Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Three OAD rankings. Dinner only. Book early.
Imafuku is Tokyo's most consistently recognised sukiyaki specialist, ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Top Restaurants in Japan list three years running. Based in Shirokane, Minato City, it serves dinner only (Tuesday to Saturday) and suits occasions where quality of beef and broth execution matter. Book ahead and arrive with a specific evening in mind.
Imafuku operates dinner service only — Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 11 pm — and given its three consecutive appearances on the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in Japan list (Highly Recommended in 2023, ranked #265 in 2024, and #286 in 2025), the seats here are not a casual walk-in proposition. If a sukiyaki dinner for a special occasion is what you are planning, this is the right address in Minato City, and it rewards booking with intent.
Sukiyaki is a format that punishes mediocre beef and weak broth control. The dish's technical demands are narrow but unforgiving: the depth of the warishita, the precise moment the egg is introduced, the fat content and thickness of the beef. Imafuku's consistent OAD recognition signals that the kitchen is executing at a level that distinguishes it from the broader sukiyaki category in Tokyo. For comparison, Imahan and Hiyama are both well-regarded sukiyaki houses in the city, but neither has accumulated equivalent recent critical momentum on the OAD list. If you want the format at its most technically considered, Imafuku is the current reference point among the venues that have been independently assessed.
The Shirokane address in Minato City places Imafuku in one of Tokyo's quieter, more residential premium neighbourhoods , a setting that suits the occasion-driven diner more than the tourist circuit. There are no neon signs or queue theatrics here. It functions as the kind of restaurant you go to when the evening itself matters, not just the food.
Imafuku is the right choice if you are planning a celebratory dinner, a business meal where quality signals matter, or a date where the format itself , communal pot, attentive service, sequenced courses , does some of the evening's work for you. Sukiyaki as a format is inherently social and participatory, which makes it better suited to parties of two to four than to solo dining. The OAD ranking puts it in a tier where you should expect to pay accordingly, though no specific pricing is confirmed in the venue record.
If your priority is a multi-course kaiseki experience rather than a single-format speciality, RyuGin is the better booking. If you want a sukiyaki experience outside Tokyo, Wadakin in Mie is the reference destination for Matsusaka beef. For broader Tokyo dining planning, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide.
Imafuku is open Monday through Saturday from 5 pm to 11 pm and is closed on Sundays. The restaurant is located at 1 Chome-12-19 Shirokane, Minato City, Tokyo. No specific booking method is confirmed in the venue record, but for a restaurant with three consecutive OAD appearances, contacting the venue directly in advance is advisable. A Google rating of 4.4 across 306 reviews reflects consistent satisfaction from a meaningful sample. Dress expectations are not confirmed, but the neighbourhood and occasion profile suggest smart casual at minimum. For a broader picture of what to do around the restaurant, our Tokyo hotels guide, our Tokyo bars guide, and our Tokyo experiences guide are useful starting points.
Other venues worth knowing across Japan for occasion-driven dining: HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa.
Quick reference: Dinner only, Mon–Sat 5–11 pm, closed Sunday. Minato City, Tokyo. OAD Leading Restaurants in Japan 2024 (#265) and 2025 (#286). Book ahead.
Arrive knowing that sukiyaki is a format-first experience , the kitchen leads, and the sequence matters. Imafuku has earned three consecutive OAD rankings, which signals that the beef quality and broth execution are a step above casual sukiyaki spots in Tokyo. There is no confirmed price on the record, but the OAD positioning places it firmly in the premium tier. Go with a clear occasion in mind rather than as a casual drop-in. For other Tokyo dining options, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide, or consider SUKIYAKI ASAI as a direct format comparison.
No confirmed seat count or private room information is available in the venue record. That said, sukiyaki as a format works leading for small groups , two to four people tends to be the sweet spot for the communal pot experience. For larger groups, confirm directly with the restaurant before booking. Imafuku's Minato City address and occasion-focused profile suggest it can handle business entertaining, but specific group policies would need to be confirmed with the venue. No phone number is listed in the venue data, so contact via the venue directly is recommended.
No dress code is confirmed in the venue record. Given the neighbourhood (Shirokane, Minato City), the OAD recognition, and the occasion-driven profile of the restaurant, smart casual is a safe baseline. This is not a jeans-and-sneakers setting. Think along the lines of what you would wear to a Michelin-tracked restaurant in a residential premium Tokyo neighbourhood , business casual or above will not be out of place, and will likely match the room.
Imafuku serves dinner only, Monday through Saturday from 5 pm to 11 pm. There is no lunch service. Sunday is closed. If you are planning around a midday schedule, you will need to choose a different venue for that slot. For dinner, earlier in the service window is generally advisable at focused specialist restaurants , you get the kitchen at full attention and the evening ahead of you.
Booking difficulty is rated as easy, but do not treat that as licence to leave it to the last minute for a special occasion. The OAD ranking and consistent Google rating (4.4 from 306 reviews) mean the restaurant has a steady following. For a Saturday or a specific date that matters to you, booking at least one to two weeks in advance is sensible. No confirmed online booking channel is listed in the venue record, so plan to contact the restaurant directly. For sukiyaki context elsewhere in Japan, Wadakin in Mie is a useful reference for how the format operates at a different price and region point.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imafuku | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #286 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #265 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Highly Recommended (2023) | — | |
| Harutaka | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| RyuGin | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| L'Effervescence | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| HOMMAGE | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Florilège | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Imafuku is a sukiyaki-specialist restaurant in Shirokane, Minato City, open for dinner only Tuesday through Saturday. It has appeared on the Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan list three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025), which gives you a reliable quality signal before you arrive. The format is communal and interactive — sukiyaki is cooked at the table, so this is not a passive dining experience. Come with an appetite and a willingness to engage with the process.
No group-size data is confirmed for Imafuku, but the sukiyaki format typically suits small groups of two to six better than large parties. If you are planning a group booking of more than four, check the venue's official channels to confirm seating arrangements before assuming availability. The Shirokane address puts it in a quieter residential pocket of Minato City, which tends to favour intimate settings over large private dining rooms.
Imafuku's dress expectations are not explicitly documented, but its OAD ranking and dinner-only format signal a restaurant taken seriously by its regulars. A neat, presentable outfit is a safe call — the kind you would wear to a business dinner or a considered date night. Avoid anything too casual; this is not a counter-and-ramen situation.
Imafuku does not serve lunch — it operates dinner only, Monday through Saturday from 5 to 11 pm, and is closed on Sundays. There is no choice to make here: dinner is the only option.
Booking lead time is not officially published, but Imafuku's three consecutive OAD rankings through 2023 to 2025 mean it draws an informed, reservation-ready crowd. Plan at least three to four weeks ahead for a standard evening, and further out if you are targeting a Friday or Saturday. If you are visiting Tokyo on a fixed itinerary, lock this in before your flights.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
