Lavish contemporary and traditional French fare in a luxurious setting here in the Imperial Hotel's flagship French restaurant. Chef Thierry Voisin, formerly of Michelin two-star Les Crayeres in Rheims, mans the kitchen. Breakfast starts at Y3780, lunch at Y6825, and dinner at Y16,800.
Uchisaiwaicho 1-1-1, Imperial Hotel Mezzanine. Open 7-10am, 11:30am-2:30, 5:30-10pm daily.
Thai-style "sukiyaki" (fish balls and other delicacies boiled in a broth at your table) is the specialty of this Bangkok-based chain, along with a decent assortment of street-stall fare.
Yurakucho 2-1-11. Open 11am-2:30, 5-10pm (LO) daily.
The flashy main dining room of the Peninsula Hotel offers gorgeous views and an entertaining menu of modern international cuisine. Have fun putting together your own meal of three, four, or five courses (from Y8500, or Y4800 at lunchtime), with down-to-earth dishes like their "Roasted Duck Foie Gras, Ginger Bread-Citrus Marmalade Mille Feuille, Foie Gras Ice Cream, Balsamic Yogurt". The wine cellar is made up mostly of half-bottles, starting at around Y3700; wine by the glass from Y1600.
Yurakucho 1-8-1, The Peninsula Tokyo 24F. Open 11:30am-2:30, 6pm-midnight (LO 10pm) daily.
Patrons lounge on pod-shaped seats beneath polished chrome trees, while ambient electronic music mingles with the soft glow of lavender neon from behind the black marble bar. Friendly service and the absence of a cover charge are a plus, making Peter: The Bar a fun place for a drink and a great view of the city. The experience of walking into the bar at Peter, the Peninsula's much talked-about fusion restaurant, defies expectation. Design team Yabu Pushelberg has created a 21st-century fantasy of the '80s, a post-modern atmosphere filled with shiny surfaces and accents that seem lifted from the pages of a Bret Easton Ellis novel. Patrons lounge on pod-shaped seats beneath polished chrome trees, while ambient electronic music mingles with the soft glow of lavender neon from behind the black marble bar.
The drink menu lists beers from Y1100 - Ebisu draft and an organic pilsner from Hokkaido brewed exclusively for the hotel - and about twelve wines by the glass starting at Y1800. A range of malt whiskies (Y2600-) will please traditionalists, but those with a taste for fruity cocktails (Y1800-Y2200) will not be disappointed. The Yuri is a refreshing combination of sake and lychee-flavored Dita with a twist of green suidachi; this season's featured cocktail, the Tokyo Joe, is a mixture of Bombay Sapphire Gin, umeshu, Drambuie, and cranberry juice, named after the 1949 Humphrey Bogart flick. Nibbles can be ordered from the bar menu.
Friendly service and the absence of a cover charge are a plus, making Peter: The Bar a fun place for a drink and a great view of the city. [Show more] [Show less]
Yurakucho 1-8-1, The Peninsula Tokyo 24F. Open 5pm-midnight daily.
Thai-style "sukiyaki" (fish balls and other delicacies boiled in a broth at your table) is one of the specialties of this Bangkok-based chain. They also serve a selection of standard street-stall dishes with fairly authentic flavors. Open all afternoon.
Yurakucho 1-11-1, Bic Camera 6F. Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily.
This upscale chain izakaya is known for their excellent grilled meats and vegetables and their well-chosen sake and shochu lists. The decor is sleek Japanese modern. Budget around Y6000-7000 per person with drinks.
Yurakucho 2-7-1, Yurakucho Itocia Plaza 3F. Open 11am-3, 5-11:30pm daily.
Five famous Japanese curry shops have gotten together to create this tiny 15-seat counter. Try them all - for Y2500 you can get a set of curries from all five shops, or you can order individual curries for around Y1000 each. (The collaborating shops are Ethiopia, Delhi, Topca, Dom Pierre, and Hongo Petit Feu.)
Yurakucho 2-7-1, Yurakucho Itocia Plaza B1F. Open 11am-11pm daily.
The little tasting room in the back of this well-stocked liquor store is a good place to wind up a shopping afternoon or start off an evening in Ginza or Marunouchi. To accompany your wine, there are six different cheeses and other wine-friendly foods like pate, smoked duck and chicken pastrami. The little tasting room in the back of this well-stocked liquor store is a good place to wind up a shopping afternoon or start off an evening in Ginza or Marunouchi.
You can choose from at least ten wines by the glass, with a three-glass set priced at Y1000 and smaller tasting sizes starting at just Y200. Or you can buy a bottle from the front of the shop and drink it here; Yamazaki imports their wines directly from the wineries that produce them, and the selection includes a lot of unusual and hard-to-find wines from both Old and New World.
To accompany your wine, there are six different cheeses and other wine-friendly foods like pate, smoked duck and chicken pastrami. [Show more] [Show less]
Yurakucho 2-7-1, Yurakucho Itocia Plaza B1F. Open 11am-11pm daily.
The menu here features both traditional Edo-style sushi and modern California-style sushi rolls filled with adventurous combinations of ingredients and assertive flavorings, along with California wines and Champagnes to drink. The glitzy main dining room offers an impressive view looking out over a moat of the Imperial Palace. Full-course dinner menus start at Y5500.
Marunouchi 2-1-1, Marunouchi MY Plaza 2F. Open 11:30am-2, 6-10:30pm (LO) daily.
Another venture from the Chanto group, this new-style Korean restaurant is billed as a Korean robata, combining Korean cuisine with a rustic Japanese farmhouse-style open-hearth setup. The menu features an unusual selection of grilled meats and vegetables on skewers, as well as spicy chige stews, Dakkalbi chicken stew and samgetang ginseng-chicken soup. [See FULL REVIEW.]
Marunouchi 2-1-1, Marunouchi MY Plaza B2F. Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily.
Good pizzas and other Italian fare from this San Francisco-based restaurant. Terrace seating in the Brick Square garden area. Budget around Y3500 at dinnertime. Lunch is served until 4:30pm.
Marunouchi 2-6-1, Brick Square 1F. Open 11am-10:30pm daily.
Set up by the famous French artisanal buttermaker, this boutique bakery sells fantastic buttery croissants, madeleines, financiers and cakes. Get there early if you want the croissants, and be prepared to wait on line.
Marunouchi 2-6-1, Brick Square 1F. Open 10am-8pm daily.
This Marunouchi branch of the excellent Marugo wine bar is less cramped than the original shops in Shinjuku, but it can still get smoky sometimes. The outdoor seating is recommended when the weather is nice. The menu includes eighteen French wines by the glass, hundreds more by the bottle, and a small selection of tasty snacks like pork terrine.
Marunouchi 2-6-1, Brick Square 1F. Open 11am-11pm (LO) daily.
A Singapore-style dining bar with a nice view out over Marunouchi Brick Square. Budget around Y4000 for dinner. Open until 2am Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Marunouchi 2-6-1, Brick Square 3F. Open 11am-10pm daily.
A branch of the famous Hakata ramen chain, featuring thin, slightly chewy noodles in a pork-based broth ("red" or "white"), with or without extra chashu. You can add your own freshly grated garlic.
Marunouchi 2-6-1, Brick Square B1F. Open 11am-10:30pm (LO) daily.
Tama serves Okinawan food and wine, which turns out to be a pretty good combination. There are five wines by the glass every day, all priced at Y550, and many more bottles lining the wall, all with prices on display for easy ordering. The rafti (stewed pork) is excellent; they also do grilled meats and various appetizers. Budget around Y4000.
Marunouchi 2-6-1, Brick Square B1F. Open 11am-2:30, 5-11:30pm (LO) daily.
Mitsubishi Ichigokan, completed in 1894, was designed by a British architect and was the very first office building in the Marunouchi area. It reopened as a museum in 2009 as part of the Marunouchi Brick Square complex, and this cafe occupies an impressive double-height space on the ground floor.
Marunouchi 2-6-2. Open 11am-10pm (LO; Sat, Sun -6pm) daily.
The cheerful green exterior of this recently opened cafe/trattoria adds a bit of color to a street lined with generically tasteful shops selling luxury goods. Large windows offering a peek at the warmly lit space inside entice passersby to stop in for an espresso or glass of wine. The cheerful green exterior of this recently opened cafe/trattoria adds a bit of color to a street lined with generically tasteful shops selling luxury goods. Large windows offering a peek at the warmly lit space inside entice passersby to stop in for an espresso or glass of wine.
The interior strives for a modern take on old-world charm and succeeds for the most part, although some may balk at the wall mural depicting clowns preparing spaghetti. Apparently, there are few sufferers of coulrophobia in the Marunoiuchi area - the place gets quite full after 7pm.
The drinks list features five wines by the glass priced around Y1000, and a nice selection of reasonably priced bottles from Y2900. Beer and cocktails start at Y750. The food menu offers a number of interesting nibbles - fried black olives stuffed with pork, a baked dish of tripe and vegetables smothered with melted cheese (Y780 each) - as well as straightforward items like mixed olives and cured meats.
Fritters of all sorts (eggplant, octopus, and tomatoes) and a range of carpaccios (venison, chicken, and sea bream) can also be found on the extensive, six-page menu. Pastas (Y1380-) and other more substantial dishes are also available. [Show more] [Show less]
Marunouchi 2-2-3, Marunouchi Nakadori Bldg 1F. Open 11:30am-10pm (LO) daily.
Upmarket French wines and excellent country-style French cooking; chef Masashi Hadachi (formerly of Aux Bacchannales in Harajuku) is in charge of the kitchen. The bistrot-style setting is casual, occasionally cramped. Y4500 prix-fixe for three courses in the evening. Their afternoon cafe menu (2-6pm), featuring sandwiches, steak frites and other light fare, is worth knowing about if you're in need of a late lunch in this neighborhood.
Marunouchi 3-3-1, Shin-Tokyo Bldg. 1F. Open 11am-10:30pm (LO). Open every day.
Great sandwiches, American-style burgers and substantial salads (from the same management as Homework's in Hiroo). They deliver over a wide area from Nihonbashi down to Shimbashi/Uchisaiwaicho.
This lively after-work pub is a great place to try makkoli, the very drinkable Korean version of milky-white nigori ("cloudy") sake. Eleven different types are served, in unexpected flavors like pear and grape, okoge (toasted rice) and pumpkin, priced from Y380 for an aluminum cupful. For the more adventurous, the menu also offers pomegranate wine and garlic liqueur plus the usual beer and Korean soju. This lively after-work pub is a great place to try makkoli, the very drinkable Korean version of milky-white nigori ("cloudy") sake. Eleven different types are served, in unexpected flavors like pear and grape, okoge (toasted rice) and pumpkin, priced from Y380 for an aluminum cupful. For the more adventurous, the menu also offers pomegranate wine and garlic liqueur plus the usual beer and Korean soju.
Light snacks include seaweed salads and toasted nori sheets and lots of kimchee variations. "Pusan oden" is the Korean version of satsuma-age (fried tofu sheets), grilled on skewers and slathered in a spicy sauce. There's a lot of meat too - several different cuts of yakiniku, expertly grilled over charcoal in the kitchen rather than DIY-style. The casual bar area up front is perfect if you just want to have a quick drink and move on to the next stop. [Show more] [Show less]
French-style Japanese kushiyaki (or is it the other way around?) - charcoal-grilled pork and other meats, with some French dishes like pot-au-feu. The French wine list is very large.
A joint venture between Mushu sake pub and several sake companies, Takara serves both Japanese food and Spanish tapas, plus sake, awamori, shochu, excellent Japanese microbrew beer (Baird's), and Spanish wines. [See FULL REVIEW.]
Marunouchi 3-5-1, Tokyo International Forum B1F. Open 11:30am-11pm daily.
Tsuruhan promises "Kyoto vegetable dining" plus a good assortment of local Kyoto sake brands. The cozy dining room features a big central counter plus a few small tables around the edges of the room. Budget around Y3500 with drinks.
Marunouchi 3-5-1, Tokyo International Forum B1F. Open 11am-11pm daily.
All their set menus are Y600, and the atmosphere is just like dropping into some night stall in Bangkok - loud pop music, fantastic cooking aromas, and minimal decor.
Marunouchi 3-7-11. (under the Yamanote-sen tracks next to Tokyo International Forum) Open 11am-11pm daily.
This first Tokyo branch of one of Kyoto's best Italian restaurants occupies a small, minimal but elegant dining room facing the street. Dinner is either Y7500 or Y10,000 - chef's omakase menu only - with reasonably priced bottles and half-bottles of Italian wines. Lunch from Y2000.
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia 1F. Open 11am-2, 6-9pm (LO) daily.
A combination bakery and brasserie; it also features a small standup bar serving ten wines by the glass - a good place to meet up before dining nearby.
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia 1F. Open 10am-midnight daily.
This lavishly decorated late-night restaurant offers a variety of small-plate Mexican dishes for Y300 and Y500, with items like pork ajillo, shrimp and avocado ceviche, and softshell crab fritters. They also serve Tex-Mex standards like enchiladas, burritos and fajitas. Budget around Y3500 at dinnertime.
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia 2F. Open 11am-3:15am (LO; Sun -10:15pm) daily.
Muy's huge, dramatically lit bar is very impressive, stretching half a city block along the front of the Tokyo Building. The menu includes a big selection of tapas (with numerous Spanish hams), grilled meats and fish, lots of rice dishes, and fideua - Catalan paella made with pasta instead of rice. Budget around Y4-5000 for food at dinnertime. Prix-fixe lunches from Y1400 (Y2500 weekends); wines from Y3700. (Thu/Fri nights to 2:30am)
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia 2F. Open 11am-2, 5:30-11pm daily.
Fancy modern French cuisine, with dishes like oyster and fennel soup, foie gras flan, hot organic vegetable salad - plus roast meats like veal, venison, lamb and duck. Main courses average around Y4000; prix-fixe dinners from Y5500; lunch from Y1200.
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia 2F. Open 11am-2, 5:30-11:30pm daily.
This cafeteria-style "natural foods buffet" is a real bargain at Y2400 per person, which includes organic fruit juices and fresh-brewed espresso as well as a big selection of Japanese home-style dishes.
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia 3F. Open 11am-3, 5:30-9:30pm (LO) daily.
AC's atmosphere and decor are very European in feel, and the large food menu includes surprisingly authentic Belgian specialties like "stoemp" - a hearty platter of mashed potatoes and root vegetables. The bar serves more than 30 Belgian beers, including Leffe Blond and three others on tap. Ample terrace seating is available. Bar open until 4am weeknights, midnight weekends. [See FULL REVIEW.]
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia B1F. Open 11am-3am (LO), to 11pm Sat, Sun. Open every day.
This "izakaya + cafeteria" has a very welcoming atmosphere for an office-building basement - blue-and-white tile walls, an open kitchen with hams hanging over the counter, chalkboards announcing daily specials, bistro-style seating. The "Kobe home-style" menu includes items like teppan-grilled scallops with Genovese sauce, Kobe-beef tendon stew, salmon with Parmesan cheese - most in the Y500-800 range.
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia B1F. Open 11am-2:30, 5-10:30pm (LO) daily.
A very casual counter-bar serving food from Kagoshima and further south - satsuma-age (fish cakes), tonkotsu (pork stew), goya kimchee, and of course plenty of shochu.
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia B1F. Open 11am-2:30pm, 5-10:30pm (LO) daily.
Charcoal-grilled free-range chicken is the main focus of Kuruma's menu, supplemented by interesting side dishes like avocado and potato tempura and home-made tofu.
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia B1F. Open 11am-1:30, 5-11:30pm (LO) daily.
This hip little cafe is known for their inexpensive, eclectic menu - sandwiches, rice bowls, unusual pizzas, and mains like roast pork with wasabi sauce. Desserts include French toast. Open all day.
Marunouchi 2-7-3, Tokyo Bldg Tokia B1F. Open 11am-10:30pm (2am Thu/Fri) daily.
A souped-up branch of Aux Amis des Vins, one of Ginza's best French wine bars, with a high-octane view. Dinnertime set menus start at Y6300, lunches from Y1800.
Marunouchi 2-4-1, Marunouchi Bldg. 35F. Open 11am-2:30, 5:30-11pm (LO) daily.
This flagship of a Bangkok-based chain is one of the more upscale Thai restaurants in town, with an impressive lunchtime buffet (Y2500) and a serious evening menu (budget around Y8000). The view is also spectacular.
Marunouchi 2-4-1, Marunouchi Bldg. 35F. Open 11am-3, 5-10pm (LO) daily.
A branch of the highly popular Nishi-Azabu yoshoku restaurant. The specialty of the house is a dressed-up omelette rice, but the seafood gratin and hamburger steak are also good.
Marunouchi 2-4-1, Marunouchi Bldg. 5F. Open 11am-10:30pm daily.
Reliable rotisserie chicken, sandwiches and deli items. There's also a popular weekend brunch featuring rotisserie chicken and various breakfast-y dishes.
Marunouchi 2-4-1, Marunouchi Bldg. 5F. Open 11am-3, 5-10pm (LO) daily.
Part of the popular Franziskaner chain, Franz club offers a decent selection of German beers and nice roast meats, sausages, ham and similar fare, served well into the wee hours of the morning. Budget around Y4000 at dinnertime. There's also a deluxe weekend brunch priced at Y2980.
Marunouchi 1-5-1, Shin-Marunouchi Bldg 5F. Open 11:30am-4, 5pm-4am daily.
This very attractive restaurant from Australian celebrity chef Luke Mangan is on the expensive side - some might even call it overpriced - but they do have an excellent wine list with approximately 1000 choices, all from Australia. Prix-fixe menus are Y8,000-16,000, or Y13,000-22,000 paired with the sommelier's wine selection. Lunch is Y3,500-8,000.
Marunouchi 1-5-1, Shin-Marunouchi Bldg 6F. Open 11am-2:30, 5:30-10pm (LO) daily.
The wine bar of Salt (the Australian restaurant next door), WW offers around 1000 different wines from around the world, including a few dozen by the glass, plus a simple food menu (sashimi, blood sausage, trout confit). Budget around Y5000 at dinnertime.
Marunouchi 1-5-1, Shin-Marunouchi Bldg 6F. Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily.
You might not expect to find a bustling late-night drinking scene on the seventh floor of an office building, but Soba Kichi is just one small part of the very lively "Home" restaurant complex in the Shin-Maru Biru across from Tokyo Station. Budget prices are a big part of the appeal - you can enjoy a couple of drinks and snacks here for under Y2000. You might not expect to find a late-night drinking scene on the seventh floor of an office building, but we discovered a lively one in the "Home" restaurant complex in Marunouchi's Shin-Maru Biru. Soba Kichi occupies a small corner of Home, and they keep going until 4am every night but Sunday, packing in the crowds at least until the last train. Budget prices are a big part of the appeal - you can enjoy a couple of drinks and snacks here for under Y2000.
The setting is stylish, with the warm lighting and blond wood tones of the sleek central counter contrasting with the coolly lit terrace garden and the Marunouchi night sky just beyond the windows. The sake list (Y500-700 per glass) is very drinkable and tailored to match the food. You can also choose from beer, many different shochus, or several budget-level wines by the glass.
Fried foods dominate the menu, with deep-fried skewers of fish, vegetables and meats starting at just Y150 per skewer. If you want something heartier, there's a big pot of beef tendon stew bubbling away on the counter, served with garlic toast or by itself. Other snacks include grilled pork belly and kibinago (silver-stripe herring), and pork and chicken cutlets. As you might guess from the name, they offer several hot and cold soba dishes (Y650-1300). The specialty of the house is tempura-fried chicken served over a bowl of soba in a curry-flavored broth. [Show more] [Show less]
Marunouchi 1-5-1, Shin-Marunouchi Bldg 7F. Open 11am-3:15am (LO) daily.
A fantastic selection of French terrines, quiches, tarts and cakes is yours to take home from Le Jardin Galois, the retail arm of the excellent Brin de Muguet restaurant in Ogikubo.
Marunouchi 1-5-1, Shin-Marunouchi Bldg B1F. Open 8:30am-10:30pm daily.
This upscale chain izakaya is known for their excellent grilled meats and vegetables and their well-chosen sake and shochu lists. The decor is sleek Japanese modern. Budget around Y6000-7000 per person with drinks.
Marunouchi 1-2-1, Tokyo Kaijo Nichido Shinkan 1F. Open 11am-2, 5-10pm (LO). Closed Sundays.
Mostly an all-day cafe/restaurant, although they also have a small deli counter and grocery section with coffees and teas, spices, baked goods, cold cuts, four kinds of smoked salmon, and real dill pickles. Groceries cover the luxury end of the spectrum, with Y1800 jars of pasta sauce and exotic pates.
Marunouchi 1-4-5, Mitsubishi Trust Building 1F. Open 7am-11pm daily.
The tasteful Kyoto-modern decor here is definitely the most impressive in the entire Marunouchi Oazo complex. Good-quality Japanese fare, including a good assortment of regional dishes, with a nice casual atmosphere. Lunches start at Y1260, dinner averages around Y6000. [See FULL REVIEW.]
Marunouchi 1-6-4, Marunouchi Oazo 5F. Open 11am-2:30, 5-10:30pm (LO) daily.
Premium regional sake (from the Morita brewery south of Nagoya) is the main draw here, along with a food menu featuring grilled chicken, fresh seafood and similar fare. Lunch averages around Y2000, dinner Y8000.
Marunouchi 1-6-4, Marunouchi Oazo 6F. Open 11am-2:30, 5-10:30pm (LO) daily.
The simple, inexpensive bar menu includes salmon jerky, grilled mussels and lots of fried dishes. There are more than 50 world beers including Heineken on tap, Sam Adams and Budvar.
Otemachi 1-6-1, Otemachi Bldg 1F. Open 11am-11:30pm. Closed weekends.
Uchisaiwaicho 1-1-1, Imperial Hotel B1F. Open 11am-9:30pm daily. 
Shunju Tsugihagi (Japanese). 3595-0511
