Tokyo: Shinjuku Food Tour Highlights (Best Eats)

Matheus was outstanding!! He was delightful sharing his knowledge of Tokyo. The directions were perfect to meet him at the Shinjuki station. We went to 2 restaurants for food that were both very good and we went to 2 restaurants for small bites. Each one giving us a different taste of Japan . He was very patient with me and my husband who were always the “slow” ones. I would gladly take him for another tour.

One of the worst tours I've ever taken. While the restaurants and food they chose were good. Our guide was the absolute worst! So awkward and uninformative! So so bad! From the second she arrived you can tell she didn't want to be there and the tour reflected that energy. Long walks of awkward silence. At the first location she didn't even know what was ordered! Her defense was she didn't order it, the company did, and she usually works Shibuya. Clueless. The first plate was sashimi, she knew salmon. And her description of the other fish was "it's sashimi raw fish," just enjoy. I asked her what they were and she said let me ask again, waitress came and described them in Japanese. She said oh I don't know the English names and proceeded to repeat the names in Japanese. Next dish was a salad with tofu and mixed greens. She pulled up her phone and read off the ingredients. I ate it. As I was eating it my friend said be careful there is shrimp inside the dish. I am allergic to shellfish and our horrible tour guide knew this. She said no there isn't, it's just veggies and pulled out her phone again and read it of some list. I said there is fish in this, little tiny fish, she said no there isn't. I then pointed to it and she quickly changed the subject. Thankfully it was not shrimp otherwise would have been so bad. As much as I wanted to leave the tour my friends insisted we continue because we had already paid for it. We continued with more awkward silence and more blah interactions with our bad guide. I wont name her, even though I know her name. Just have Faith I would never ever go on this tour again and definitely do not recommend. So many other tours. Do any other one, where the guide actually enjoys her job and isn't just doing it for a paycheck. I would demand a refund but I ate the food and thankfully I was with friends. Would have dreaded being alone with just this bad tour guide.

Our guide Peter was fantastic but I was let down by the itinerary which did not match the TripAdvisor description. The “About” section on TripAdvisor says “The Shinjuku Golden Gai district in Tokyo is packed with tiny bars that can be tough to navigate on your own. This bar crawl takes you to several hidden bars you wouldn’t discover on your own…”. Similarly, the photos from “Management” on TripAdvisor show grilled skewers that appear to be from Omoide Yokocho and the “What to Expect” section references one hour at Omoide Yokocho. What we actually did was walk through Omoide Yokocho, without stopping for food there, on the way to a sushi/sashimi spot, then to Kabuchiko for a bite of katsu, strolling around and then stopping for Okinawan food (the highlight of the evening), and ending with another stop for dessert. Peter was delightful, provided good insight, and answered all our questions. Trying Okinawan food was a nice surprise and something I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own. But the fatal flaw for this tour was that it did not match the TripAdvisor description or photos at all! If the description had been more accurate I would’ve booked a different tour that highlighted Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai.

Excellent tour with great food selections and drinks were a great accompaniment. Highly recommend this if you want to explore local food in the Shinjuku area.

We had a lovely time. Mak was informative and the food was great You won’t leave hungry that’s for sure!!

We met on one side of Shinjuku and walked over from side to the other side. Be ready to walk. Lloyd, who was our guide, did a good job giving this tour. At each stop gave a little history and briefing and we all got to try a variety of food from Shinjuku. We tried food from a Izakaya, pork cutlets from a historical restaurant , food from Okinawa cuisine and dessert. Overall four good choices.

Food was good, but the experience and information about Shinjuku was better! Our guide, May, was great.

Well worth it, gives you a real feel for the city. Places you would not think to visit and authentic Japanese food. Michael was a great guide, made the evening enjoyable and interesting

I joined bar hopping tour in Tokyo and had an amazing time! Our guide, Benjamin took us to hidden gems where locals actually spend their Friday nights, which made the experience feel very authentic. Along the way, he suggested a great variety of local food and drinks, so I got to try things I wouldn’t have found on my own. Benjamin also shared interesting historical facts about Japan as well as insights into modern life, which gave the night even more depth. The balance of culture, food, and fun was perfect. I really enjoyed the entire experience and would highly recommend this tour with Benjamin as your guide!

Such a great experience the guild was great. Took us to several bars with great conversations. Would recommend over and over again.

Kay made our trip the best! Ichiban. Number one! I can't believe how much fun we had with complete strangers. I would recommend this to anyone who ever decides to come near shinjuku

Kay is super sweet and down to earth. She made me feel so welcomed. I loved the food and enjoyed the experience with Kay. I love herrrr!!!!

Kay was amazing and she showed us all of the good spots. It was absolutely awesome!!!the bars were only for locals which you won’t be able to find our own.

Kaye and Will shared the duties on this tour and both were fantastic hosts. Informative, fun and friendly. We had a ball at the restaurants and later the bars.

Agathe - was the best, she was so informative, fun to be with and help us make the right choices. I would definitely recommend this tour to get to know the Japanese culture, their food and then the last stop was a fun speak easy type of place!

Bell was amazing and we had so much fun on our tour! We’ve been to Tokyo a bunch, but had never done a proper night walk of shinjuku and this was the perfect way to do it!

I’ve Visited about 10 different countries on six different continents so far. Every visit I get a tour guide to show me around and by far Kay is the best tour guide I’ve ever had. Kay made learning about Tokyo so fun and exciting to the point where I don’t want to leave. she made this experience worthwhile and is only our first day. My friends and I adore having her and she is just a gem to have around. I could not give a higher recommendation as a tour guide.

Benjamin was an absolutely phenomenal tour guide! From start to finish, he made our Tokyo bar-hopping experience unforgettable. His deep knowledge of the local scene, hidden gems, and cultural insights brought the night to life in a way we never expected. Every stop felt carefully curated, and his fun, friendly personality kept the whole group energized and engaged. We tasted amazing drinks, met fascinating people, and felt completely safe and welcomed throughout. Benjamin went above and beyond to ensure everyone had a fantastic time. We can’t recommend him enough—he truly made our night in Tokyo a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Benjamin was amazing! We had so much fun with him! He was so helpful and showed us several super cool bars! We got to see so much that we would have gotten to without him.

Benjamin was a great guide! He was very helpful tour guide for the whole time. My whole group had a fantastic time with him as he translated and gave us great stories.

Amazing experience with our guide Benjamin. We discovered several bars is Tokyo and had lots of fun. Would highly recommand. Benjamin shared multiple advices about Tokyo to ensure that our trip in Tokyo would be as we wished.

Benjamin was friendly, easy to talk to and a great guide. I’m glad we had him to help us navigate our first night in Tokyo. It was really interesting to hear from an expat who’s made his home in Japan. As teachers who’ve taught abroad, I appreciated his perspective. Thx for a fun night!

Kay was really great we had an amazing experience!!! I had real japanese sake,food and drinks. She has been so welcoming and warm. It was incredible.

Ali and Ben were wonderful and accommodating. At first there was a misunderstanding of the tour that we were doing but they went out of their way to accommodate us. We were booked for the bar tour of Golden Gai and advised that the tour they had us down for wasn’t going to Golden Gai. Disappointing, but once Ali communicated with head office all was rectified and we were taken to the Kabukicho area and then on to a wonderful tiny bar called Yotteko in Golden Gai with the sweetest bartender, Bambi. We are grateful to Ali and Ben for a great experience.

Ali and Ben were excellent, accommodating and great company. Thankyou! Look forward to seeing you again. Kampaiii 🍻 🇯🇵

Very fun! Bell was very knowledgeable and showed us some really fun sites in the Shinjuku area! Great way to meet people and walk around Golden Gai if solo traveling! A+ experience!

Very friendly and knowledgeable. Enjoyed the chill vibe. Thanks for all the insights. The choice of restaurants was nice and enjoyable.

Bell was an amazing guide! Very friendly and knowledgeable about the area and local bars that were really nice! We had sake and snacks at the first place, saw Godzilla and passed by a small claw machine store that had some epic finds lol! And then had a viper venom shot at the last place — it was great lol. By the time we made it to Golden Gai we were good to go lol. I really enjoyed how she didn’t rush us and were able to have a good time together. A++ experience!

Great vibes! Bell was incredibly nice and made the tour very enjoyable. We went to a few izakayas/bars that had more of a locals vibe which I liked. I actually didnt realize it was a group tour when I booked but it ended up being more fun with extra people and was definitely worth it!

Amazing experience going to places we otherwise would have missed. Bell and Jasmine were fantastic guides who also showed us around the area and went that extra mile to make the experience even more great

Had a really good time with Bell as our host!! Would highly recommend for solo travellers. Bell gave us a great tour of the area on top of the bar hop experience. The places we went had great food and bell was very knowledgeable around the options for drinks.

Bell was lovely. She was very informative and had a great vibe about her. She took us to some fun places and we had a great time. Fun food and drinks. Had a super evening since it was the first time for me in Japan.

It was wonderful to have Bell as our guide for the evening. The tour included places we would never have visited on our own. Bell had excellent knowledge of the area and was always ready with tips and suggestions.

Very good - really enjoyed the tour ✨! I recommend Kane as he is a very good guide with a lot of knowledge. We did 3 different bars, all very interesting and traditional!

If you are looking for a fun evening with like minded people over traditional Japanese food and sake, then this is the tour for you. We had a blast and Kay, our guide made it even better! She shared all these interesting insights about the food and the drinks we were having, explained various things about Japanese culture and was just so easy to be around. Even if you are in Tokyo for just one night, go for this tour!

We had the absolute best time on our Golden Gai bar tour thanks to our guide, Kay. From the moment we met, Kay made everyone feel welcome and at ease. Navigating Golden Gai on your own can be overwhelming, but Kay effortlessly guided us into tucked-away gems that we never would’ve found ourselves — each bar had its own distinct vibe and story. Kay went above and beyond to personalize the experience for our group, recommending drinks based on our tastes (we tried some amazing sake and local cocktails!) and translating menus at places that don’t cater to tourists. Not only was the tour fun, but it also felt authentic — like we were hanging out with a knowledgeable local friend who happened to know all the coolest spots. She even helped us take some great photos throughout the night — no awkward touristy moments, just good energy, hidden bars, and genuine memories. Whether you’re new to Tokyo or a repeat visitor, this tour is an absolute must — and if you can request Kay, do it. She’s a star.

Awesome time and had a lot of fun with Bell. So worth it!! We went to different bars and ate and drank. It was soo cost efficient and worth it!

Absolutely would recommend to anyone staying near Shinjuku. The guide was really fun and she was so knowledgable about the local area.

The tour guide was more then amazing She bent over backwards and got me when I was lost when she didn’t have to Beautiful person inside and out My only complaint is it was only me and another guy (I did group tours before in Japan, Singapore, and Thailand and it’s always a huge group). Wouldn’t have went had I known that but still had fun! Tour guide was very knowledgeable and taught me about Japan and she is such a great and beautiful person and I am thrilled for her plans in the future doing this work

Had an amazing experience with Kay. It felt like teenager again and Kay introduced me so many different drinks and cultures. Party and history!!!

Kay was awesome. She customized our bar hopping as per our likings and took us to some great restaurants and bars. Super!

For my first time coming to Japan I am so happy to have join this tour and having Jordan and Bell as our tour guide was top notch. 😊

My guides are Bell and Jordan. They are very good talking buddies, and they also did a brief introduction on Japanese drinking culture and different types of drinks. The recommendations are pretty good as well, with Torikizoku and an affordable sake specialty store it was an enjoying experience 👍🏻 Definitely have a try when you are briefly visiting Japan!♥️

This was definitely a great night. We had a great group of participants. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable. The first 2 stops had light snacks and drinks and no admission price. Be sure you have an adequate amount of yen. At each stop the bill will be divided equally by the number of attendees. The last stop in Golden Gai was really unique. A really great experience.. I rated this 4 stars since the description notes admission was included at Golden Gai, but it appeared that we were charged a cover charge.

It was a very fun and interesting experience, where I learned a lot and saw some places I probably would not have visited otherwise. Bell was very nice and informative, and didn’t mind us asking “stupid” questions ;) We were originally on a later tour, but since we where the only ones singled up for it, we where informed that they recommended we changed it, which I really appreciate, since the other people where very nice and that is was a big part of it that we could meet some other travelers.

Bell was amazing! Highly recommended! Had a great time meeting people from all over the world! 10/10! Take the tour it amazing!

This was definetly a Highlight of the trip, getting to enjoy the companionship of fellow travellers and getting to know a Lot about the japanese Culture. We went to multiple bars and it felt like we really went into local Culture. I definetly recommend.

Bell crushed it! Enjoyable time touring Shinjuku bar hopping. She imparted some local wisdom and prioritized our safety and enjoyment along the way. Would highly recommend to any traveller interested in having an authentic Tokyo experience. Thank you!

Belle was a great tour guide showcasing the bars, food and sake in the shinjuku area of Tokyo. Food was brilliant belles knowledge aswell of the local products aswell.