Nodoguro Nakamata — Restaurant in Tokyo

I had nodoguro (black throat perch) about 6 years ago and never got a chance to try it again. On this trip, I wanted to make sure I got to experience again. I found out that Nodoguro Nakamata serves nodoguro and decided to make time to visit.

I tried to make a reservation online but their system required filling out a form and waiting for a response. I never got a response which meant that I had to walk-in. If you have a hotel concierge, you can probably try that as I saw others (locals) that had reservations. I would have deducted a star except that the food was so good that it made up for this inconvenience.

On my last day in Tokyo, my wife and I made sure to get there at 5 pm when they opened. It took them about 5 min to organize themselves and we were then led to the 2nd floor and seated at the counter. The interior was tastefully decorated with the main kitchen right at the entrance along with a display of the nodoguro and the charcoal "grill". I believe we got the counter because all tables were reserved. There were mostly tables for 4 and a few private rooms.

It turns out that Nakamata is a distillery that focus on their Japanese Shochu. It seemed like an odd pairing but it works really well. While I'm not a shochu expert, I definitely recommend having it at this restaurant. We ordered a nodoguro, a sashimi plate for 2, and a side of lotus roots. They provided an appetizer before the sashimi and the lotus roots came out. The sashimi was fresh and delicious while the fried lotus roots were one of the best we had while in Japan.

The star of the restaurant, nodoguro, came out about 20 minutes after we ordered. It looked AMAZING! The skin was golden and crispy. The size of the nodoguro was also very large and fleshy. They had also prepared the fish so that it is easier to eat. While it is a boney fish, the sweet flesh makes up for having to work around the bones.

The service was also very good and they do have an English menu. While the servers did not speak English fluently, they were attentive and made sure that we got everything we asked for.

I would definitely recommend Nodoguro Nakamata for anyone looking for an incredibly delicious grilled fish and...

I stumbled upon this place on google when trying to look for an izakaya near by. One of the worst restaurants I’ve been to, and that’s saying a lot since I usually enjoy most places I eat at in Japan. The food was mediocre at best, and they charge a 550 yen seating fee by serving a small side dish (otoshi). Definitely not worth it. Tip: You are allowed to refuse the dish...

Been here twice. They are always so nice and friendly to us foreigner. We loved the charcoal grilled fish so much we made sure to order two of them the second time we visit. Sashimi were super fresh (we are at Tsukiji area!) and daily veggies were super nice too. A hidden gem, hidden in an alleyway but so close to Ginza and Tsukiji. Kids friendly, private...