If one comes here, it is to experience a piece of history. I am grateful to them for having remained true to their tradition, for likely never having felt the need to “modernize.” For preserving an idea of what is good—one that does not necessarily have to coincide with what we have now learned to appreciate. ✨

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With Kawajin (1699) having shut down permanently due to COVID-19 and Sasanoyuki (1691) undergoing renovations until fall 2024, Kenuki Sushi (1702) is currently the oldest operating restaurant in Tokyo. It serves Edomae sushi, where the fish and rice are protected against spoilage using vinegar and are wrapped in bamboo leaves. The sushi rice is more sour than what most people are accustomed to. Additionally, the pieces are larger and contain much more rice. I ordered the five piece set lunch for 1,570 yen ($11 USD at time of writing). The sourness did not bother me, but this style of sushi just had too much rice for my liking. I felt like I ate an entire bowl of rice and only a very small amount of fish. My favorite topping was the ground prawn (おぼろ obolo), which was savory and sweet. The kohada was good, too. I didn’t find the other flavors that great and I’m glad I didn’t order the set of 10. I recommend visiting once to get a taste of history. Once you have a taste of history, you can appreciate why we moved onto other styles of sushi… The restaurant is very small and only had a few tables. However, it’s not very busy as most orders are for takeout, and it is not hard to get a seat.

Known as the oldest sushi restaurant in Tokyo (opened in 1702), you can try sushi in the original Edo style; wrapped in a bamboo leaf.

The menu is as prosaic as the chef’s approach to kitchen equipment: a set lunch for ¥700 until 1pm, with some variations on this permitted afterwards. The set gets you a bowl of good rice, a few pieces of piping-hot tempura (including squid, white fish and mixed veg on our visit); tentsuyu dip of soy sauce and grated daikon; and of a bowl of miso soup with tiny shells of shijimi clams in the detritus at the bottom of the bowl.

The weekday lunch special and a 500ml Kirin. Just do it.