9 best budget sushi restaurants in Tokyo

Visiting a standing sushi bar is a must while you’re in Tokyo and Uogashi Nihon-Ichi is one of the best around. You’ll find this chain eatery in a few areas around Tokyo, including its newly reopened outlet in Shibuya Dogenzaka. The best part about visiting this joint is watching the sushi chefs up close as they whip up your order at lightning speed. There’s an English menu – or you can just point to the seafood you recognise at the counter.

Kura Sushi's flagship in Harajuku is located just across from Laforet shopping mall. But you’ll quickly notice this outlet is a little different from all the rest. For starters, the staff are dressed in pink outfits and the interior is decked out with paper lantern walls and ukiyo-e art to match Harajuku’s eclectic style. Plus, along with the usual line up of sushi, this shop also offers Western-style rolls like the red dragon, golden crunch and tiger shrimp rolls for a limited time.

That’s not all, though. You’ll find a separate section inside Kura Sushi Harajuku serving up the brand’s first-ever crêpes. The sushi crêpes come in tuna mayo or iberico pork flavour, both of which have fried sushi rice wrapped inside. 

With seafood delivered straight from the restaurant’s Hokkaido headquarters, it’s clear why people are willing to stand in long lines for a spot at this affordable kaitenzushi joint. Toriton is a seafood lover’s paradise, with menu items including buttery kanimiso (crab innards), gleaming ikura (squid) nigiri wrapped in salmon, and an icy fresh Hokkaido shrimp nigiri. Plates start at ¥143, and unlike many other sushi-go-round spots where it’s advisable to order directly from the chef, here you can happily pluck plates straight from the conveyor belt.

At Pintokona in the basement of Roppongi Hills, all you have to do is sing out your order and wait for your sushi to be prepared and delivered straight to you. Lunch sets are also worth a visit as ten piece sushi sets start as low as ¥1,000, or you could also opt for a donburi bowl topped with assorted sashimi. Quality and freshness are definitely superior, but so too are the prices.

One day, all kaitenzushi restaurants might be like this high-tech Shibuya sushi shop. You won't even find any conveyor belts in Uobei: once you place your orders via a multi-language touch screen, the dishes are delivered by high-speed chute, with nary a hint of there being any humans involved in the process. The flavours aren't quite as dazzling as the futuristic presentation, but when you're paying a rock-bottom ¥110 for each item on the menu, it's hard to complain.

Conveyor belt sushi is no doubt on everyone’s Japan bucket list, especially if the restaurant allows you to order using digital displays attached to your table. Sushiro in Ikebukuro is one such joint. It is a cheap, family-friendly restaurant with a varied menu focused on sushi, but with alternative options for smaller, more picky, eaters including salad, ramen and fried chicken.

Craving some quick sushi in Ikebukuro? This small standing-only joint, located on the Tobu side of the station complex, should be your top choice. With nigiri starting from as low as ¥77 and with even the most expensive options barely cracking the ¥100 mark, Sakura is cheapo heaven. The quality and freshness levels are also far better than at your run-of-the-mill conveyor-belt eatery, so even gourmands won't be giving this place the thumbs down. 

Located just a few steps from Okachimachi Station, this standing-only sushi shop carries over 50 varieties of fish, freshly delivered from all over Japan, with a special focus on tuna. Hand-moulded nigiri go for as low as ¥80, while the restaurant's signature otoro fatty tuna will only set you back ¥400. 

You might have to elbow some tourists out of the way to get a seat at this popular conveyor belt sushi joint, on the main drag between Harajuku and Omotesando Station. Never mind that it's surrounded by deluxe fashion boutiques: the prices at Heiroku Zushi are cheap and the selection is far from orthodox. 'Avocado double shrimp', anyone? Purists may not like it, but if you're looking for a quick bite to eat, mid-shopping spree, it more than fits the bill.