American style Chinese food in Tokyo?

I've recently been having a huge craving for dishes like General Tsos chicken. I know it's in no way authentic but I cant help but crave it. Are there any places that serve it or something in similar style in Tokyo?

Are you willing to travel to Yokohama? I think there are restaurants that servev that style food in the Chinatown area.

Yeah its not so far for me. Do you have any suggestions on specific places?

Yokohama Chinatown is awesome! I would just go and check out everything. There are pictures and such showing the dishes that each restaurant serves. You're bound to find something, but I suggest taking a friend along. Like for most places there the portions are a bit big.

Chinese in Japan will tell you: You can find food from all over the world in Tokyo... Except Chinese food!

Japanese Chinese food is well-known for being Japanese food. General Tso's Chicken is much closer to authentic Chinese than Japanese Chinese food.

Yokohama Chinatown is awesome! I would just go and check out everything. There are pictures and such showing the dishes that each restaurant serves.

Yokohama Chinatown is far from awesome - it's filled with mediocre, overpriced tourist traps. If someone had a particular place to recommend it might be worth checking out, but advice to ''check out everything'' is completely worthless.

There are many decent Cantonese and other Chinese restaurants in Tokyo; I don't know of any that serve General Tso's Chicken though. Maybe a restaurant in a US-based hotel chain?

Oh really? I didn't realize it was that different.

Checking US based hotels in Japan might be a good idea. Thanks for the idea.

I think Yokohama Chinatown is a good place to start just because of the density of restaurants. Outside of the chinatowns there won't be very much selection. My recommendation is to head down the side alleys and follow your nose. I've found some good restaurants that way that were not very expensive or touristy at all.

That said, good luck finding "Americanized Chinese Food" in Japan. It likely doesn't exist except maybe near/on the US military bases (but even those chances are slim).

Chinese food has been adapted all over the world to the local tastes there. Trying to find an americanised version in japan would be like finding the japanese version in the US.

@Chinatown....Japanese definitely have the worst version of chinese food I ever tasted in any country.

The Qing Dynasty general's chicken was invented in US. So, there is very little chance to find the same in Japan. Japanese do not like American sweet foods. So it can not sell in Japan.

Yet, I think you will find something alike in Yokohama. You do not have to try all of them. Tso's chicken does not belong to any style. It is not Cantonese nor Shanghai, maybe closer to Sizhuan. But Sizhuan is too hot. So drop in a Suchuan and ask the chef to make your dish less hot and add extra suger.

Here is a menu of one Yokohama China town restaurant.Check what they look like.

http://fukumanen.jp/japanese/menu/head_restaurant/a_la_carte/general_c...

Chinese in Japan will tell you: You can find food from all over the world in Tokyo... Except Chinese food!


Is this a joke? There are so many newly arrived Chinese in Tokyo that there are loads of restaurants. The North exit of Ikebukuro has very authentic Chinese. the Xi'an chain is also very good, the Hong Kong Tei chain isn't too bad some dishes are more Chinese than others. Also in Takadanobaba
http://r.gnavi.co.jp/gaj9000/lang/en/map
This place is great. Have been there with Chinese friends who rate it extremely highly.

I assume that it's not AMerican style though.

I used to enjoy Chinese food in the U.S. when I used to live there a long time ago and yet I'd never heard of General Tso's chicken. But Wikipedia tells me a lot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Tso's_chicken

Anyway, as I am not qualified to enter a U.S. Military base restaurant, the closest I got to an American style Chinese cuisine that I miss was in Tokyo Disneyland (which is not really in Tokyo but in Chiba). So try that.

That said, yes, you can find authentic Chinese food in lots of places in and around Tokyo and Chinatown does have a bunch of them. But then, authentic Chinese food is very different depending on what part of China it comes from.

And if (the unreliable) Wikipedia is correct enough to suggest that it may taste like Taiwanese cuisine, then you should be looking for an authentic Taiwanese restaurant (rather than Cantonese, Szechuan, Shanghai or what not).

Here is a list of Taiwanese restaurants in Tokyo along with stars grading them.
http://tabelog.com/RC030107/tokyo/0/0/0/COND-0-0-2-0-0-0-0-0/D/

I think Uco's suggestion of going for Taiwanese is better if you want to attempt to find something remotely authentic in Japan, although it wouldn't help with your search for General Tsos.

The closest to 'authentic' Chinese food that Japan seems to get is Sabuta (pork with veggies and sauce). Japan has 'adapted' Chinese cuisine to the point that there's nothing Chinese about it. That doesn't mean it tastes bad though. But if you're craving real Chinese, you just won't find it as far as I know (and as far as the Chinese in Japan know).

Although I'm sceptical that the above-referenced 'they're everywhere' comments have actually found authentic Chinese, I would also like to go if it is true. If you have any restaurant names/addresses, please share!

Rabbityama,

The one I mentioned in Takadanobaba above is great.

Xi'an in Nishi Shinjuku is also very good (a bit more expensive but similar food).
Xi'an has other sites - Akiba, Kanda, Iidabashi, Ginza, Yurakucho, Ogawamachi, Yokohama. I've been to most of them and Nishi Shinjuku is the best. In Akiba I'm always disappointed - I think the kitchen is too small.
http://www.bento.com/rev/2828.html

Heiwa dori in Ikebukuro (north exit) has a number of places.

PS I've not had much joy with food in Chinatown Yokohama.

The closest to 'authentic' Chinese food that Japan seems to get is Sabuta (pork with veggies and sauce).

That's just sweet-and-sour pork, and it's 'subuta' (the 'su' means vinegar). No offense, but if that's the best you've found, then you're not doing it right.

My Chinese friends are quite happy with the food at Chinese Cafe Eight (branches in Shinjuku, Ebisu, Akasaka, Roppongi). At the other end of the scale, Sense in Nihonbashi does amazing Michelin-starred contemporary Cantonese cuisine. Le Parc (Ebisu) and Chinaroom (Roppongi) do great weekend dimsum. Ryumon in Gotanda does fantastic down-home Szechuan, and Raika Seirankyo in Gaienmae does upscale Shanghai-style dishes.

Yokohama Chinatown may have made sense fifteen or twenty years ago, but these days there's great Chinese food in Tokyo at all price levels, and no need to travel to another city.

Let's just not forget that the OP is not "craving real Chinese" but craving real American style Chinese food.

Thanks for the suggestions! I live in Kansai, so there are less options, but I do go to Tokyo occasionally, so I'll try one when I go there.

I know it's subuta. That was just a typo. For some reason Japanese Chinese food seems to always lack the delicious sauces that you can find in China. That's why I consider subuta to be among the "best" in spite of its rather average-ness. Admittedly I mostly gave up looking for Chinese in favor of Indian food which is actually good in Japan, but I may renew my search with some of the suggestions.

Uco, yes, sorry I derailed the topic a bit.