Asakusa can be said to be one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tokyo. Every day, countless tourists come and go to Senso-ji Temple and Kaminarimon Gate. As a result, Asakusa has gathered quite a few souvenir shops for travelers to shop to their heart’s content. Because Asakusa was already the busiest district in Tokyo during the Edo period, it still exudes a strong Edo downtown atmosphere. There are also many affordable snacks on the Nakamise-dori leading from Kaminarimon Gate to Senso-ji Temple. In this article, we have compiled old shops in Asakusa that still retain the Edo flavor, popular and affordable food that requires queuing, and delicious restaurants for everyone. We hope that everyone can find delicious Asakusa cuisine during the day or at night.
Must Read: 9 Best Things to Do in Asakusa to Help You Capture 100 Years of Tokyo within a Day
Recommended Popular Queuing Asakusa Cuisine
Here are the top 10 Asakusa specialty snacks and restaurants, which are highly popular on the internet. Due to personal taste differences, I, the AI language model, do not think they are all delicious. However, if you don’t have enough time to do your homework, you can directly choose these ten selected ones to eat. They may not be 100% to your taste, but at least they are representative of Asakusa’s cuisine.
- Delicious century-old sukiyaki restaurant “Asakusa Imahan”
- Popular queue-up fried beef cutlet “Asakusa Gyukatsu”
- Edo period local cuisine mud loach hot pot “Komagata Dozeu”
- Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside giant melon bread “Kagetsudo”
- One of the three major dorayaki in Tokyo “Kameju Dorayaki”
- Crispy and juicy Asakusa specialty “Asakusa Menchi fried meat cake”
- Snack from the Japanese folktale “Momotaro” “Kibi dango”
- Asakusa souvenir first choice ningyo-yaki “Asakusa Kimuraya”
- Asakusa popular souvenir teppanyaki senbei “Kameya Senbei”
- Kanto-style hot pot with Kansai-style flavor fusion “Datsumo Fukagawa Kanto-yaki”
Recommended Restaurants for Foodies in Asakusa
Next, I would like to recommend some of Piaor’s favorite and highly rated food experiences:
Asakusa Imahan
Among the must-eat delicacies in Asakusa, “Asakusa Imahan” with a history of over 100 years is definitely on the list. Japanese sukiyaki is really delicious! I highly recommend Asakusa Imahan for those who love beef and sukiyaki.
- Food Review: Must-Try Food in Asakusa, Tokyo: Imahan | A Century-Old Shabu-Shabu Restaurant with Affordable Chinese Cuisine
- Budget-Friendly Sukiyaki Option for Late-Night Snacks: Sukiyaki in Asakusa, Tokyo: Chinyaちんや | Affordable Sukiyaki Near Sensoji Temple
Niukatsu Fried Beef Cutlet
One of the top restaurants in Asakusa where people line up for hours, it’s normal to wait for 90 minutes to be seated. They serve a unique dish called “Fried Steak,” where the steak is quickly deep-fried and still retains its pinkish color and tender texture. Before eating, you can also grill it on a small stove according to your preference, adding to the enjoyment of the meal.
Mud Loach Hot Pot Restaurant “Komagata Dozeu”
The local dish “Mud Loach Hot Pot” that has been used by the people of Edo to supplement protein for 200 years is preserved. Located near the south side of Sensoji Temple, about ten minutes’ walk from Komagata Bridge, Komagata Dozeu has been in business since the Edo period, and is a good choice for tasting Mud Loach Hot Pot.
Food Review: [Tokyo Edo-style Local Cuisine] Komagata Dozeu: A Mud Loach Hot Pot Restaurant in Asakusa for Over 200 Years
Asakusa Buckwheat Noodle Old Shop “Owariya”
The official shop of Sensoji Temple, “Owariya,” was founded in 1860 and has now been passed down for five generations as a traditional soba noodle shop. Their most popular dish is the “Ebi Ten Soba,” which is topped with two large prawns. The soba noodles themselves are made from freshly ground Shinshu soba seeds, and the soup is made by boiling 3.6 kilograms of dried bonito flakes for over an hour. It’s a great place to experience the traditional taste of Tokyo soba noodles.
Food Diary:
Zhongjianshi Street Recommended Snacks
Aside from the restaurants around Asakusa, the most famous thing in Asakusa is the street vendors selling snacks along Nakamise-dori on the way to Senso-ji Temple. The prices are very reasonable and affordable. Below are the popular foods that both foreign tourists and Japanese people love to queue up for.
Yù pǐ pǐ.
The sweet potato dessert specialty store “Yupippi” that became popular on Japanese social platforms and television after the epidemic is located in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. It is located on the way to Asakusa’s new attraction “Asakusa Yokocho”. Along the way, you can see Japanese people holding a cup of sweet potato dessert made from extremely honey-ripened roasted sweet potatoes. In addition to the dense and sweet roasted sweet potatoes, the most popular dessert to take photos of is the purple “1mm ultra-fine purple sweet potato ice cream”. The bottom of this dessert is carefully cut into mashed sweet potatoes, and then layered with rich vanilla ice cream and layers of whipped cream. The eye-catching purple on the top is the ultra-fine purple sweet potato mashed only 1mm thick. It is strongly recommended to come early, as it sells out quickly!
Huayuetang Pineapple Bread
Established in the 20th year of the Showa era, Hanatsuki-do always has a long queue of people waiting to buy their classic pineapple bread. The specialty of this bakery is the huge size of the bread, which is even bigger than a face. The freshly baked pineapple bread is hot, crispy, and fragrant, and you can feel the unique crispiness and sugar powder texture of their pineapple bread when you eat it on the spot.
Food Review: 【Asakusa Food】Asakusa Kagetsudo: Crispy Ice Cream Pineapple Bread – Asakusa Specialty Sold 3,000 Daily
Asakusa Menchi Katsu Pork Patty
Zhongjianshi Street is close to Senso-ji Temple, and if you turn into Denpo-in Street, you can see a small shop with an extremely long queue. This is the famous “Asakusa Fried Pork Patty,” which was voted the number one Asakusa specialty in Japan. The crispy outer layer and juicy and sweet filling of high-quality pork make it an incredibly delicious dish. Highly recommended!
Food Review: [Asakusa Cuisine] Asakusa Fried Pork Patty (浅草メンチ), Fukuoka Black Wagyu Curry Bread
Fengfu Black Hair Wagyu Curry Bread (豊福 黒毛和牛カレーパン)
The pork cutlet next door to Asakusa’s fried pork cutlet is Fukuoka’s black-haired wagyu curry bread, which also has long queues as soon as it comes out of the oven. The specialty is the super large curry bread, with a crispy outer layer and a very hot filling. The curry sauce is very rich, but it has a heavy beef flavor and I don’t think their meat quality is very good. I suggest that if you’re not very hungry, just buy the Asakusa fried pork cutlet.
Food Review: [Asakusa Cuisine] Asakusa Fried Pork Patty (浅草メンチ), Fukuoka Black Wagyu Curry Bread
Asakusa Silk Pudding (浅草シルクプリン)
Not many people may have introduced it, but this pudding is beyond imagination in terms of taste. As its name suggests, it is as smooth as silk when eaten, with a rich egg flavor that is not too sweet or cloying. It is a perfect dessert for those who love pudding.
Food Review: 【Must-Try in Asakusa】Asakusa Silk Pudding: Smooth and Silky Silk Pudding
Jibituanzi / Asakusa Kibidango Azuma
“Kibidango Azuma ~ Kibi Tuanzi” is a very popular snack that often has long lines in Nakamise-dori. Every time I pass by, I always get a string of these delicious mochi balls coated in lots of soybean flour. They are a must-try snack for anyone with a craving.”
Asakusa Kujū Fried Manju (浅草九重のあげまんじゅう)
Asakusa Kujū is a crispy fried bun that many people recommend online. Every time I pass by Nakamise-dōri, there is always a long line. However, I was disappointed to find that the chocolate and red bean flavors were both terrible. The outer layer was moist and very hard to chew, and the filling was of poor quality and quantity. In addition, the attitude of the shopkeepers was also terrible, which made me wonder why there were so many people lining up for it.
Food Review: 【Asakusa Snacks】Asakusa Kujou Fried Manju: Super Popular Affordable Fried Manju Specialty Shop
Turtle House Senbei (Asakusa Kame no Senbei)
The older generation in Asakusa love to buy senbei, and Kameya Senbei is a recommended specialty souvenir by many. It has a charcoal-grilled soy sauce flavor that is freshly baked by the master, but I don’t like this kind of hard snack, so I can’t give a good review.
Asakusa Mukojima Yakitori
When you walk to the end of Nakamise-dori, you will see Kimuraya, the famous Asakusa manju shop. The specialty of Asakusa is “manju,” and Kimuraya is the oldest manju specialty store in Asakusa, with a history of over 100 years. They sell manju in the shape of five-storied pagodas, Kaminarimon Gate, lanterns, pigeons, and more. The manju tastes very sweet, like red bean cake, but because of its commemorative value, it is suitable as a souvenir. The taste is just average.
Oimoyasan Koshin
Established in the 9th year of the Meiji era, “Oimoyasan Koshin” has a history of more than 130 years. Originally a sweet potato wholesale store, it has now developed into a specialty store selling various sweet potato products, particularly the popular “Daigaku Imo” (sweet potato snack). If you are a sweet potato lover, you must try the Japanese version of honey sweet potato.
Food Review: 【Asakusa Food Snacks】Oimoyasan Koshin, a century-old sweet potato dessert shop on Denboin-dori
Taiyaki Shou Xie Le
This shop is a bit far from the Asakusa tourist area. You have to walk north from Asakusa Hanayashiki and cross the street to get to the alley. It has been featured in many TV programs and is run by an elderly couple. They use red beans from Hokkaido to make their taiyaki, and the red bean flavor is quite good. However, the taiyaki skin is relatively ordinary and not very crispy, but it has a slightly burnt taste. It’s not necessary to make a special trip here.
Food Diary:
Leimen Souvenirs
Turtle-shaped Copper Castella Cake
“Kameju” is a super popular traditional Japanese confectionery store with a history of nearly a hundred years in Asakusa. They sell taiyaki, a traditional Japanese sweet. Every day, there is a long line of customers waiting outside the store as soon as it opens. Along with “Usagiya” in Ueno and “Kusabue” in Higashijujo, they are known as the “Three Great Taiyaki Shops in Tokyo”. They were also ranked first on the Japanese Taiyaki Ranking by experts selected by Nikkei.
Food Review: 【Tokyo Popular Souvenir Dessert】Asakusa Kamejuu, Voted Japan’s Number One Taiyaki
Summary
Here are some snacks that Piao Er suggests you can try in Asakusa. In fact, Asakusa also has Japanese chain restaurants such as Ichiran Ramen, Kisoji Shabu-Shabu Sukiyaki, and Nabezo all-you-can-eat hot pot. However, this article focuses on the specialties unique to Asakusa. If you don’t come to Tokyo often or don’t want to eat snacks, you can still try the chain stores that interest you in Asakusa!
One-day Tour of Attractions around Asakusa
【Morning】Visit Sensoji Temple, Shop at Nakamise Shopping Street → 【Afternoon】Stroll in Ueno Park, Shop at Ameyoko → 【Evening】Walk along Sumida Park → Enjoy the Night View from Skytree Tembo Deck → Shop at Tokyo Solamachi
The itinerary in Asakusa is often combined with a one-day trip to Ueno and Tokyo Skytree, which are very close by. The above is the recommended itinerary route that I suggest, which is smoother to walk. You can also refer to Tokyo Asakusa one-day trip itinerary route arrangement for detailed transportation connections and fun attractions.
- Ueno: Ueno Station & Okachimachi Shopping Guide
- Ameyoko: Ameyoko Market Guide: Food, Shopping & More
- Asakusa: Sensoji Temple & Nakamise Street Guide
- Skytree: Tokyo Skytree Guide: Views, Shopping & More
- Imado Shrine: Imado Shrine: The Birthplace of Japanese Lucky Cats
Ultimate Tokyo Food Guide: 20 Best Japanese Foods to Try in Tokyo