Friends, returning to Tokyo for a week for work. Have a BIIIIIG group but trying to sneak away when I can.
Any places that are new and exciting out there that you’ve enjoyed in the past year?
I’m all set on Sushi rezzies, got one Tempura spot booked as well.
Any Izakayas/lunch spots I should look at?
You’ve already been to Ukiyo and that’s probably the most exciting place I was at earlier this year. 
Izakaya is tough for me if you have a big group. All the ones in that category I went to earlier this year were smaller. If you’re not a Japanese speaker though, I think Kiyoi in Shibuya might be good? I don’t know about their English but they do have an English menu. And of course I think you know about Eureka though last time I went their native-level English speaker wasn’t working (not sure if it was her off day or if she’s left).
For lunch, I’ve been browsing the Tokyo Gourmet blog for affordable but great ideas. He does a lot of lunch menus so that might be up your alley. He also seems to have a pretty good grasp of newer exciting spots. He led me to Noura which I enjoyed a ton. Things I’ve recently bookmarked from his blog are Shizen (newer wood-fired Japanese?), Il Lato (Italian), and Yumanite (French). He also really liked L’Orangerie lunch but I think that’s a duo minimum spot. I also enjoyed the Ji Cube (Chinese) and Haramasa (Fusion Kaiseki) lunches a while back, both great deals though both have been around for a while. Ji Cube I really enjoyed my dinner there earlier this year.
FYI, since you’re there for work, I don’t know how much these are possible for you if you have time constraints on lunch. I mostly suggested lunch tasting menus and some may take longer than others (for instance, Kaiseki or small one-man operations I would expect to take longer). The only a la carte place I’ve been to more recently that I recall was Pizza Marumo. And all the popular pizza places will have lines if you don’t or can’t make a reservation. 
Oh just remembered that Goryu Kubo (famous Kaiseki restaurant) opened an interesting sibling restaurant this year: Kohgaicho Goryukubo https://omakase.in/en/r/gj624016. Has a short menu for 15k JPY and then you add on from there. I would expect the add ons aren’t cheap but these costs don’t look too out of hand? https://tabelog.com/imgview/original?id=r35022308688988. Same supplier for Goryu Kubo and I recall Goryu Kubo had really really good ingredient sourcing. If that link doesn’t work, the Tabelog is here: Kogaichou Gouryu Kubo - Nogizaka/Japanese Cuisine | Tabelog. I wouldn’t worry about the rating as newer and low review-count restaurants typically have completely inaccurate ratings due to the way Tabelog works. One of the reviews has a picture showing the dish items. It’s on my list for a future trip.
These are all great shouts. I definitely have a few slots to fill either solo or with one coworker - so not everything is with the big group. I actually booked out Ukiyo for the 16 of us on my smaller pod/team which will be super exciting.
Lunch for some of the harder rezzies also a great idea. I do love Marumo, it was the one pizza that REALLY stuck out to me last time.
Dang have a good trip! Sounds stellar already from that Ukiyo bookout.
Great meal (lunch) at Ukiyo, excellent service, and nice chat with the chef, will be returning,
Pork dish:
Yes, lunch is a bargain.
Really nice menu, I want to taste all those dishes.
I was just a little hesitant to go only because in Japan, but especially in Tokyo I prefer to sit at a
counter. Also fun to go to Uehara, a neighborhood I did not know and the staff at Ukiyo recommended some interesting local shops.
