guide was so knowledgeable about different restaurants in the area, and everywhere he took us had amazing food. It was more than enough food for a full dinner. We also learned a few Japanese words. I cannot recommend this experience enough!

What an amazing experience! Ryu, the tour guide was great, knowledgeable and very personable! The food was also all very very good. Ryu was also able to give us a few other recommendations for us to explore on our visit. I absolutely recommend this tour to anybody visiting to get a more authentic local experience.

A great tour on my first full day in Tokyo. Ryu is full of enthusiasm, which makes the tour a lot of fun. He is knowledgeable, with helpful information on Japanese culture and tips on food/drink. He speaks excellent English. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this food tour. Our host was great. He responded quickly when I told him I might have been lost and he waited and looked for me. He had an amazing personality and even got me to try food I normally never would have lol

We had a great time with our guide and tried several different traditional types of Japanese food. Our guide spoke excellent English and was very cheerful.

Ryu is a thoughtful and enthusiastic guide who provided a fun evening out for your group. Our group was larger than usual, but Ryu handled everything with ease. He selected some great food spots and shared a lot of insights into Japanese food culture. Ryu also followed up by sending pictures from the evening and additional restaurant recommendations in Tokyo. I highly recommend this experience for folks who are curious about the casual food scene in Tokyo.

Thank you, Ryu!!! Great local food in the Shimbashi neighborhood. It's fun to visit restaurants we would never find in our own.

Our host Ryu was very friendly with engaging conversation and he had chosen spots only locals would know. The food was good starting with the Japanese dumplings (gyoza) then progressing to the udon noodle bowl, on to several yakitori varieties, and finishing with the dessert pastry - all from different vendors. We don’t drink much alcohol but had a tasty drink (among many offered) with our gyoza. Ryu was aware of my shrimp allergy and made certain I did not have any issues with that when ordering even though my wife had shrimp in her udon bowl. My only suggestion to others: come hungry since there is plenty of food on offer and after our two hour tour was over we were quite full. It was a great experience for our Tokyo journey.

We had a fabulous time. Our guide, Ryu wanted to show us what a day in the life of a local would look like and boy did he succeed. My friend and I lucked out and got a private tour; which felt like meeting up with an old friend that we haven’t seen in ages. Communication was spot on. Ryu contacted us prior to the tour so it was easy to find him. We learned so much about Japanese culture, and the laughs never stopped. The food was delicious. Ryu thanks again for showing us around this was truly amazing. Brian and I had a wonderful experience.

This was a fantastic food tour around Shimbashi station area. Ryu took us to 3 different eateries that gave us a taste of Japanese cuisine the way the locals enjoy it. And finished with dessert. Ryu is a very impressive young man proficient in English and very knowledgeable about food. We highly recommend this tour.

We had a wonderful time eating our way through Tokyo! Lou was a great host and took us to amazing places with delicious food items! Lou knows his way to local spots that were fun and so enjoyable! He was personable and friendly and we had lovely conversations with him! We highly recommend his tour for super food, cultural discussions, and fun!

Lou our tour guide was amazing! We had so much fun talking and laughing with him! The restaurants he took us to were really good and we are so glad we chose this tour with him. I definitely recommend this tour.