Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Serious nigiri, easier to book than rivals.
An OAD-listed counter sushi restaurant in Nishiazabu run by chef Nobutoshi Takahashi, Sushi Tsu is one of Tokyo's more accessible serious sushi bookings — ranked #487 in Japan by Opinionated About Dining in 2025, with a 4.5 Google rating. Lunch is available on weekdays. Book one to two weeks out. Booking difficulty is rated Easy compared to Ginza peers.
Sushi Tsu is worth booking if you want a serious Nishiazabu counter experience without the extreme reservation difficulty of Tokyo's most decorated omakase rooms. Chef Nobutoshi Takahashi's restaurant has climbed steadily on the Opinionated About Dining Japan list — from Recommended in 2023 to #475 in 2024 and #487 in 2025 — which places it firmly in the tier of sushi that rewards the food-focused traveller. Booking is relatively direct compared to peers like Harutaka or Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongiten, making it a practical choice for visitors who want a credentialed counter seat without a multi-month wait.
Counter sushi at this level is about direct contact with the chef's decisions: the pacing of nigiri, the temperature of rice, the ratio of vinegar seasoning, the moment a piece arrives and when you eat it. At a basement counter in Nishiazabu , one of Tokyo's more residential dining neighbourhoods, quieter than Ginza and less tourist-facing , that format feels purposeful. The B1F setting keeps the room intimate, and a 4.5 Google rating across 299 reviews suggests the experience lands consistently for guests who make the trip. For a food or travel enthusiast seeking depth rather than spectacle, the counter at Sushi Tsu provides exactly what the format promises: a direct, unmediated read of the chef's craft over the course of a meal.
Lunch service runs Tuesday, Thursday, and Monday from 11:30 am to 2 pm, with dinner across Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6 to 11 pm. Wednesday and Friday evenings are dinner-only. Sunday is closed. That schedule gives you genuine optionality , lunch or dinner , which not every serious sushi counter in Tokyo offers at this price positioning. For the explorer who wants to compare formats, a weekday lunch at Sushi Tsu and an evening counter at Sushi Kanesaka or Edomae Sushi Hanabusa covers a useful range of the city's counter sushi spectrum.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Aim to reserve one to two weeks in advance for a weekday dinner seat, and slightly further out if you need a specific date or the Saturday evening slot, which tends to fill first. There is no phone or website in Pearl's current records, so reservations are leading approached through a hotel concierge, a dining reservation service such as Tableall or Omakase, or directly via the venue if contact details surface through a search. If you are planning a broader Tokyo dining trip, cross-reference availability with the options in our full Tokyo restaurants guide.
| Detail | Sushi Tsu | Harutaka | Sushi Kanesaka |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Nishiazabu, B1F | Ginza | Ginza |
| OAD Ranking (2025) | #487 Japan | Top-ranked | Top-ranked |
| Booking Difficulty | Easy | Very Hard | Hard |
| Lunch Available | Yes (Mon, Tue, Thu) | Limited | Limited |
| Closed | Sunday | Varies | Varies |
| Google Rating | 4.5 (299 reviews) | N/A | N/A |
See the comparison section below.
If you are building a Japan itinerary around serious dining, Sushi Tsu sits within a broader network worth planning around. In Tokyo, Hiroo Ishizaka offers a comparable neighbourhood-counter dynamic in Hiroo. Outside the capital, the OAD-recognised circuit extends to HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, and Goh in Fukuoka. If you are comparing counter sushi experiences across Asia, Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong and Shoukouwa in Singapore represent the format at its most formal outside Japan. For planning your full Tokyo stay, see our Tokyo hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide. For regional Japan comparisons, 1000 in Yokohama and 6 in Okinawa round out the picture for travellers moving beyond Tokyo.
Yes. A basement counter in Nishiazabu is one of the more natural solo dining formats in Tokyo , you are directly in front of the chef, the pacing is set by the kitchen, and there is no social friction in occupying a single seat. Solo diners should book a counter seat directly and aim for a weekday evening when the room is typically less pressured than a Saturday night.
No dress code is listed in Pearl's records, but at an OAD-ranked counter in Nishiazabu, smart casual is the right call. Think neat trousers and a collared shirt or equivalent , avoid overpowering cologne or perfume, which is a real consideration at any close-quarters counter where the chef is presenting food at arm's length.
The venue is a basement counter-format sushi restaurant, so bar or counter seating is effectively the primary dining mode here, not a secondary option. That is the format you are booking into , plan accordingly and treat it as the feature, not a compromise.
Lunch is the better entry point for first-timers and for value comparison, since high-end sushi counters in Tokyo typically offer lunch at a lower price point than dinner with the same chef at the pass. Lunch is available Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (11:30 am to 2 pm). Dinner runs later and covers more days, including Friday and Saturday evenings, which are better if you want the full counter experience without a midday time constraint.
Specific menu details are not in Pearl's current records for this venue. At a counter of this style and OAD ranking, the format is almost certainly omakase , the chef's selection , rather than à la carte. Let the kitchen lead, and avoid requesting substitutions unless you have a genuine dietary restriction.
The address puts you in Nishiazabu, not Ginza , Tokyo's most famous sushi district , which means a slightly more residential, less tourist-trafficked approach. The restaurant is in a basement (B1F), so look for signage at street level. It is OAD-listed and carries a 4.5 Google rating across nearly 300 reviews, which is a useful baseline: this is a serious room, not a tourist-facing sushi bar. Book in advance, arrive on time, and let the counter do the work.
Seat count is not confirmed in Pearl's current records, but basement counter sushi restaurants in Tokyo typically run between 8 and 16 seats. Groups of more than four should contact the venue directly before booking to confirm whether a single seating can accommodate the full party. For larger groups or private dining in Tokyo, a concierge or specialist reservation service will give you better options than booking independently.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sushi Tsu | Sushi | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #487 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #475 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Recommended (2023) | Easy | — | |
| Harutaka | Sushi | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| RyuGin | Kaiseki, Japanese | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'Effervescence | French | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| HOMMAGE | Innovtive French, French | ¥¥¥¥ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Florilège | French | ¥¥¥ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes, and it may be the format where Sushi Tsu works best. Counter sushi is designed around direct chef-to-guest interaction, and a solo seat puts you closest to that experience. OAD has ranked Sushi Tsu among Japan's top restaurants three consecutive years, which suggests the quality holds up to close scrutiny from a single seat.
No dress code is documented for Sushi Tsu, but Nishiazabu operates at a level where most guests dress neatly without being formal. Avoid strong fragrances, which are broadly discouraged at serious sushi counters because they interfere with the fish. Business casual is a practical baseline.
Counter seating is the format at Sushi Tsu. There is no documented table section separate from the counter, so eating at the bar is not an alternative option — it is the experience.
Lunch runs Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (11:30am–2pm), with dinner service available Monday through Saturday. If your schedule allows a weekday, lunch can be a lower-pressure entry point and often a shorter booking window. Dinner gives you the full evening pacing that serious omakase counters are built around, so for a first visit with time to spare, dinner is the stronger choice.
At a counter under Chef Nobutoshi Takahashi, the format is almost certainly omakase — the chef decides the sequence. There is no documented à la carte menu, so the practical answer is: order the omakase and defer to the chef's pacing. Specific dishes are not documented in available records.
The venue is in Nishiazabu B1F — a basement-level address that is easy to miss, so allow extra time to locate it. OAD ranked Sushi Tsu #475 in Japan in 2024 and #487 in 2025, which places it firmly among credible Tokyo counters without the extreme booking difficulty of the city's most decorated names. Reserving one to two weeks out for a weekday dinner is generally sufficient.
No private room or group configuration is documented for Sushi Tsu. Counter sushi formats typically seat guests in a single row, which limits practical group size. Parties larger than four should verify capacity directly before booking, and should expect that the counter format shapes the experience regardless of group size.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
