Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
OAD-ranked ramen for returning Tokyo visitors.
Tsuta is a Michelin-pedigreed ramen and soba kitchen in Yoyogi-Uehara, ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Japan list for three consecutive years. Lunch only, 11am–3pm. The OAD consistency and Chef Yuki Onishi's background make it a justified detour for serious noodle seekers, with seasonal broth variation giving returning visitors a reason to come back.
Tsuta has appeared on the Opinionated About Dining Casual Japan list every year since 2023, ranking #42 that year, #59 in 2024, and #69 in 2025. That three-year consecutive presence tells you this is a venue with a real following, even as its position has shifted. If you want a bowl of ramen or soba in Tokyo from a kitchen that the serious-eating community tracks closely, Tsuta in Yoyogi-Uehara is worth the trip. The catch: it is only open 11am to 3pm, seven days a week. Plan accordingly.
Chef Yuki Onishi runs Tsuta from a basement space in a residential pocket of Shibuya, and the address alone signals something: this is not a tourist-circuit ramen stop. Yoyogi-Uehara sits west of the central Tokyo grid, quieter and more neighbourhood-scaled than Shinjuku or Shibuya-proper. Getting there is direct via the Odakyu or Tokyo Metro Chiyoda lines to Yoyogi-Uehara Station.
The kitchen spans soba and ramen, which is a less common pairing than you might expect. Most dedicated ramen houses commit to one format; the dual offering at Tsuta suggests a broader range of Japanese noodle craft. Onishi's work in this space earned Tsuta a Michelin star when the venue was located in Sugamo — a credential that put artisanal Tokyo ramen on a new critical footing. The current Yoyogi-Uehara incarnation carries that reputation forward, even as the OAD rankings have shifted year on year.
On the OAD Casual Japan list, movement between #42 and #69 over three years is worth reading carefully. The drop does not signal decline so much as the increasing depth of the category: more high-quality casual Japanese venues are being tracked and rated. Tsuta holding a position in the top 70 over three consecutive cycles is a stronger signal than a single-year ranking spike. For context, that puts it in the same tracked tier as venues covered by Goh in Fukuoka and Gion Sasaki in Kyoto on the broader OAD Japan circuit.
Tsuta's menu has not been published here, so specific seasonal dish names are not something Pearl can confirm. What the format does allow for — and what you should factor into your timing , is that Japanese noodle kitchens at this level typically rotate broths and toppings with the seasons. Lighter, clearer broths trend in summer; richer, deeper profiles come forward in autumn and winter. If you are visiting Tokyo between October and February, the bowl you receive is likely to be at a different register than a summer visit. For a returning visitor, this seasonal variation is the main reason to come back rather than treat a single visit as definitive.
The 4.2 Google rating across 2,335 reviews is broadly consistent and suggests little variance in execution across visits. If you have been once and liked it, a return visit in a different season is the logical next step rather than trying to recreate the same experience.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Tsuta does not appear to use a third-party reservation platform based on available data, so confirming the current method directly before you visit is the practical approach. The hours are 11am to 3pm daily, which makes a lunch-only schedule non-negotiable. A mid-week arrival shortly after 11am is the lower-risk option for avoiding any queue, though weekend lunch can draw a line given the venue's following.
Price range data is not confirmed in Pearl's database for this venue. As a reference point, quality ramen at Michelin-recognised Tokyo kitchens typically runs in the ¥1,000–¥2,000 range per bowl, which makes this category accessible relative to the rest of Tokyo's serious dining. If budget is a primary consideration, Tsuta sits comfortably within the casual end of the dining spectrum regardless of its critical reputation. For higher-ticket Tokyo dining, see Harutaka for sushi or RyuGin for kaiseki.
Quick reference: Lunch only, 11am–3pm daily. Yoyogi-Uehara, Shibuya. Booking: Easy.
Book Tsuta if you are a returning Tokyo visitor who has covered the headline ramen stops and wants to eat somewhere with a sustained critical track record in a less-trafficked neighbourhood. It is also a good call for anyone arriving in the October-to-March window who wants to experience a seasonally-adjusted broth from a kitchen that has operated at this level for multiple years. First-timers to Tokyo with limited meals to allocate should weigh this against L'Effervescence or Sézanne if their priority is a more expansive dining occasion. For casual noodle lunch at a recognised level, though, Tsuta justifies the Yoyogi-Uehara detour.
For broader planning across Japan, see also HAJIME in Osaka, akordu in Nara, and 1000 in Yokohama. Pearl's full guides to Tokyo hotels, Tokyo bars, Tokyo wineries, and Tokyo experiences are also available if you are building a full itinerary.
Pearl does not have Tsuta's current menu on file, so naming specific dishes would be guesswork. What is confirmed: Tsuta serves soba and ramen, and Chef Yuki Onishi's kitchen has held a place on the Opinionated About Dining Casual Japan list since 2023. Go in knowing the format is a focused lunch counter, not a sprawling menu, and be guided by whatever the kitchen is running that day.
Service runs 11am to 3pm daily — that is the full window, so plan for a lunch visit rather than an evening option. The address puts you in a residential part of Shibuya near Yoyogi-Uehara, which is quieter and more local in feel than central Tokyo ramen stops. Tsuta does not appear to use a major third-party booking platform, so confirm the current reservation method directly before visiting.
Only if a focused ramen lunch is the occasion. Tsuta's OAD Casual Japan ranking signals consistent critical recognition, but the basement format and daytime-only hours mean this is not a setting for a long celebratory meal. For a special-occasion dinner in Tokyo, venues such as RyuGin or L'Effervescence are the more appropriate choices.
Based on the basement counter format and residential address, large groups are a poor fit. The kitchen runs a tight lunch service with no evening hours, which limits flexibility. Groups of two to three are the realistic sweet spot; anything larger should check the venue's official channels before assuming space is available.
For ramen at a similar casual register with critical backing, cross-reference other OAD Casual Japan-listed spots in Tokyo. If you want to stay in the Shibuya neighbourhood but step up to a full dinner format, Florilège and L'Effervescence are both strong options at a higher price point. Tsuta's case is specifically for the visitor who wants a credentialed, chef-driven bowl at lunch rather than a full tasting menu commitment.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
