So you’re planning to take your little ones on holiday to Tokyo or for work or maybe you live here! You may wonder where the best restaurants for kids in Tokyo are. I’m going to share my Top 5 family restaurants in Tokyo that I absolutely love taking my 2 year old and 0 year old!
Sometimes eating out with little ones could be scary and overwhelming, let alone in a country where you don’t speak the language and don’t really know the culture. But don’t worry because Tokyo is super kid friendly and everyone’s really nice – plus the facilities are so great!
I’ll also share some tips at the end 😉
#5 Saizeriya
Saizeriya is an Italian restaurant and something that stands out is that it’s so cheap it’s almost unbelievable. You can get a pasta or pizza dish for less than ¥500. They also have hamburg steak as well as some yummy (and cheap) desserts.
There’s no kids menu but almost everything they have is pretty good for kids except the ¥100 wine which is questionable… Our two year old loves the corn pizza.
#4 Denny’s
You may know Denny’s if you’re coming from the US, but trust me the Japanese Denny’s menu is totally different! They offer delicious Japanese and western dishes as well as desserts. There’s even a seasonal menu. In the summer we had cold “jya jya men” (noodle) set which came with rice, salad and drink bar which was super reasonable. The drink bar is quite cheap because it’s all you can drink and you can choose anything to drink from juice to soda to tea and coffee (sometimes alcohol too)!
I like to get a white drink called Calpis. Some people find it funny (me…) because it sounds like “cow pi*s”. It’s got a sweet taste to it and it’s really good especially in the summer.
#3 Jonathan’s
Who is Jonathan? You may ask. I have no idea but I do know they have a huge selection of Japanese and western dishes including a superb kids menu. Of course they have a wide range of yummy desserts too. They’re easy to spot with the red signboard and white and blue stripes.
#2 Sushiro
As the name suggests, Sushiro is a sushi restaurant and a lot of locals take their kids. It’s so efficient and it’s a really fun experience getting the sushi that arrives on the turning table. You order from the tablet on your table, and they have English so no need to worry about how to order.
They’ve got side dishes like fried chicken and french fries and they have a huge dessert selection. Once you finish your meal, stack the plates and a staff will count the number of plates you’ve had. Even though you may not want to give raw fish to your child, they have a lot of other options like noodles. I like to get my son a “kappa maki” which is cucumber inside rice.
#1 Ootoya
Ootoya is slightly more expensive but still very affordable. They have a wide variety of Japanese “teishoku” which are meal sets. It comes with a main dish, rice, miso soup and some side dishes. I love Ootoya because it’s really healthy and super authentic
If you’re looking for a more Japanese experience, this is a great place to go. They also have a great kids menu and some places offer toys for those who order the kids menu. My son really looks forward to getting the toy whenever we go to Ootoya.
Here's a video
tips on eating out with kids & baby in Tokyo
All the restaurants mentioned have child seats so if they don’t offer you one, you can ask for one by saying “child seat” in a Japanese accent (chailudo sheeto) then say arimasuka? which means ‘do you have?’.
You’ll be able to find these restaurants anywhere in Tokyo because they’re chain restaurants and they’re a safe place to go. You’ll know what to expect because they’re very similar even in different locations.
Usually around 11:30 we’re able to sit down without waiting, but if we arrive around 12pm we have to wait for 20 or 30 minutes (even more sometimes!) so watch out for that.
There are soooooo many many more restaurants that I also love, but these are my top 5 family restaurants in Tokyo.