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During the pandemic, when local dining budgets tightened and fewer foreign visitors booked seats at Tokyo’s chi-chi omakase sushi joints, a slew of high-end sushi restaurants launched tachigui offshoots as a more accessible alternative. Unlike their notoriously hard-to-book parent restaurants, these stand-up sushi counters were quick and easy: instead of lengthy (and often, eye-wateringly pricey) omakase menus, guests could pick their favorite bites from an à la carte menu at a fraction of the cost, and eat them, standing up, as a casual meal.
The concept, harking back to the days when sushi was still a market snack, proved a hit, and you’ll now find high-end tachigui sushi counters all over town. Among the most beloved is Tachigui Sushi Tonari, a stand-up spinoff by the renowned Hatano Yoshiki restaurant around the corner from its perch in the Azabujuban district (tonari translates as “next door”). From iPads around a J-shaped counter, guests can order sushi by the piece, made with the same high-grade ingredients as those at Hatano Yoshiki. Highlights include fish roe-topped tiger prawn, melt-in-the-mouth uni, and dashi-soaked eggplant. —Chris Schalkx
<a href="https://yoyaku.toreta.in/tonari287" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yoyaku.toreta.in</a> 
+81 3 6453 9950 
<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/gvVMNo171LwuoJDHA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2-8-7 Azabujuban, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan</a>

A platter of sushi served at Tachigui Sushi Tonari in Tokyo; market-fresh crabs.