Tokyo Shinjuku Food Tour
If you’re visiting Tokyo and want to taste the real flavors of Japan beyond the typical tourist spots, the Tokyo Shinjuku Food Tour is an unforgettable way to eat like a local. Over the course of one evening, you’ll explore the neon-lit streets of Shinjuku, discover hidden alleyway eateries, and sample 15 Japanese dishes at 4 different restaurants all with a friendly local guide leading the way.
The Heart of Shinjuku
Shinjuku Station meme - Wander in Japan
Our night began outside Shinjuku Station’s West Exit, one of the busiest train stations in the world. The tour was easy to find thanks to WhatsApp communication with our guide. From the very first moment, the atmosphere was buzzing — the bright lights, the aroma of sizzling street food, and the hum of nightlife in Tokyo’s entertainment district.
Walking Through Tokyo’s Iconic Food Districts
Walking into Ovoid Yokocho
Shinjuku is more than just skyscrapers and karaoke bars — it’s a treasure trove of history and food culture. The tour took us through:
Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) – Narrow alleys lined with yakitori (grilled chicken skewer) stalls and old-school sake bars.
Kabukichō – Tokyo’s lively nightlife district, packed with restaurants, bars, and late-night ramen spots.
Golden Gai – Famous for its tiny themed bars and retro atmosphere, this is where Tokyo’s creative crowd comes to unwind.
Japanese Dishes You’ll Want to Try Again
Over the course of the night, we sat down in four different eateries — ranging from tiny izakayas to casual street stalls — and tried a mix of traditional and modern Japanese dishes. Each tour guide will take you to different places so while there may be some overlap, it won’t always be the same tour. Our tour was our tour guides first night on the job and I thought he did a great job taking us around, although I have racked my brain (and my photo albums!) for days trying to remember the “15 dishes” we tried and I’m coming up short.
Grilling shishamo
The foods we ate included:
Shishamo – tiny silver fish that are eaten grilled
Fresh Sashimi – Melt-in-your-mouth slices of raw tuna and salmon
Cheese potato mochi - small round cheese (think Babybel cheeses) that you grill
Meat patty - yep, forgot what this was actually called, but we also grilled it
Sake
Tonkatsu – Crispy breaded pork cutlet served with tangy sauce.
Tuna salad with sea grapes - these tiny sea grapes were SO GOOD
Fried rice
Tempura fried vegetables
Plum wine
Taiyaki - Japanese fish-shaped cake, often sold as street food, with a sweet filling
Other foods that been included on tours are:
Yakitori - Perfectly grilled skewers of chicken and vegetables
Takoyaki – Crispy-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside octopus balls.
Gyoza – Pan-fried dumplings with juicy pork filling.
Two drinks were included throughout the tour. Both were alcoholic options but you have the option for a non-alcoholic beverage. At the first Japanese izakaya, we were offer sake or beer and at our last restaurant we were offered plum wine, yuzu liquor or Orion beer.
Taiyaki street food in Tokyo
The pacing was perfect: enough time to enjoy each dish without feeling rushed, while still keeping the group moving through the lively streets. And because our guide handled ordering, we could just relax and focus on enjoying the food.
Is the Tokyo Shinjuku Food Tour Worth It?
Taiyaki in Tokyo
Whether you’re visiting Japan for the first time or you’ve been here before, this food tour gives you a taste of local life in a way you just can’t get on your own. You’ll leave full, happy, and with a deeper understanding of Tokyo’s food scene.
Personally, I would’ve preferred more movement, trying more shops rather than several foods in one stop, but that doesn’t mean the food was any less tasty. In fact, my husband says it was one of his favorite tours that we’ve ever done.
If you love Japanese food, want to explore Shinjuku nightlife, and prefer having a knowledgeable guide to navigate the hidden corners of Tokyo, this tour is worth every yen.
One tip: I definitely recommend doing the food tour on one of your first nights in the city. That way, you get a feel for the neighborhoods and foods, and you can ask for recommendations from your tour guide.
A Sweet Surprise in Shinjuku
While it’s not included in the tour, my husband has a minor obsession with fried marshmallow ice cream, so we made it our mission to try every local spot serving it that we could find. The combination of warm, crispy marshmallow coating over frozen vanilla ice cream was the perfect ending to each day.
We tried three different places in Shinjuku: the Oreo fried marshmallow ice cream, the Frozen S’more truck and my husband’s favorite - Coffee Garosu. Click the link to open the pin -> Coffee Garosu
Be sure to check out my other blogs from around Japan!
