The best Japanese restaurants in Frankfurt: a correspondent’s guide

This article is part of a guide to Frankfurt from FT Globetrotter

This year, I returned to Japan after five years as a Frankfurt correspondent for Nikkei. Compared to Tokyo, where the food is said to be the best in the world, German restaurants may not be the ones people miss the most. However, it is no exaggeration to say that the Japanese restaurants in Frankfurt, the cosmopolitan city where I lived, are among the finest in Europe and were an oasis for me during my time in Germany. Here are six of my favourites.

Masa Japanese Cuisine 

Hanauer Landstraße 131, 60314 Frankfurt am Main 

• Good for: Authentic but contemporary Japanese cuisine 

• Not so good for: Location. It’s not very central 

• FYI: One Michelin star. Nine-course menu, €160; seven-course menu, €145

• Website; Directions

A few weeks before I left Frankfurt, I received an email from a young Japanese chef: “My restaurant has received a Michelin star.” Masaru Oae, who had trained in London and Düsseldorf, opened his first restaurant under his own name in May 2021. I knew he would one day acquire a star, but I was surprised it was so soon.

A five-minute walk from the glass building of the European Central Bank on the east side of Frankfurt, the restaurant seats about 20 people and, on entering, you feel as if you have stepped into a cocoon. The omakase-style menu is a must. On my visit, the meal began with an appetiser of shiso tempura and Japanese sea-bream tartare on a bed of dried black olives that looked like soil. We picked these up and ate them with our hands. Masa uses a wide variety of seasonal and imported Japanese ingredients. The beautiful presentation and the varied textures of the food are a delight to the senses.

“Even if it were in Tokyo, the level of this restaurant would be quite high,” said a friend with a discerning palate. I agreed. It may be too late, but I recommend a visit before it becomes impossible to get a reservation.

Muku 

Dreieichstraße 7, 60594 Frankfurt am Main 

• Good for: A business dinner or a gathering for a group of friends or family

• Not so good for: Reservations — the phone is not often picked up

• FYI: Open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, and from Thursday to Sunday for walk-in lunch too

• Website; Directions

Perhaps the best restaurant in terms of cosiness is Muku, located in Sachsenhausen, just south of the Main river across from the city centre. Several years ago, Muku triumphantly opened its second ramen store at the Ramen Museum in Yokohama, Japan. It is now reputed to be one of the best places for ramen in Europe, but the label “ramen restaurant” misrepresents its potential. Muku has a chic, grown-up izakaya atmosphere with a selection of delicacies such as firefly squid and heshiko (mackerel pickled in rice-bran paste). Seasonal sake is also available from time to time.

For the less adventurous, the karaage (Japanese fried chicken), gyoza dumplings, shrimp mayo and other dishes are sure to please. When it comes to Muku’s ramen, I always order tsukemen (dipping noodles). Plunging the firm noodles in the seafood broth and slurping, I sometimes also squeeze a little lemon to sharpen the taste. When I have polished off the noodles, I enjoy the rest of the soup-wari, or broth base, which can be topped up if you like. It is so satisfying.

J’epoca Saka Bar 

Fritschengasse 5, 60594 Frankfurt am Main 

• Good for: Friendly service 

• Not so good for: Hangovers 

• FYI: It has an online sake store

• Website; Directions

As its name suggests, J’epoca Saka Bar, located at the end of the cobblestone streets of Sachsenhausen, specialises in sake. Owner Mayuko Morooka is a native of Ishikawa prefecture, which is famous for its sake, and selects it from there. If you are not familiar with sake, why not start with a set that allows you to try three kinds in small sizes? They also serve a variety of snacks that go well with it, such as cream cheese soaked in soy sauce and deep-fried tofu.

Iwase 

Vilbeler Strasse 31, 60313 Frankfurt am Main

• Good for: A quick lunch

• Not so good for: Debit cards; payment is with cash, or credit card if the bill is over €30

• FYI: Closed on Sunday

• Tel: 0049-69 283992 (no website); Directions

During my stay in Germany, about once every two or three months I would suddenly crave sushi. I would wait until Friday lunchtime, when work had calmed down a bit, and slip into this small restaurant downtown, about a 15-minute walk from the office. Iwase is one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in Frankfurt, having been around since the 1990s, when Japanese food was not as popular in Europe as it is today. The place is usually full, but you can often find a seat at the counter for one person. The lunch menu is reasonably priced. For €20, you can get a decent sushi platter with a small salad, miso soup and fruit plate. As the rice in German sushi is often copious, ordering a smaller portion will give you a more authentic experience.

Mangetsu City 

GROSSE ESCHENHEIMER STRASSE 43, 60313 FRANKFURT AM MAIN 

• Good for: Central location

• Not so good for: Formal business dinners 

• FYI: There is a sibling restaurant near Messe Frankfurt

• Website; Directions 

This is another reasonably priced lunch spot, which by night is an izakaya crowded with Japanese expatriates and locals. During the day, you can get a Japanese-style lunch for around €15. What differentiates this place from other Japanese restaurants in Germany is its homemade udon noodles. Two of my Frankfurt acquaintances from Kagawa prefecture, which is known in Japan as “udon prefecture”, say that Mangetsu’s udon are delicious, so you can rest assured you will not be disappointed.

Tokyo Yatai 

Walther-von-Cronberg-Platz, 60594 Frankfurt am Main

• Good for: Sunny days

• Not so good for: The van is not always at the same spot 

• FYI: In winter it sells other foods such as sweet potatoes

• Website 

It could be time for dessert. There is no question that eis, or Italian gelato, is a summer favourite for Germans. In Frankfurt, however, you can also enjoy kaki gori (shaved-ice dessert) at Tokyo Yatai, a Japanese ice-cream van. There are many flavours to choose from, including matcha and mango, but the taste of softly shaved ice topped with a sweet and sour sauce made from fresh strawberries is perfect for the hot German summer.

Where do you go for Japanese food in Frankfurt? Tell us in the comments

This article is part of a new collaboration between the FT and Nikkei, in which Nikkei journalists and correspondents write about their favourite Japanese restaurants in cities around the world. Up next: a Japanese food tour of Paris

 Follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter

Cities with the FT

FT Globetrotter, our insider guides to some of the world’s greatest cities, offers expert advice on eating and drinking, exercise, art and culture — and much more

Find us in Frankfurt, London, Tokyo, New York, Paris, Rome, Singapore, Hong Kong, Miami and Toronto