Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Accessible Ginza sushi with documented consistency.
A La Liste-recognised edomae sushi counter in Ginza with a 4.4 Google rating across 2,400+ reviews. Kyubey offers serious omakase sushi at one of Tokyo's most accessible top-tier counters — no impossible booking window required. The right choice for a first omakase experience, a special occasion dinner, or a business meal where the room and the craft both need to deliver.
Kyubey is one of the more accessible top-tier sushi counters in Ginza, and that accessibility is its main selling point. With a Google rating of 4.4 across more than 2,400 reviews and consistent recognition from both La Liste (91 points in 2026, 92 in 2025) and Opinionated About Dining (ranked #295 in Japan for 2025), this is a venue with a track record — not a reservation you need to chase for months. If you want serious edomae sushi in Ginza without the near-impossible booking windows of the city's hardest tables, Kyubey is the answer. Book it for a special occasion, a business dinner, or a first proper omakase experience in Tokyo.
Kyubey has operated from its Ginza address — 8-chome, Chuo City , long enough to have earned the kind of quiet authority that younger venues spend years trying to manufacture. The Ginza location is deliberate: this neighbourhood has been the centre of Tokyo's high-end sushi culture for generations, and Kyubey sits within that tradition without using it as a crutch. The dining room carries the spatial character you expect from a serious sushi counter: measured, unhurried, built around the rhythm of the itamae and the proximity of the guest to the work being done. For a special occasion, that intimacy is the point. You are close enough to the counter to watch every cut and placement, which is precisely the kind of detail that separates a counter seat at a venue like this from a table at a hotel restaurant. If you are bringing a guest you want to impress, the room does the work for you.
Chef Yosuke Imada leads the kitchen. The sourcing approach at a venue of this standing in Ginza is rooted in the edomae philosophy: fish sourced for its suitability to the technique, not for spectacle. Edomae sushi historically relied on ingredients from Tokyo Bay, but modern practitioners at this level source more broadly while keeping the preparation methods , curing, marinating, ageing , central to every piece. The price the kitchen pays for its fish is passed to the guest in the quality of the result, not in theatrical presentation. That is a meaningful distinction when you are deciding whether the cost is justified: at Kyubey, you are paying for sourcing rigour and technical execution, not a dining room designed for social media.
Kyubey is open Tuesday through Saturday, with lunch sittings from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm and dinner from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. The venue is closed Sunday and Monday. The lunch service is worth considering if you want the full counter experience at a lower price point , lunch omakase at venues in this category typically runs at a meaningful discount to dinner, and the quality of fish does not change with the time of day. For a first visit, lunch is the smarter entry point. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is the defining practical advantage Kyubey holds over comparable Ginza counters. You do not need a hotel concierge or a local contact to get a seat here , direct booking is achievable, which is not something you can say about Harutaka or Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongiten. For international visitors, this matters more than it sounds: arriving in Tokyo without a reservation at a leading sushi counter is a common problem, and Kyubey solves it.
The La Liste score has held steady , 92 points in 2025, 91 in 2026 , which signals consistency rather than decline. Opinionated About Dining has tracked Kyubey across three consecutive years, moving it from Highly Recommended in 2023 to a ranked position in both 2024 (#257) and 2025 (#295). The slight movement in OAD ranking is worth noting: it reflects a competitive field in Tokyo rather than a drop in quality. Tokyo has more serious sushi counters per square kilometre than anywhere else on earth, and holding a ranked position in that environment is meaningful. For context, other leading sushi destinations in Asia , including Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong and Shoukouwa in Singapore , operate in far less competitive fields.
Kyubey is one entry point into Tokyo's sushi scene. For other perspectives on the city's leading counters, Sushi Kanesaka and Edomae Sushi Hanabusa are worth comparing. If you are planning a broader Tokyo trip, our full Tokyo restaurants guide, Tokyo hotels guide, Tokyo bars guide, and Tokyo experiences guide cover the rest of the city. If you are travelling across Japan, the range is wide: HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa each represent strong regional options. Also worth knowing: Hiroo Ishizaka is a strong Tokyo alternative if you want to move away from Ginza.
Kyubey is one of the more approachable serious sushi counters in Ginza , recognised by La Liste and Opinionated About Dining, with booking described as Easy. For a first omakase experience in Tokyo, it is a more realistic starting point than harder-to-book counters like Harutaka. The format is counter-focused edomae sushi; expect the itamae to set the pace. Lunch is a sensible entry point if you want to manage costs while still getting the full counter experience.
Yes. Counter seating at a sushi venue like Kyubey is well-suited to solo guests , the format is built around the one-to-one interaction between diner and chef, and a single seat is easier to book than a table for two or more. Ginza sushi counters are one of the few fine-dining formats where solo dining is not just tolerated but genuinely appropriate. If you are visiting Tokyo alone and want one serious meal, this is a strong candidate.
Smart casual is the right call. Kyubey is a high-end Ginza counter with consistent award recognition, so a presentable outfit is expected , but this is not a venue with a formal dress code in the European fine-dining sense. Business casual works well. Avoid very casual clothing (trainers, shorts), particularly at dinner. For a special occasion or business dinner, err toward smart.
Lunch is the better value choice; dinner is the better occasion choice. The kitchen operates the same sourcing and preparation standards across both services , the fish quality does not change. Lunch sittings (11:30 am to 2:00 pm, Tuesday to Saturday) typically carry a lower price point than dinner at venues in this category, making it the smarter entry for first-timers or those watching spend. Dinner (5:00 pm to 10:00 pm) is the right format if you are marking a celebration or hosting a business guest.
Yes, and it is one of the more reliable choices for a special occasion in Ginza precisely because it is actually bookable. The counter setting, the proximity to the chef's work, and the consistent award recognition (La Liste, Opinionated About Dining) give it the substance to match the occasion. For a milestone dinner or a significant business meal, the combination of accessibility and quality is difficult to find at this level in Tokyo. If you need something harder to get as a status signal, Harutaka is the comparison , but Kyubey delivers the experience without the booking ordeal.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyubey | Sushi | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 91pts; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #295 (2025); La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 92pts; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #257 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Highly Recommended (2023) | Easy | — |
| Harutaka | Sushi | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'Effervescence | French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| RyuGin | Kaiseki, Japanese | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| HOMMAGE | Innovtive French, French | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Crony | Innovative, French | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
How Kyubey stacks up against the competition.
Kyubey operates Tuesday through Saturday only, with lunch from 11:30 am and dinner from 5 pm — closed Sunday and Monday, so plan accordingly. It holds La Liste scores of 91–92 points across consecutive years, which signals a reliably high standard rather than a flash-in-the-pan reputation. For first-timers to Tokyo's sushi scene, Kyubey offers a meaningful entry point into Ginza's counter culture without requiring the near-impossible reservations of the city's most exclusive rooms.
Yes, Kyubey suits solo diners well. Counter sushi in this format is designed for individual pacing, and a Ginza address with the kind of longevity Kyubey carries tends to handle solo guests with more ease than group-oriented restaurants. If solo dining at a counter is your preference, Kyubey is a more practical choice than larger, table-service venues in the same tier.
The database does not specify a dress code, but Kyubey's Ginza location and its standing in La Liste and Opinionated About Dining suggest this is not a casual setting. Neat, presentable clothing — what you would wear to a serious business lunch — is a reasonable baseline. Avoid overpowering cologne or perfume, which is standard courtesy at any high-end sushi counter where aroma matters.
Both sittings run the same hours format — lunch 11:30 am to 2 pm, dinner 5 pm to 10 pm — and the database does not confirm separate menus or pricing tiers for each. Lunch at Tokyo sushi counters of this calibre is generally less expensive than dinner and easier to book, making it the practical first visit for those uncertain about committing to a full dinner spend. If budget is a consideration, lunch is the lower-risk option.
It works for a special occasion if the format fits your group. Kyubey's consistent La Liste recognition (92pts in 2025, 91pts in 2026) and its Opinionated About Dining ranking among Japan's top restaurants give it the credentials to anchor a celebratory meal. For larger groups or those wanting a more theatrical experience, check whether Kyubey can accommodate your party size before booking — the counter format typical of Ginza sushi is best suited to smaller groups of two to four.
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