Best Japanese Restaurants in Dallas

Best Japanese Restaurants in Dallas: The Dallas town’s Japanese food culture is having a moment, from dramatic nigiri to fantastic tonkatsu, robata, yakiniku, and yakitori. This is largely due to Toyota and other Japanese-based corporations relocating their head office and corporate operations to North Texas, which has increased demand for authentic Japanese cuisine.

One new arrival to the location, is Ebesu Robata & Sushi, a stylish center city Plano spot offering a variety of both contemporary and traditional Japanese specialties. Tetsuya Nakao, CEO of Tokyo-based group DRC Co., Ltd., has decided to open his first American restaurant outside of Tokyo and Kanagawa. Another recent addition is Hinodeya Ramen Bar by Masao “Mark” Kuribara, a 4th chef and restaurateur whose family has a 134-year background in the restaurant industry in Japan. 

Of sure, that doesn’t mean it was hard to locate great Japanese food in the past. No one has finished more to bring Japanese cuisine to the masses in Dallas than Teiichi Sakurai, who is willing to take responsibility for the city’s major hits Tei-An and Ten Ramen, as well as Tei Tei Robata Bar, which is now owned by Sakurai’s former executive chef.

And that’s only the beginning. Continue reading for our top choices for must-visit Japanese restaurants around the city of Dallas.

 TEI-AN

Teiichi Sakurai’s Arts District jewel is widely recognized as one of Dallas’ finest Japanese restaurants. There’s sushi, sashimi, and tempura on the list, as well as exotic dishes like white seaweed salad and sea urchin shrimp risotto. The real attraction here, however, is Sakurai’s hand-crafted soba noodles, which are served cold or warm and finally came with a variety of rich nutrient broth and sauces. While the omakase (tasting menu) is not cheap, it is the best way to sample everything Tei-An has to give. Don’t overlook dessert; the soba ice cream with black honey is delectable. Did we forget to mention the rooftop terrace?

Preferred for Japanese because If you want to branch out from the usual sushi offerings, Tei-An guarantees a flavorful experience on every tray.

 UCHI DALLAS

James Beard Winner chef Tyson Cole’s Austin-based sushi dreamland has been a popular booking Since it opened near Center City in 2015. And for excellent purposes: the menu includes an exquisite selection of nigiri and sashimi as well as creative takes on traditional Japanese dishes. With audience-like thinly sliced flounder with candied quinoa and oak-grilled escolar dressed in ponzu and citrus marmalade, fresh, high-quality ingredients shine. The drinks menu is just as outstanding as the meals. And the fried milk is a must-order at the end of any meal here. Top tip: The eatery helps to keep around 40% of its tables available for walk-ins, and many of the same menu items are available upstairs at Uchiba.

Preferred for Japanese because Uchi is the place to go for a creative Japanese culinary experience.

 EBESU ROBATA & SUSHI

Cook Koji “Tsukasa” Yoshida’s advanced Japanese specialties are served at this fashionable new entrant in the center of historic downtown Plano. Yoshida’s menu features everything from perfectly sourced sushi and sashimi to binchotan-grilled robata dishes like grilled wagyu beef with ponzu jelly and sliced kurobuta pork jowl served with a paste made from fermented Japanese ume plums. Hitsumabushi, a Nagoya-style seared eel and rice dish, is equally enticing. It is best appreciated in three phases: first alone, then with the associated toppings, and at last with dashi broth poured over the top. Interesting fact: The interior walls of Gonpachi, the Tokyo restaurant highlighted in Quentin Tarantino’s 2004 film Kill Bill, were crafted by the same people.

Ebesu is preferred for Japanese because it serves authentic Japanese features that aren’t frequently found on North Texas menu options.

 TEI TEI ROBATA BAR

Tucked behind a Zen garden on Henderson Avenue, this upmarket Japanese restaurant has a public image bigger than its small space. This is not strange considering that the eatery was founded in 1998 by Teiichi Sakurai, the father of Dallas’ Japanese dining scene. Though Sakurai sold Tei Tei to his executive chef, Katsutoshi Sakamoto, when he opened Tei-An in 2008, the eatery keeps offering a solid menu of customers’ changing specials ranging from various raw fish options to robata grilled dishes such as whole black snapper and Kuroge-Washu beef. Make sure to check out the sake list; there are about twenty excellent options to pick from.

Tei Tei Robata Bar is preferred for Japanese because it is a fantastic spot to go with mates who like to share.

 HINODEYA RAMEN & BAR

Masao Kuribara, a fourth-generation chef and restaurateur whose relatives have a 134-year background in the hospitality industry in Tokyo, recently launched this stylish ramen joint on lower Greenville Avenue. However, what distinguishes Hinodeya from the rest is that, instead of the thicker pork-bone broth found in most ramen, Hinodeya’s signature ramen is made with an umami-rich dashi stock produced from seaweed and dried fish. A number of options are available, including clam ramen and spicy miso-chicken ramen, as well as the bar’s eponymous ramen, which is spiced with scallop-and-pork oil and embellished with cha shu pork and a marinated soft-cooked egg. A veggie option with a creamy shitake-dashi broth and spinach wheat noodles is also available. Appetizers such as takoyaki (octopus balls) and chicken kara-age complete the menu.

Preferred by the Japanese because Hinodeya is an excellent choice for vegetarians.

 SALARYMAN

This shoebox-sized izakaya by Dallas pop-up ramen cook Justin Holt was recently launched in Bishop Arts. The menu includes ramen, but the classical yakitori, which is grilled over Japanese binchotan charcoal, is the dish you want to show up here for. Skewers of almost every portion of the chicken are available, from the wing and breast to the right thigh, knee cartilage, and tail. Arabiki sausage, shishito peppers, okra, and enoki mushrooms with bacon are also on the cooker. Don’t pass up the soy-glazed tsukune (chicken meatballs) with tare sauce and cured egg yolk. There’s also Japanese whiskey, shochu cocktails, and soft-serve Mexican vanilla ice cream dipped in dark or white chocolate.

Salaryman is a great place to go on a date for Japanese people.

 WA KUBOTA

This upmarket Plano restaurant originally aired in 2017 and serves top-notch sushi and sashimi as well as a variety of unique Japanese dishes. Everything from ankimo (monkfish liver) with truffle oil to chicken Tatsuta and miso-marinated grilled halibut is on the menu. The best offers are available during meals when a combo plate (think karaage chicken, rice, edamame, miso soup, and salad) costs $11.50. There’s anything from Japanese whiskey to a broad collection of sake and shochu to drink. During the week, the eatery closes at 2 p.m. after meal service and reopens at 5 p.m. for dinner.

Suggested for Japanese because Wa Kubota has something for everyone, including children.

 NIWA JAPANESE BBQ

Niwa, an amazingly yakiniku place in Deep Ellum, is a must-visit for those looking to branch out beyond sushi and spaghetti. The name of the game is Japanese BBQ. Diners can select from a variety of grilled proteins and vegetables and cook it all on grills built into their fact table. Meat belly, chicken breast, prime rib, rib eye, and Wagyu, as well as fresh fish options like calamari and shrimp, are all obtainable. You truly desire intestines, right? Tongue? Jowls of pork? They also have that. You don’t want to cook? There are also ready-to-eat items such as chicken karaage (crunchy crisp-fried chicken pieces) and udon noodle bowls with hamachi crudo.

Niwa is preferred for Japanese because it offers more than your typical grill-your-own Japanese BBQ expertise.

 ZEN SUSHI

Zen Sushi, Dallas’ finest kept private, is a small 60-seat cutie in Bishop Arts run by veteran sushi chef Michelle Carpenter. The menu takes a non-conventional approach to Japanese cuisine, with modern creations combining elements of Asian and Latin American cuisine. That’s not to suggest you won’t find genuine nigiri and sashimi here, but there’s also anything from brown-sugar braised carnitas bao buns to coconut panko shrimp, as well as fried tofu pockets and sweet potato tempura rolls. Carpenter offers a 10 omakase actually taste dinner for $125 per individual for those searching for a more raised experience.

The Japanese prefer Zen Sushi because It is suitable for individuals who have different tastes and dietary needs.

 TEN RAMEN

This small, hanging ramen cottage in Oak Cliff’s Sylvan Thirty complex is also another huge success by James Beard nominated chef Teiichi Sakurai of Tei-An. The small cuisine, which is presented on a huge blackboard, features four ramen options: shoyu, tonkatsu, mazemen (dry ramen with pork jowl), and spicy lobster miso, all of which are stuffed with various vegetables and can be crowned with chashu and poached eggs. Look out for weekly specials like Korean bulgogi ramen or chicken katsu curry. Don’t overlook the rice bowls either.

Ten Ramen is advised for Japanese because it is a rapid and fairly priced meal option.