Chinese food in Tokyo runs from the neighbourhood chuka shop, with its ramen, gyoza and fried rice, to some of the most ambitious cooking in the city. At the top end, Japanese chefs who trained in China and Hong Kong cook Cantonese, Shanghai and Sichuan dishes with Japanese seafood, vegetables and wagyu, and serve them as tasting courses at counters of eight or ten seats.
Our database holds 100 Chinese restaurants in Tokyo recognised in the Top 100 Restaurants awards. Ranked by rating, here are the ten highest — including Tokyo’s only three-Michelin-star Chinese restaurant, a Hong Kong-born chef’s one-star counter, and a grand old dining room where you can still order Peking duck à la carte.
1. Sazenka (茶禅華) — 4.53
Minami-Azabu · ¥50,000–59,999 · 28 seats · ★★★ Michelin 3 Stars
The highest-rated Chinese restaurant in Tokyo, and the only Chinese restaurant in the city with three Michelin stars (it earned the third in 2020). Chef Tomoya Kawada calls his approach wakon kansai — Japanese spirit, Chinese technique — and the name joins tea (cha) and Zen. One omakase course, Tuesday to Saturday, with a last order of 19:30. About eight minutes’ walk from Hiroo Station.
2. Hayato (隼) — 4.46
Roppongi · ¥50,000–59,999 · 8 seats
An eight-seat basement counter three minutes from Roppongi Station, run by chef Toshiyuki Yoshida, whose cooking draws on training in France and Hong Kong. Expect a long omakase of around fifteen courses — shark’s fin, char siu, matsutake with abalone in season — cooked in front of you over high flame. The menu changes every two months. Reservation required.
3. Wasa (わさ) — 4.33
Ebisu · ¥50,000–59,999 · 8 seats
Chef Yamashita’s eight-seat counter serves familiar Chinese dishes refined into many small plates, with fine wine pairings if you want them. The dish people talk about is the gyoza: three fillings in one thin wrapper. Two seatings a night, at 17:00 and 20:00, Tuesday to Saturday. Five minutes from Ebisu Station.
4. Ji-Cube — 4.31
Nishi-Azabu · ¥20,000–29,999 · 26 seats · Michelin Guide
The best value among Tokyo’s top-rated Chinese restaurants, at under half the price of the counters around it. Dinner is a course built on Japanese ingredients that changes every two months; on weekends there is also a dim sum lunch, which changes on alternate months. Closed Wednesdays. About ten minutes’ walk from Roppongi Station.
5. Furuta (フルタ) — 4.27
Ginza 1-chome (Shintomicho) · ¥100,000+ · 8 seats
Chef Furuta made his name at Kaikatei in Gifu, a restaurant food lovers travelled across Japan for, before moving to Tokyo. His eight-seat chef’s table cooks seasonal produce from all over Japan — fish from Tokushima, game from Gifu, dried abalone — with spring rolls filled with whatever is in season (ayu, matsutake, snow crab) and a dan dan noodle finale. The most expensive restaurant on this list. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
6. Chugoku Hanten Fureika (中国飯店 富麗華) — 4.27
Higashi-Azabu · ¥15,000–19,999 · Michelin Guide
The classic on the list: a grand dining room near Azabu-Juban serving traditional Shanghai and Cantonese cooking from a menu of more than a hundred dishes. Order the Peking duck, the char siu made with Kinka pork, or — in autumn — steamed Shanghai hairy crab, which must be booked ahead. Open daily for lunch and dinner, three minutes from Azabu-Juban Station, and the easiest table in the top ten to get.
7. Ginza Jotaki (銀座 上瀧) — 4.25
Ginza · ¥50,000–59,999 · 10 seats
A ten-seat counter that combines Chinese technique with Japanese seafood. Ise lobster, abalone and spear squid are flown in daily from Karatsu in Saga, and live fish wait in a tank behind the counter. Omakase only, at both lunch and dinner; closed Sundays and holidays. Five minutes from Ginza Station.
8. Koki (港式料理 鴻禧) — 4.19
Nishi-Shimbashi (Toranomon) · ¥20,000–29,999 · 17 seats · ★ Michelin 1 Star
Hong Kong-style cooking from Hong Kong-born chef Tommy, built on the Cantonese idea that sharing a meal brings good fortune. Large dishes are cooked whole and portioned at the counter; don’t miss the freshly made char siu and the crispy chicken. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday, plus lunch on Saturdays. Five minutes from Toranomon Hills Station.
9. Tsushima (對馬) — 4.16
Moto-Azabu · ¥60,000–79,999 · 7 seats
A seven-seat counter on Keyakizaka run by chef Kenichi Tsushima. The cooking is luxurious and modern — shark’s fin steak, abalone with a rich liver sauce, young pigeon cooked Guangzhou-style, a seasonal spring roll — and the restaurant keeps a rare collection of aged Shaoxing wine to drink with it. Dinner from 17:00; reservation required. About ten minutes’ walk from Roppongi Station.
10. Shunka Nakamura (旬華 なか村) — 4.10
Higashi-Nihonbashi · ¥15,000–19,999 · 10 seats · Michelin Guide
Cantonese cooking with the hospitality of a Japanese kappo counter, from a chef who trained in both. The steamed chicken comes from a recipe taught by a mentor in Hong Kong; the char siu is glazed with Japanese mirin and miso. A ten-seat counter three minutes from Higashi-Nihombashi Station, closed Sundays and holidays. Lunch is served on some weekdays — check before you go.
At a glance
| # | Restaurant | Area | Rating | Budget | Michelin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sazenka | Minami-Azabu | 4.53 | ¥50,000–59,999 | 3 Stars |
| 2 | Hayato | Roppongi | 4.46 | ¥50,000–59,999 | — |
| 3 | Wasa | Ebisu | 4.33 | ¥50,000–59,999 | — |
| 4 | Ji-Cube | Nishi-Azabu | 4.31 | ¥20,000–29,999 | Listed |
| 5 | Furuta | Ginza | 4.27 | ¥100,000+ | — |
| 6 | Chugoku Hanten Fureika | Higashi-Azabu | 4.27 | ¥15,000–19,999 | Listed |
| 7 | Ginza Jotaki | Ginza | 4.25 | ¥50,000–59,999 | — |
| 8 | Koki | Toranomon | 4.19 | ¥20,000–29,999 | 1 Star |
| 9 | Tsushima | Moto-Azabu | 4.16 | ¥60,000–79,999 | — |
| 10 | Shunka Nakamura | Higashi-Nihonbashi | 4.10 | ¥15,000–19,999 | Listed |
Also worth a visit: 4000 Chinese Restaurant in Minami-Aoyama and ShinoiS in Shirokanedai, tied at 4.08, just outside the top ten.
Tips for eating Chinese in Tokyo
- Book early. Seven of the ten are counters of 7 to 10 seats, and most are reservation-only.
- Lunch is the bargain. Ji-Cube’s weekend dim sum, Koki’s Saturday lunch and Fureika’s weekday lunches cost a fraction of dinner.
- Mind the season. Shanghai hairy crab is an autumn dish (roughly October to December) — book it ahead at Fureika.
- Budgets are per person, food only. Drinks are extra.
Want more? Browse every rated restaurant in Azabu, Roppongi, Ginza and Ebisu, or see the full Tokyo map and filter by Chinese.