Imafuku

A Sukiyaki Specialist That Has Earned Its Ranking Three Years Running

Imafuku operates dinner service only — Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 11 pm — and given its three consecutive appearances on the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in Japan list (Highly Recommended in 2023, ranked #265 in 2024, and #286 in 2025), the seats here are not a casual walk-in proposition. If a sukiyaki dinner for a special occasion is what you are planning, this is the right address in Minato City, and it rewards booking with intent.

What Imafuku Does Better Than Most

Sukiyaki is a format that punishes mediocre beef and weak broth control. The dish's technical demands are narrow but unforgiving: the depth of the warishita, the precise moment the egg is introduced, the fat content and thickness of the beef. Imafuku's consistent OAD recognition signals that the kitchen is executing at a level that distinguishes it from the broader sukiyaki category in Tokyo. For comparison, Imahan and Hiyama are both well-regarded sukiyaki houses in the city, but neither has accumulated equivalent recent critical momentum on the OAD list. If you want the format at its most technically considered, Imafuku is the current reference point among the venues that have been independently assessed.

The Shirokane address in Minato City places Imafuku in one of Tokyo's quieter, more residential premium neighbourhoods , a setting that suits the occasion-driven diner more than the tourist circuit. There are no neon signs or queue theatrics here. It functions as the kind of restaurant you go to when the evening itself matters, not just the food.

Who Should Book

Imafuku is the right choice if you are planning a celebratory dinner, a business meal where quality signals matter, or a date where the format itself , communal pot, attentive service, sequenced courses , does some of the evening's work for you. Sukiyaki as a format is inherently social and participatory, which makes it better suited to parties of two to four than to solo dining. The OAD ranking puts it in a tier where you should expect to pay accordingly, though no specific pricing is confirmed in the venue record.

If your priority is a multi-course kaiseki experience rather than a single-format speciality, RyuGin is the better booking. If you want a sukiyaki experience outside Tokyo, Wadakin in Mie is the reference destination for Matsusaka beef. For broader Tokyo dining planning, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide.

Practical Details

Imafuku is open Monday through Saturday from 5 pm to 11 pm and is closed on Sundays. The restaurant is located at 1 Chome-12-19 Shirokane, Minato City, Tokyo. No specific booking method is confirmed in the venue record, but for a restaurant with three consecutive OAD appearances, contacting the venue directly in advance is advisable. A Google rating of 4.4 across 306 reviews reflects consistent satisfaction from a meaningful sample. Dress expectations are not confirmed, but the neighbourhood and occasion profile suggest smart casual at minimum. For a broader picture of what to do around the restaurant, our Tokyo hotels guide, our Tokyo bars guide, and our Tokyo experiences guide are useful starting points.

Other venues worth knowing across Japan for occasion-driven dining: HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa.

Quick reference: Dinner only, Mon–Sat 5–11 pm, closed Sunday. Minato City, Tokyo. OAD Leading Restaurants in Japan 2024 (#265) and 2025 (#286). Book ahead.

Ratings & Recognition

• Opinionated About Dining , Leading Restaurants in Japan: #286 (2025)
• Opinionated About Dining , Leading Restaurants in Japan: #265 (2024)
• Opinionated About Dining , Highly Recommended (2023)
• Google: 4.4 / 5 (306 reviews)

How It Compares