Silk Road Tarim Uyghur Restaurant in Shinjuku City, Japan

Founded in 2010 by an ambitious Uyghur entrepreneur named Sirajidin Kerim, Silk Road Tarim Uyghur Restaurant is one of the only places in Tokyo serving traditional dishes from Xinjiang. This region in northwestern China has its own distinct cuisine heavily influenced by its position along the old Silk Road.

Cumin, dried chiles, and other spices feature prominently in many staples, which tend to eschew pork in favor of chicken, beef, or lamb, in keeping with halal. Order the hand-pulled noodles, gosh manta (lamb buns), and the perpetually popular “big tray chicken,” a hearty specialty with bone-in chicken and chunks of potatoes swimming in puddles of flavorful chile oil.