Authentic Donburi
in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong expression of Ippoh, a family-run tempura institution rooted in Osaka for over 150 years and now in its fifth generation. The owner-chef personally batters and fries every piece to order, using flavourless safflower oil to let the daily air-freighted seafood from Osaka and Toyosu speak for itself.

The first overseas outpost of Yoshiyuki Araki's celebrated two-Michelin-starred tempura counter in Sapporo, bringing Hokkaido's finest seasonal produce to a six-seat counter in Central. Every morsel of batter-fried seafood and vegetable reflects the master's minimalist philosophy: maximum flavour through minimum intervention.

Owner-chef Jiro runs this ten-seat tempura counter on Stanley Street, Central, offering a straightforward omakase of seasonal Japanese ingredients prepared with the precision of a classically trained tempurist. Honest pricing (lunch from HKD 880, dinner HKD 1,880) and a mostly Japanese kitchen team make Tempura Jiro one of Central's most approachable specialist tempura experiences.

The Causeway Bay branch of Japan's most beloved curry chain occupies a sit-down space on the 4th floor of Winsor House, co-located with the cinema above Gloucester Road. Operated directly by Tokyo-listed Ichibanya Co., Ltd. (TSE: 7630), it offers the full customisable curry experience in a comfortable, slightly more relaxed setting than the Langham Place food court.

CoCo Ichibanya at Silvercord brings the signature Japanese curry house experience of Ichibanya Co., Ltd. (TSE: 7630) to the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui's Canton Road retail strip. Fully customisable curry rice — with 10 spice levels, choice of rice portion, and dozens of topping combinations — faithfully mirrors the formula beloved across Japan.

Hikiniku to Come introduced the 'on-the-rice' hamburger steak concept to Japan in 2020, quickly becoming a cult phenomenon in Tokyo. Founder Shohei Yamamoto opened the brand's first Hong Kong branch at IFC Mall in May 2024 and a second at Harbour City in January 2025, bringing his artisan approach to handmade hambagu to the city.

Kaneko Hannosuke, the Nihonbashi Tokyo tempura specialist that has won seven consecutive Tendon Gold Awards in Japan, brings its legendary Edo-style tendon (tempura rice bowl) to Hong Kong. Multiple locations across Wan Chai, Tung Chung, West Kowloon, and Tsuen Wan make this one of the city's most accessible authentic Japanese tempura experiences.

Ootoya is a Tokyo-headquartered Japanese home-cooking chain known for freshly prepared teishoku (set meal) dining, with each dish cooked to order from quality ingredients. Its four Hong Kong branches — in Central, Causeway Bay, Quarry Bay, and Tsim Sha Tsui — bring affordable, authentic Japanese comfort food to both office workers and families.

Pepper Lunch was invented in Japan in 1994 by Pepper Food Service Co., Ltd. as the original DIY hot-plate dining concept — a portion of raw seasoned beef, rice, and pepper placed on a super-heated iron plate for guests to cook and mix themselves. With over 30 company-owned branches in Hong Kong, it is one of the most widely distributed Japanese-owned dining brands in the city.

Founded in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in 1966, Saboten is one of Japan's most established tonkatsu institutions, bringing its famous mille-feuille-style layered pork cutlet to Causeway Bay in 2013 through a partnership with Miramar Group and Japan's Green House Group, which retains brand and recipe control.

Nestled in the food court on Level 4 of Langham Place, this CoCo Ichibanya Kitchen branch makes authentic Japanese curry from Ichibanya Co., Ltd. (TSE: 7630) readily accessible to Mong Kok shoppers and the surrounding Kowloon residential community. The same customisable curry formula — spice level, rice portion, toppings — that made the brand a Japanese institution translates seamlessly here.

Marugame Seimen, operated by Tokyo-listed Toridoll Holdings, is Japan's most popular udon chain, renowned for freshly handcrafted Sanuki-style noodles made on-site in an open kitchen daily. With multiple Hong Kong branches, it delivers an authentic, affordable taste of Kagawa Prefecture's udon culture.

Matsuya, one of Japan's big three gyudon chains (founded 1966, 1,265 locations in Japan), opened its first Hong Kong branch in Jordan in August 2024, bringing signature beef rice bowls, curry sets, and Japanese breakfast menus to Kowloon. The local operation reports directly to the Tokyo parent via Hong Kong MD Jun Hamano.

Sukiya is Japan's number-one gyudon chain, owned by Tokyo-listed Zensho Holdings (TSE: 7550), with roughly 2,000 locations in Japan. Its 19 Hong Kong branches — operating 24 hours a day — offer genuine Japanese beef bowl culture at an unbeatable price, available city-wide.