Breakfast @ Tsukiji Market

Tsukiji Market is a great place to grab breakfast in Tokyo. My favorite restaurants are not the ones listed in travel guides as they are flooded with tourists who are willing to get up at 5am. I like to visit the ones favored by the locals who actually work and live in the Tsukiji Market area. 

1. 高はし

This tiny restaurant, 8 counter seats, is famous for grilled/boiled freshly caught fish. Of course, it also has sashimi. But I would suggest trying their cooked fish. There's no English menu. The restaurant owner who's also the chef speaks a little bit of English. If you don't speak any Japanese, you can order by showing the owner pictures saved on your mobile.



If you are visiting in November or December, you will be lucky enough to taste their "anago- two-layer rice bowl". Each layer has two big pieces of anago and there's rice between each layer. The anago is so tender and succulent that it literally falls off your chopsticks. 

You can also try their braised splendid alfonsino 金目鯛. 

Address: Tsukiji Market building #8, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-1pm; closed on Sundays and holidays
 
2.豊ちゃん Toyo-chan
Toyo-chan is a yoshoku restaurant, the Japanese version of western food. Their signature dishes are omu hayashi rice (omelet with hashed beef rice), katsu hayashi rice (tonkatsu with hashed beef rice) and atama rice (just like the regular katsu don except the tonkatsu and egg are not poured on top of the rice but instead come in a separate dish). 

You can ask for half curry and half hayashi sauce on your rice. The dish is called omu notke ryogake (Omelet with half of Curry & Hashed Beef Rice.

When oysters are in season, they also have kaki teishoku furai (deep fried oysters with rice). 

Address: Tsukiji Market building #1, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Hours: Mon-Sat 6am-2pm; closed on Sundays and holidays
Website: www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/11_toyo/

3.中栄 Nakaei
中栄 is another restaurant favored by the locals who work at Tsukiji Market. It serves two types of curry with rice, Indo curry (India curry), which is spicier, and beef Curry. It also has dishes like hayashi Rice (hashed beef over rice). The most popular dishe is called aigake, a mix of two sauces on one plate. For example, you can have Indo curry and hayashi with rice, or indo Curry and beef Curry with rice. 

Address: Tsukiji Market building #1, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Hours: Mon-Sat 5am-2pm; closed on Sundays and holidays
Website: www.nakaei.com

4.とんかつ八千代 Tonkatsu Yachiyo
This restaurant specializes in deep fried seafood. They have dishes like kuruma emi, kaki, hotate furai teishoku (deep fried prawn, oysters, scallop with rice & miso soup), kuruma emi, aji, hotate furai teishoku (deep fried prawn, horse mackerel, scallop with rice & miso soup), or anago, kaki furai teishoku (deep fried anago & oysters with rice & miso soup). You can also order sashimi with rice and miso soup. Another popular dish, which is not deep fried and only available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays before 8am, is called chashu egg teishoku (roast/boiled pork, sunny side up egg with rice and miso soup). I would recommend trying their deep fried seafood.

Address: Tsukiji Market building #6, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Hours: Mon-Sat 5am-1pm; closed on Sundays and holidays
Website: www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/21_yachiyo/index.htm

You can also get food in the outer area of Tsukiji Market. There are a few streets just outside the Tsukiji Market. Here you will find sushi restaurants or individual shops selling tamago, fruits, fish, seaweeds, and grilled seafood, such as unagi. 

Grilled unagi

Spicy Crab

Grilling squids

Before you head down to Tsukiji Market, make sure to check if the market is open. Tsukiji Market has it's own calendar. Most restaurants there are not open on Sundays. 

Tsukiji Market area map:http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/list.htm
Tsukiji Market calendar: http://www.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/calender.htm