Where to Eat Fugu in Tokyo: Best Fugu Restaurants in Tokyo

Fugu, also known as blowfish or puffer fish in English, is not for the faint of heart. Still, this potentially lethal fish is celebrated as a delicacy across Japan, served up in a variety of ways: fried fugu, fugu sushi, fugu sashimi, fugu caviar and more. 

Shimoseki City in Yamaguchi Prefecture is by far the most famous spot to try fugu. Similarly, the waters around the southern island of Kyushu are particularly abundant in sea life. But say you want to try the fish further north in Tokyo, where should you go? 

If you want to learn what makes fugu so appealing, plus a few suggestions for the best fugu restaurants in Tokyo, keep reading! 

Fugu refers to puffer fish, a fish that’s brown or black in color and known for puffing up into a spiky ball as a defense mechanism when threatened. 

In Japan, the most common type of fugu fish used in restaurants is tora fugu, or tiger puffer fish. The peak season for tora fugu puffer fish is in the winter, though different parts of the fish are eaten throughout the year. 

If you’ve seen any restaurants with fugu on the menu, you’ll know that pufferfish in Japan is notoriously expensive. A lunch set will run you anywhere between ¥6,000-¥10,000, while a dinner course menu will be upwards of ¥10,000. 

Part of the reason for the steep cost is the special license required to prepare fugu. Because certain parts of the blowfish are toxic, chefs are required to spend two to three years completing an apprenticeship under another chef with a fugu license, cleaning hundreds of fish and taking a written exam, depending on the requirements of the prefecture. 

So rest assured that the high price point is worth it, both for your safety and for the quality of your meal.

Find out more: Fugu 101: The Deadly-But-Delicious Japanese Puffer Fish

The texture of fugu is firm and chewy, while the taste is light with a hint of umami flavor. You’ll often see it served with acidic sauces like ponzu sauce or yuzu, which complement the flavor of the fugu well. 

If you’re new to seafood, fugu won’t offend even the pickiest eaters, as it’s mild rather than briny. 

With 40 fugu restaurants spread among Tokyo and its outskirts, Torafugu-tei is a must-visit if you’re looking to try puffer fish in the Kanto region. 

Raised in carefully monitored fisheries in the Hirado Port off Nagasaki Prefecture, these fish roam freely in massive tanks as they’re transported from Kyushu to Tokyo. 

As such, even though they’ve traveled 15 hours to get to your plate, the taste is as fresh as if you were eating them right there in Nagasaki. You might even get a piece of fugu that’s still swimming, as indicated by the course menu name: “Swimming” Tiger Puffer Course.

No matter how you prefer to consume Japanese blowfish, you’ll find it at Torafugu-tei.

23 years after opening its first store in Fujiidera, Osaka, Genpin has gone on to open 70 restaurants across Japan, cementing it as a reliable source of fugu cuisine no matter where you’re traveling to. 

You might be interested to know that the first character in the name “Genpin” means “mysterious beauty.” It’s with this philosophy that Genpin operates: introducing the exotic, alluring beauty of fugu to the locals and tourists of Japan with impeccable finesse and presentation. 

If you can’t visit during the peak winter season, Genpin uses farmed tiger puffer fish during the off-season, reared using their “Genpin technology.” These methods result in a higher glutamic acid content, or umami flavor, than wild-caught blowfish. 

Feast on everything from deep-fried fugu to fugu sashimi to their signature Kansai tecchiri hotpot.

If you want to try every kind of fugu dish there is, look no further than Fukuji. Located on the third floor of the Koda building in the swanky neighborhood of Ginza, no part of the fugu (except the poison, of course) goes to waste here. 

Start with fugu sashimi before trying a fugu jelly and rich hot pot with green onions. Once you’ve fished out all the fugu, you’ll enjoy a delightful rice soup with the leftover broth. 

Check out what else chef and owner Takeshi Yasuge has to offer on Fukuji’s TripAdvisor page. 

Located in the Minato Ward of Tokyo, the seafood at Kadoya Toranomon is flown all the way from Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku. The second franchise in Tokyo, here, you can enjoy the specialties of Uwajima without having to leave Honshu. 

Although the website is only in Japanese, you can toggle English via Google Translate to see what menu items appeal to you the most for an afternoon or evening meal. Be sure to check out Kadoya Toranomon’s online store, too! 

After a day of sightseeing in Asakusa, what better way to wrap it up than an adventurous Japanese meal at Asakusa Miuraya?

Not only can you try the typical blowfish nabe hot pot, blowfish sashimi and fried blowfish, but you can also try more exclusive dishes like fugu ovaries, which have a silken tofu texture and cook up in the hot pot within a few minutes. The creamy, delicate flavor is worth branching out for! 

Finish up the meal by ordering rice to make a fugu congee with the remaining broth. 

Please note that smoking is allowed throughout the entire restaurant, but the third floor with tatami rooms is recommended for families with young kids. 

Some recommend giving your orders ahead of time when you reserve so they will have enough ingredients on the day. This place is especially popular during New Year’s, so get a head start by booking at Asakusa Miuraya.

If you love puffer fish fin sake, this is the place for you because every dish is meant to be paired with it! Head to northern Tokyo to try the renowned (and notoriously expensive) Kikuhiro course, aptly named after the restaurant itself. 

If you’re on a budget, the Torafugu course is also recommended, costing you around ¥7,500 per person but delivering in volume. 

Regardless of which course you order, rest assured you’ll be able to try more than just fugu dishes, including beef shabu-shabu, tempura, yakisoba and more to round out the meal.

Come summer or winter, be sure to pay a visit to Fugu Kappo Kikuhiro.

Looking for more ByFood original content? Check out these blog posts below for further reading, including a beginner’s guide to sushi, affordable omakase sushi restaurants in Tokyo, the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo, all you need to know about Toyosu fish market, and more fugu restaurants in Tokyo.