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If you're hungry in Tokyo (or central Yokohama), you'll find listings here for more than 1000 restaurants, cheese shops, wine bars and bakeries. We've got fresh reviews, food and wine news, and full listings browsable by neighborhood, cuisine or feature.
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Michelin-starred dim sum
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A hidden three-story gallery space
Newest Reviews
Old Vine Cellar Door: Nishi-Azabu
 Lovers of Australian wine mourned the loss of Roppogi's L-Vino in 2008, but owner Jiro Kinoshita has found a stylish new home for his formidable 2000-bottle collection at Old Vine in Nishi-Azabu. Autographed bottles featuring personalized "Kinoshita" labels are displayed at the entrance, pointing the way to the restaurant's Cellar Door wine bar.
Lovers of Australian wine mourned the loss of Roppogi's L-Vino in 2008, but owner Jiro Kinoshita has found a stylish new home for his formidable 2000-bottle collection at Old Vine in Nishi-Azabu. Autographed bottles featuring personalized "Kinoshita" labels are displayed at the entrance, pointing the way to the restaurant's Cellar Door wine bar.
The candlelit interior is furnished with spindly chrome stools that can accommodate a slim six at the bar, and there are two small tables by the front window. In the far corner of the room, an additional seven seats are arranged, somewhat oddly, around a curved counter. The effect is curious - dining bar meets fortune-telling booth.
The focus here is on the New World, with particular emphasis on the bold, fruit-driven wines of the antipodes. Around sixteen wines are available by the glass (Y680- ), and selections change every two to four weeks. The bottles on offer are encased in a sleek steel and glass contraption designed to serve each wine at its optimal temperature.
The machine, called the Enomatic, requires the insertion of a special card and dispenses wine in precise 120, 60 or 15ml pours. Regulars can purchase their own member's card (Y5000 or Y10,000), which allows for self-service when the staff's busy. On rainy days, cardholders traveling by taxi from Roppongi or Nogizaka station have the added benefit of receiving a Y1000 credit.
The bar menu features snacks like mixed olives (Y580) and Italian salami (Y780), as well as more substantial (although considerably pricier) light bites such as excellent fresh oysters from Japan, Tasmania and the US, and acorn-fed jamon iberico de bellotta from Spain. Those hungry for more can order grilled teppanyaki meat dishes - a succulent filet of Yonezawa beef from Yamagata, juicy Matsuzaka pork from Mie - off the dinner menu. Consider opting for a table at the restaurant on Monday nights, though: All wines are half-price with a dinner reservation. [Show more] [Show less]
Nagamine: Ginza
 Vegetable kaiseki is the unusual specialty at Nagamine, a relatively new restaurant in Ginza that's run by a long-established vegetable wholesaler based in nearby Tsukiji. With no meat or seafood to distract one's attention, the vegetables really stand on their own merits, and Nagamine showcases the most beautiful and most flavorful produce of the season. At Y5250, the vegetable menu offers a chance to experience a different take on kaiseki at a very reasonable price.
Vegetable kaiseki is the unusual specialty at Nagamine, a relatively new restaurant in Ginza that's run by a long-established vegetable wholesaler based in nearby Tsukiji. With no meat or seafood to distract one's attention, the vegetables really stand on their own merits, and Nagamine showcases the most beautiful and most flavorful produce of the season. At Y5250, the vegetable menu offers a chance to experience a different take on kaiseki at a very reasonable price.
The menu follows a typical kaiseki structure, with a procession of ingredients that are vinegared, steamed, stewed, grilled and served raw, all simply and tastefully presented. A late-autumn menu started with a small glass of sweet tomato juice, a hollowed-out yuzu filled with vinegared greens, and a sesame-tofu-like dish made with an unusual variety of imo (potato). This was followed by an outstanding (and vividly colored) thick soup made from red turnips, then steamed vegetables with an excellent moromi miso sauce.
Many of the ingredients seemed to be chosen for color and texture as well as flavor, and a seasonally appropriate red-purple color theme ran through the entire meal. The dramatic high point was a tray of five beautifully presented pieces of vegetable sushi, which seems to be Nagamine's signature dish. This was followed by a memorable dessert of cauliflower-cream cheese mousse with rum-soaked raisins.
The sake menu is small but unusual, and it includes a Y1200 three-part tasting set, with the selection changing monthly. The interior is tasteful, with numerous private rooms, including for parties of two. We found the service rather hit-or-miss (some dishes were explained in detail, while others were simply deposited in front of us), although perhaps it was a busy night for the staff.
Nagamine also offers fish- and meat-inclusive kaiseki menus priced at Y8,400 and Y12,600 respectively, plus an Y18,900 extravaganza that requires negotiation and consultation several days in advance. Lunch ranges from Y2,620 to Y12,600. Note that even the vegetable-centered menu is not strictly vegetarian - the chefs prepare each dish to fully bring out the flavor of the constituent ingredients, and that process generally involves a bit of fish-based stock. English menus are available, although ordering is pretty simple - just pick your price level. [Show more] [Show less]
L'Osier: Ginza
 L'Osier's chef Bruno Menard moves through the restaurant with the self-assured ease of a man who has been cooking since the age of fifteen. Known for his creativity and attention to detail, the Michelin-starred French chef produces dishes that are complex, vivid and gorgeously presented.
L'Osier's chef Bruno Menard moves through the restaurant with the self-assured ease of a man who has been cooking since the age of fifteen. Known for his creativity and attention to detail, the Michelin-starred French chef produces dishes that are complex, vivid and gorgeously presented.
Unsurprisingly, every course arrives looking like a piece of art inspired by the restaurant's High Modernist/Art Deco interior. Slices of potato, dotted with an iris of black squid ink and coral-hued sea urchin, surround a mound of smoked herring mousse, punctuated with sprigs of dill and precise morsels of onion and lemon zest. The entire composition floats on a magenta-colored red onion gelee. An architecturally plated dish of mushroom-stuffed chicken roulade is joined by a short stack of potato pancakes, beside a neat package of finely diced shiitake wrapped in wilted bok choy. Visually, it recalls the off-kilter Doric columns of Greek ruins.
While there is much to delight the eye, there is also a great deal to please the palate. Mr. Menard cleverly incorporates Japanese ingredients into his creations. A fluffy custard of sea urchin is topped with savory seaweed mayonnaise and served with a slice of toasted nori baguette. Poached rainbow trout, accented with nori-infused oil, is accompanied by a compact square of fresh aonori seaweed, mixed with cucumber and capers. The texture of the fish is moist and velvety, and the vibrant flavor of the seaweed condiment brightens the dish beautifully.
The mostly French wine list features some interesting selections by the glass -- including the 2002 Cour-Cheverny Domaine des Huards (Y2000), a lively white made from the rare Romorantin grape.
Even at lunchtime, dessert is an elaborate affair with multiple courses. As you teeter on the verge of a food-induced stupor, your main dessert arrives: a layered dish of rhubarb compote and creamy vanilla custard, under a cherry-red langue du chat cookie with a dollop of strawberry sorbet. Thankfully, the staff will offer you a doggie bag for your petit fours.
[Prix-fixe lunch from Y6800, dinner from Y16,000; a la carte mains Y6200-9800. Reserve well in advance.] [Show more] [Show less]
Souten (Minami-guchi): Otsuka
 Tokyo has no shortage of good yakitori shops, but Souten really stands out from the the crowd thanks to the quality of both their chicken and their craft sake. The entrance sports an extra-large sugidama (cedar ball) - always a promise of good sake within - and the list here doesn't disappoint. Nor does the food - they serve only the finest free-range chicken and other birds in season, prepared by a master of the grill.
Tokyo has no shortage of good yakitori shops, but Souten really stands out from the the crowd thanks to the quality of both their chicken and their craft sake. The entrance sports an extra-large sugidama (cedar ball) - always a promise of good sake within - and the list here doesn't disappoint. Nor does the food - they serve only the finest free-range chicken and other birds in season, prepared by a master of the grill.
The seasonal menu changes every month, and a recent early-autumn meal started off in high gear with a very appetizing blue cheese and chicken-liver pate served with raisin bread, and some fairly assertive smoked chicken. Several game birds were in season and these were among the highlights of the evening - delicious confit of tiny quail legs; tender grilled guinea fowl, and skewers of slightly fatty wild duck.
Sampling from the regular, year-round menu, we can recommend the moist and beautifully seasoned tsukune (chicken meatballs) - more crunchy than average thanks to an ample helping of ground cartilage in the recipe. And our chicken wings were grilled perfectly - they passed the crispness test without a hint of dryness.
Almost everything here is served shio-style (salted) rather than with sauce, but one exception is the liver - it's prepared semi-raw, and is extremely tender, with a sweetish sauce that complements the flavor. (There's also raw chicken sashimi on the menu.)
Breaking up the chicken courses were some decent home-made tofu and a surprising and very original chawan-mushi (egg custard). Besides the usual chicken, shiitake mushrooms and gingko nuts in the chawan-mushi, the chef also uses mozzarella cheese and tiny tomatoes to good effect - the flavors work unexpectedly well together.
Souten is just as serious about their sake as they are about their birds - they serve several varieties of their own custom-label Kozaemon sake from Gifu, plus another two dozen well-selected brands from small breweries around the country. Also from Kozaemon is a very drinkable yuzushu, a limoncello-like citrus liqueur, made with a base of junmaishu sake and served on the rocks. There's even special sake-brewery water served from big isshobin bottles.
Budget around Y6000-7000 for dinner with drinks, and bring cash; they don't take credit cards. There's no English menu, but there are a few set menus for easier ordering. It's a good idea to call for reservations as there are only fourteen seats and they sometimes host sake events here. And print out a map to bring along - it's hard to find! [Show more] [Show less]
Food and Wine News
03/01-03/31
Beaujolais for spring at the Riedel Wine Boutique
This month's tasting at the Riedel Wine Boutique features the 2007 Pierre Andre Moulin-a-Vent wine from France's Beaujolais region. Weightier and richer than the youthful style the greater Beaujolais region is known for, the wine reveals black cherry and currant fruit on the palate along with hints of cocoa, fig and minerals. The recommended glass is designed to soften the acidity and bring out the wine's sweetness and complexity.
Tastings are Y525 per glass.
The boutique also offers four-wine tastings and mini-seminars starting at Y4,200. Seminars include a glass (worth Y3,465-3,675) for guests to take home. Please call 03-3404-4456 to make reservations for the mini-seminars.
[Address and more information]
03/17, 6:30pm. Leonetti Cellar Winemaker Dinner
Washington State's boutique winery Leonetti Cellar has built up an almost cult-like international following, with a waiting list of two to five years to purchase some of their wines. Father and son winemakers Gary and Chris Figgins will be in Tokyo for the first time to pour some of their world-class wines at a luxurious wine-centered dinner at Mitsuwa Ginza restaurant. Wines will include 2006 Sangiovese Walla Walla Valley, 2007 Merlot Walla Walla Valley, 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley, and 2006 Reserve Walla Walla Valley. The price is Y28,875, which includes wines, tax and service charge. Call Mitsuwa Ginza at 03-3561-3200 to reserve.
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Dining Diary
Yamafuji: Hiroo
Organic grocer Daichi wo Mamoru Kai supplies this smart Japanese bistro with organic fish and meat, pesticide-free produce, and even organic alcohol.
Lunch (Y900 - ) is a great value here. A fillet of grilled mackerel himono - fish that's been gutted, salted and then dried overnight - is juicy and rich in umami, and comes with an assortment of small side dishes such as soy-simmered potatoes, savory pickled greens tossed with chirimen baby sardines and smoky dashi-steeped spinach. One of the highlights is the free-range short horn beef croquette, a golf-sized ball of tender but lean minced beef mixed with Japanese leeks and fried.
Elements: Kamiyacho
Modern international cuisine in a stylish setting. The Y1700 cold appetizer buffet is a good deal, offering about a dozen cross-cultural starters like Hakkin roast pork, mushroom terrine, and roast beef with black olive tapenade and toasted garlic.
The buffet lunch also includes dessert and coffee, or you can upgrade to the Y2500 lunch which adds a main dish. The dinner menu features wood-fired grilled meats like dry-aged US beef; roast lamb with Asian ratatouille; and a grilled Hakkin pork chop with pineapple chutney and tomato gravy.
Service is attentive, and the ambience is very international, kind of like an upscale hotel in Hong Kong. Running the kitchen is veteran chef Masakatsu Kato, formerly of Spago and Mako restaurants in Roppongi. Budget around Y12,000 per person for dinner and drinks.
Esogie: Shinjuku
Esogie's owner Lucky Isiwe has recreated a little slice of Lagos in Shinjuku San-Chome.
Nigerian funk plays on the bar's powerful sound system, and there's always something good cooking on the stove - deep-fried Akara bean cakes served with creamy cabbage slaw, fiery Jollof rice pilaf with chicken and peppers, chewy sweet and savory slices of fried plantain with a side of red beans.
Sit back and enjoy the chicken stew flavored with mildly bitter egusi seeds with a thickly concentrated (and potent) Nigerian-brewed Guiness. Budget around Y3500 for dinner and drinks.
Spice Magic Calcutta: Nishi-Kasai
On weekends, this casual restaurant fills up with Indian expats who come for the Southern Indian specialties such as coconut-simmered Chettinad chicken curry, donut-shaped fried vada breads and tamarind-scented sambar vegetable stew. The Masala Dosa -- a paper-thin, buttery crepe made from rice flour, stuffed with spiced potatoes and served with fresh coconut chutney and piquant tomato puree -- is highly recommended.
New Openings
Eat: Gaienmae
Gourmet burgers, sandwiches and upscale American diner fare at this tiny burger cafe. It's run by Chef Michi, formerly of Michi's Manhattan Beach near Los Angeles.
The Kobe beef burger is their flagship sandwich, but we love their Cajun lamb burger with roast paprika (Y1300 for a double burger) even more.
There are lots of fantastic salads, hearty soups, and appealing vegetarian options (like the eggplant, zucchini and avocado sandwich). Daily specials abound. Everything is ready to take out, and the menu is in English.
Icepan: Gaienmae
An import from southern California, Icepan serves up artisanal custom-made ice cream in flavors like brown rice (our favorite), sesame, fresh banana and kiwi. Choose your grade of milk - whole, low-fat or non-fat (there's also soy milk) - then watch them make your ice cream from scratch in a couple of minutes over a freezing metal pan that's chilled to -12°C. There are no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, and prices range from Y390 (2 scoops) to Y570 (4 scoops). The counter is located in the Abbraccio cafe, inside the HH Style furniture shop next to Gaienmae station.
Restaurant J: Hiroo
The very talented Chef Ueki serves up contemporary international cuisine with a French base; it's the kind of place where the staff lovingly describe every ingredient on each plate as it arrives at your table. The beautiful organic vegetables are especially impressive. The dining room is elegantly decorated and quite spacious, with plenty of light at lunchtime. Lunch starts at Y1500, with prix-fixe dinners from Y4800. The separate bar area is open till 4am (except Sundays); Y500 table charge.
Chez Olivier: Ichigaya
Excellent-quality modern French cuisine at this elegant bistrot-restaurant. Chef Olivier was a veteran of La Tour d'Argent in Paris and the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Tokyo before opening his namesake restaurant. Prix-fixe dinners are Y5800 and Y8000 (or order a la carte), and the wine list offers some reasonably priced options under Y6000. Budget around Y10,000-12,000 with drinks. Lunches start at Y1575; no lunch on Saturday.
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Reference
Brews News
Beer news from Tokyo by Bryan Harrell
Minoh Double IPA, Beer Rock (Shimo-Kitazawa)
Hitachino Nest XH, Iwate Kura Oyster Stout
Fujizakura Rauch, Cooper's Ales (Shimbashi)
Sankt Gallen Yokohama XPA
Shinshu Osake Mura (Shimbashi), all-malt beers
Brusca (Kagurazaka), IPAs at Popeye
Berg (Shinjuku), Grand Biere report
Yebisu Silk, Gotemba Kogen Weizen
Houblon (Ginza), chocolate beers
Barge Inn (Narita), Gotemba Kogen Pils
Cafe Flower (Yokohama), Kobe part 2
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