Manten Sushi

«Mantensushi» is very accessible from Tokyo station which you probably come around at least once if visiting Tokyo. We have a huge number of Sushi places in Tokyo, ranging from very low quality to super high quality ones. Places like this one would be a good starting place in the sense that they serve pretty good quality Sushi at a very reasonable price. The key is that you should always avoid bad ones, especially if you are not used to eating Sushi.
If you go there for lunch, you can basically sit there and wait. Their lunch course (Chef’s recommended pieces of Sushi) comes up automatically with a free Japanese tea. Make sure to tell the chef or waiter/​waitress what you don’t eat up-​front (they’ll ask you anyway, though). It’s served one or two kinds of Sushi/​dish at a time.
This place is located in the basement floor of a shopping building and is pretty small. The entrance may be hard to find for you but if so, just ask people around. They will put you on a waiting list and you wait till they walk you into the place.
Meanwhile, lunch course is 2,980 yen. Its portion is not terribly big but the quality is high at this pricing.

So, I have to say that our meal at Manten was one of the coolest dinners my wife and I have ever experienced! On my bucket list during my visit to Tokyo, I was really looking forward to having a crazy upscale sushi dinner. Only two problems– 1) the top ones are insanely expensive ($ 500/​up per person) and 2) impossible to get into. I had a few cheaper ($ 10−20/pp) sushi places bookmarked but was looking for that more intense meal. On a whim I sent a message to another Unilocal Elite in Japan who was super responsive and gave me a few recommendations, one of which was Manten sushi and we decided to go there because it was closest. Our hotel booked our reservation for us, but the night started off a bit challenging as we went to the wrong location (note– there are two locations, 1 near Tokyo station and 1 near Nihonbashi– not far away). Both are in nice shopping buildings and business/​housing plazas, but make sure you’re going to the right one. And it was a little challenging finding the restaurant once we got to the plaza but figured it out after asking some nice folks.
We eventually get to the place and man, this place was awesome. The restaurant owner greeted us outside and was really nice about us being late. It was hopping and the perfect size restaurant– small enough (maybe 20 people max) but not quiet or stuffy. Had a nice boisterous atmosphere, we were the only tourists there. We sat right up at bar where the sushi chefs prepared the pieces. I couldn’t believe how meticulous the chefs were in making each individual piece. This was definitely one of the most adventurous meals we’ve ever eaten, but I enjoyed every bite. Sea urchin placed right in my hand to eat directly. Squid that kind of popped in my mouth. A piece of tuna that was maybe the best I’ve ever had. An intoxicated Japanese couple next to us saying that we are really good with chopsticks. And all for about $ 60/​pp USD.

I enjoyed my sushi omakase dinner at Manten Sushi very much.
For ¥6480, we got:
* 10 seafood nigiri
* 3 types of sashimi
* 1 small plate of rice topped with ikura
* crab chawanmushi
* miso soup with clams
* 10 assorted seaweed, vegetable, and other small dishes
A few things set Manten Sushi apart from other sushi restaurants I’ve visited in Tokyo:
1. The vegetables and seaweed that were served between seafood courses balanced out the fish and shellfish very nicely. We were served a couple of types of gelatinous aquatic plants, marinated bitter melon that wasn’t bitter at all, cucumbers with intense miso, lightly marinated tomato, and ridiculously sweet melon.
2. The chef was very cheerful and accommodating, and the atmosphere was relaxing.
3. The value was great for the price. I enjoyed dinner at Manten Sushi more than other omakase dinners that were 2−4x the price. As far as I could tell, the fish was just as fresh and tasty.

For ¥3,240, I got 14 pieces of sushi, 1 miso soup, 1 hand-​roll. Is located in the basement of an office building. I got there when they open and was able to get a reservation for 1 person for 2.5 hours later. So make reservation if you want to try it. Great deal and service on top of the fresh fish.