Question
I’m visiting Japan for the first time and have heard that there are many delicious local foods to try. How do I politely ask a local, “Can you recommend a good restaurant around here?” in Japanese?
Japango Editor Team
この辺（へん）でお勧（すす）めのレストランはありますか。
Kono hen de osusume no resutoran wa arimasu ka?
Can you recommend a good restaurant around here?
This expression is handy when you want to ask for local recommendations for dining. Kono hen de means “around here,” osusume means “recommendation(s),” and resutoran means “restaurant.” Simply start your question with kono hen de when asking for local suggestions about dining, shopping, or sightseeing.
To be more specific, you could replace “resutoran” with other types of eateries or specific cuisine – for example, “soba-ya” for a noodle restaurant or “sushi-ya” for a sushi bar.
