Osakana Sohonke Shinjuku West exit store — Restaurant in Tokyo

Came here in 2024 at the recommendation of my boyfriend. I came to Japan in 2023, and didn't even have any sushi! I was quite ashamed of this, but I'm very intimidated by sushi and fish in general. I grew up in a fishing town, and a lot of our fish did not taste good when I was growing up. A lot of it smelled fishy, which is a sign that the fish should not be eaten. So that experience growing up really turned me off to eating fish at all. I mostly avoid it as an adult, and the only time I do eat it is it very high-end sushi restaurants. I ordered a very large set meal of nigiri sushi, some ginger ale, and some junmai daiginjo nigori sake. The food did not disappoint. Unfortunately, I was unable to eat all of the sushi. It filled me right on up! The miso soup that was served with it was fantastic. The squid was a little chewy for me, but that could be because I've had dental work that I'm still going through so I'm not able to chew as well. So that was challenging to eat. And I was too afraid to eat the yellowtail because I've had bad experiences with that in the past. Other than that, and the eel, I cleared my plate. It was so good! And very fresh! Nothing tasted fishy or smelled weird. My only complaint about the food itself is that a lot of the sushi had wasabi underneath the slice of fish. Though it wasn't overpowering and it did compliment the flavor of the fish, I didn't appreciate being surprised by it. For the service, it was a little frustrating. The sushi chefs were fantastic, they even made some light small talk with me. Very kind people. However, the wait staff didn't seem interested in helping me at all. During the Tokyo portion of my trip, I kind of got the impression that people were really tired of foreigners. I go to great lengths to try not to be the stereotypical American tourist. I'm an intermediate Japanese language speaker, I keep up with proper customs and cultural norms for Japan, and I make sure to be addressing people properly, thanking them, and bowing. It's important to me to show respect. However, a lot of people that I interacted with this time, I could tell that the assumption was that I was the typical American tourist. And I honestly can't blame them after I saw how a lot of American tourists were acting in Kyoto. So disappointing. It took me a while to get service as a result of this I think. I say that because there were other tables around me that were receiving service regularly. And, even though I was asking for help in Japanese, I was being ignored. The sushi chefs saw this happening and we're calling for me to get help. This is one of the few places where reading the Japanese menu was not possible for me. The menu had a lot of kanji. And there was no furikana above it to give me guidance on what I was trying to read. I only recently started learning beyond the first 150 kanji, so this was rather difficult for me to manage. As a result, I had to use the English menu. That's not a negative comment or anything, I just want to give people a heads up that, even if you're used to ordering from the Japanese menu, you may want to ask for the English menu even if you are an intermediate Japanese language speaker. Even the prices are written with kanji, not numbers. The atmosphere is beautiful, peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing. Even though I came at a busy time, it wasn't ridiculously packed. I was the only person at the sushi bar. However there were a lot of tables with multiple people at them. From what I could tell, I was the only non-Japanese person in the business while I was there. Most of the clientele seems to be older men, and businessmen specifically. Generally speaking, it is a quiet restaurant. Definitely not a place to bring children. I will definitely be back on my next visit to Japan. I truly enjoyed this restaurant and I felt comfortable trying a lot of different sushi at it. I'm glad that my boyfriend found it online and recommended it to me. It's definitely More expensive than your run of the mill sushi restaurant that you see everywhere else....

It was our first Tokyo trip and I was overwhelmed by where to pick for our first eating spot. After going through reviews and restaurants around Shinjuku area, I finally found this gem.

Osakana Sohonke Shinjuku is not located at the most obvious street level. Patrons would need to take an elevator on the side entrance/exit of the massive Uniqlo building to the 8th floor (if I remember correctly). As the restaurant name was written in kanji, so it took us quite a while to Google the name. I am glad that I could read kanji so that really helped with our situation. I’ve posted a photo of the menu should you are stumped in figuring out the name of the restaurant.

Made a lunch reservation through Google and we were greeted with warmth when we arrived. I was elated because there was no queue to the restaurant. It was a business lunch spot for locals so we were extremely delighted that it wasn’t crowded with tourists.

They have both English and Japanese menus so no worries there. Food wise, we were extremely pleased with the quality of the menu and the price was very reasonable especially for us coming from Dubai. The wagyu and tuna were melt in the mouth delightfulness. I’ll let my photos entice you. I cannot fault the restaurant and I’d happily visit again when we’re...

Osakana Sohonke, located near the West Exit of Shinjuku Station, is a beloved seafood restaurant known for its fresh and affordable offerings. Specializing in traditional Japanese cuisine, the restaurant features a variety of seafood dishes, including sashimi, grilled fish, and tempura, all prepared with locally sourced ingredients. The interior has a cozy, welcoming ambiance with wooden décor that reflects a classic Japanese style. The menu changes seasonally to showcase the freshest catches. Osakana Sohonke is especially popular for its lunch sets, which provide a satisfying meal at a reasonable price, making it a favorite among both locals...