This longtime Mediterranean favorite moved to a three-story Omotosando mansion in October 2012. The outside terrace instantly became one of this city’s hottest dining spots. Indoor booths, counters and three private rooms fill up during Tokyo’s winter months too, as does the bar by the entrance that stays open until 3am. Expats claim Cicada serves Tokyo’s tastiest hummus, and that the menu offers one of the city’s most extensive vegetarian menus. The accompanying wine list is equally Euro-centric while the bar offers six craft beers on tap.

A tranquil oasis in bustling Tokyo, Daigo serves vegetarian kaiseki meals from a beautiful teahouse-style building that is surrounded by a Japanese garden.

Hidden in Harajuku sits this unassuming humble home with a shabby-chic garden. The juxtaposition itself feels thoroughly Japanese, even before the fresh seasonal dishes arrive at rustic tables indoors and on the cozy outdoor terrace. Owner Yuri Nomura is known as the Alice Waters of Japan for her tireless promotion of organic living and dining. The day’s well-priced omakase menu items are served on large sharing plates; the English-speaking manager happily translating for foreigners who find there way to this leafy haven.

Hard to find from the street given its very basic exterior (adorned with just a fern and a small sign) this quaint restaurant has a great atmosphere on the inside. The buzz centers around the grill in the middle of the restaurant where a chef produces skewer after delectable skewer of chicken, steak, vegetables, cheese, scallops and more. The English menu and the presence of an English-speaking staff makes for an easy dinner after a long day of sightseeing.

This hard-to-find cocktail bar is the sort of place that makes Tokyo’s nightlife scene exciting and full of surprises. Gen Yamamoto is a Tokyoite who spent eight years training in New York’s cocktail scene before returning home to open his eponymous bar. Tucked on a side street in a quiet neighborhood, Gen Yamamato features only eight seats around a beautiful wooden counter. Gen, mixologist, maître d’ and bar manager all at once, never leaves his spot behind the bar, crafting cocktails for patrons who reverently sip their drinks while watching him mash, mix, microwave and create the innovative cocktails for which he is becoming famous. The menu is short and changes seasonally; in the winter for instance, drinks include quince, fennel and kumquat mixed with a variety of sochus and sakes. Go for a flight to fully appreciate the artistry behind each cocktail.

Seasonal Japanese sweets take center stage at this traditional Japanese tearoom in the heart of Ginza. There are sweet buns with grated yam wrapped in bamboo leaves, cold kuzu noodles and aromatic shiso leaf mochi. Japanese beer, distilled spirits known as shochu and wine are also on the tightly edited, ever-changing menu here. Higashiya is owned by Japanese design firm Simplicity (which has done work for the likes of the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo), and the dining room makes lovely references to the country's artisanal heritage, adding modern twists to conventional crafts.

The Bulgari outlet, spread over ten floors, is the jewelry firm’s largest in the world. If the prices are a little too extravagant, settle for a bite to eat or a cocktail in Il Ristorante, which has its own rooftop terrace. The chef brings with him culinary inspiration from his previous post, at the Bulgari resort in Bali; he has also paired the local and highly rated Kobe beef with truffles. The wines are from Italy, and the candelabras and tableware are, naturally, from Bulgari’s home-ware collection.

After visiting the Sensoji temple, head to Imahan for a traditional Sukiyaki dinner or lunch. The restaurant is filled with private stalls where servers in kimonos will help you prepare your meal. A big frying pan is placed in the center of the table filled with a sweet Sukiyaki broth. Diners are given thinly sliced beef, vegetables and noodles to dip in the wok. The server prepares the first round and then leaves it to the client to complete their meal.

Tucked in a quiet corner of the fifth floor of Barney's New York (where several restaurants are located), the venerable Imahan is a good place for one-pot shabu-shabu and sukiyaki. Founded in 1895, Imahan is a chain with several branches, but the one in Ginza is most comfortable and also offer private dining rooms for 2 people or more.

Tokyo visitors craving the experience of a multi-course kaiseki dinner should head to this tiny, unassuming—yet three-Michelin starred—restaurant in Ginza. Everything, from the earthenware dishes to the incredibly arranged plates is exquisite. You can only choose between three set menus. The wine list is also excellent.

Gourmets agree that this is one of the very best places in Tokyo to sample sushi, which means it’s among the finest on Earth. This family-run restaurant has a decades-long history; the owner, Yosuke Imada, learned to make sushi from his father, who started the restaurant in 1936. Sushi connoisseurs speak the word “Kyubey” almost reverentially; reservations are essential.

Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa took the top honors when San Pellegrino launched an all-Asia 50 Best List in 2013 (having already racked up two Michelin stars). His minimalist-sleek dining room is unusually easy to find, among the car dealerships near Aoyama Itchome Station. Chef Narisawa earns raves as much for the aesthetics as the flavors of his dishes, each one intended to reflect a harmony with nature. In fact, he is known for serving surprisingly delectable (and distilled) soil, charcoal and bark, though his mains are creative takes on more conventional fare, such as a seas bass with cabbage and asari clams cooked in a paper bag. Narisawa also earns praise for the relative value of his nature-to-plate set menus.

This cavernous eatery is housed in a former bathhouse and has zero ambience. But gourmands head here to dig into heaping plates of tonkatsu, a heavily breaded and deep fried pork cutlet, topped with thick and tangy sauce and served with shredded cabbage and an earthy miso soup. This quintessentially Japanese dish was inspired by European cuisine in the late 1800s.

Note that the Japanese menu is a tome compared to the slender English menu, so be sure to peruse the former's pictures for more choices. You can also order the tonkatsu set menus, for a reasonably priced taste of Tokyo that really is finger licking good. While this restaurant, nestled among the snaking lanes of Harajuku, used to be very challenging to find, there are now signs like breadcrumbs leading newcomers off the main avenue, Omotosando and straight to Maisen’s front door.

Widely featured in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation, the New York Bar & Grill is the renowned bar on top of the Park Hyatt Tokyo. It actually lives up to the hype, thanks to spectacular views and a cool vibe. It's a top choice for cocktails.