Where to eat in Asakusa

Many of Asakusa's older restaurants close early in the evening, so check opening hours and eat on the early side.

Asakusa famous food

Two snacks are closely tied to Asakusa. Kaminari okoshi are crisp bars of puffed rice held together with sugar and syrup; GO TOKYO, the city's official travel guide, says they were first sold by street sellers near Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, in the 18th century. Ningyo-yaki are small cakes baked in iron moulds, with or without sweet bean paste inside. They take their name from Ningyocho in Nihonbashi, but many sold in Asakusa are shaped like the gate's giant lantern. On Nakamise, some snacks are baked in front of you.

For a meal, Asakusa's traditional dishes include tempura, soba and dojo-nabe, a shallow pot of loach, a small freshwater fish, cooked in a soy-flavoured broth and topped with chopped spring onions. GO TOKYO points to Asakusa, along with Kanda and Nihonbashi, as a place to find family-run tempura and soba restaurants that have been open for generations.

Where to eat in Asakusa at night

West of the temple, Hoppy Street (ホッピー通り) is a row of old-style izakaya, many hung with lanterns and with seats outside, where you can move from one to the next for inexpensive food and drinks.

Rokku Broadway, the old theatre street of Asakusa's sixth district, connects Sushiya Street and Hisago Street and has restaurants alongside its theatres.