Heichinrou Honten

Heichinrou Honten has anchored Yokohama Chinatown since 1884, making it one of the two or three oldest Chinese restaurants in all of Japan. The building at 149 Yamashitacho presents an elegant, multi-story facade that has been thoughtfully renovated while retaining the original character of a nineteenth-century Chinatown establishment. Inside, the dining rooms combine red lacquer screens, silk lanterns, and private partitioned spaces that have hosted dignitaries, local families, and international visitors for well over a century. The menu centers on Cantonese and Shanghai cooking, with dishes refined through generations of kitchen succession. Shark fin soup, while increasingly rare on contemporary menus, remains a ceremonial dish available here — typically ordered as part of a banquet set. The dim sum programme is particularly respected: delicate rice noodle rolls (cheung fun) filled with prawn or barbecued pork, translucent har gow, and custard egg tarts served warm from the oven. The set lunch represents outstanding value for this caliber of dining — a two- or three-dish teishoku format that brings classic Chinese cooking at accessible prices to lunchtime visitors. The beverage list includes Chinese tea service presented with attention to ceremony, and Shaoxing rice wine is available by the flask or bottle. Dinner reservations are recommended, particularly for weekend evenings, and the restaurant is closed on Wednesdays. The atmosphere is formal without being stiff — dress neatly and expect attentive, experienced tableside service from staff who have often worked the floor for many years.