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Wine Bar-Restaurants
This section is produced with the assistance of
Riedel Japan.
This section introduces wine-oriented restaurants and wine bars where the emphasis is on wine by the bottle rather than by the glass. Please see the wine bar page for places with a number of wines by the glass.
An impressive selection of wines from around the world, varying from the reasonably priced to the very extravagant. They also do up a nice cheese platter. The atmosphere is more formal than average. [feedback]Shinjuku 3-25-9, More Bldg. 5F. Open 6pm-4am. Closed Mondays. The smart interior here is a very Tokyo-exotic mix of baked-mud walls, heavy wooden furniture, and organic-looking extra-terrestrial lighting fixtures like something from the set of "Alien". But you're really here for the wine - over 100 different varieties, from all regions of Australia and New Zealand. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Shibuya 2-9-11, Aoyama City Bldg. B1F. Open 6pm-2am. Closed Sundays. | |
UN Cafe (Omotesando - French). 5469-0275 A casual cafe where you can drop in anytime for a drink, a sandwich, or a full-course meal. The menu is California-style French, with both European and Asian touches. There's also a well-thought-out selection of wines at good prices. [feedback]Jingumae 5-53-67. Open 11:30am-10pm (LO; 7pm Sundays) daily. One of Tokyo's older French wine bar-restaurants (now relocated to newer quarters), with a decent selection of French dishes to go with your chosen bottle. [feedback]Minami-Aoyama 5-1-25, Kitamura Bldg B1F. (on Aoyama-dori a few doors down from Andersen) Open 11:30am-2, 6-9:30pm. Closed Sundays. | |
Arossa (Shibuya - Italian). 3469-0125 One of Tokyo's first Australian-only wine bars, with one of the largest selections of rare and expensive wines from that country. The food is mainly Italian, and consistently good. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Shoto 1-26-22. Open 6pm-2am daily. | |
The owner of Grape Choice has an encyclopedic knowledge of wine, and his list covers France, Italy, Australia, California, Washington and even Japan, starting around Y5000-6000 and climbing rapidly. Food includes grilled meats and fish, and unusual items like pig's-foot croquettes, squid fritters and cheese fondue with organic vegetables. Budget around Y7000 for dinner with a few glasses of wine. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Hiroo 5-22-3, Hiroo Nishigawa Bldg B1F. Open 6pm-2am (LO). Closed Sundays. | |
Tucked into a quiet Ebisu back street, Aotea Rangi is one of the few places in town where you can experience the charms of genuine New Zealand cuisine. At first glance the small restaurant looks like an Italian trattoria with terrace seating, but once you're inside the atmosphere seem more like a casual cafe-bar. The lighting is soft and the mood is relaxed. Service is attentive, and the staff is more than ready to help you with the extensive New Zealand wine list. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Ebisu 1-21-18. Open 6-10:30pm (LO). Closed Tuesdays. | |
Le Lion (Ebisu - Wine bar). 3445-8131 With its red leather upholstered seats and wood and brass fixtures, Le Lion offers a little slice of Lyon on the backstreets of Ebisu. Welcoming staff, covered terrace seating, and excellently prepared brasserie - or, rather, bouchon - fare make this cafe/wine bar a lovely place for a casual meal or late-afternoon tipple. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Ebisu 1-21-16. Open noon-11:15pm (LO; -5:15pm Sun ). Open every day. | |
 Amandine (Ebisu - International). 5728-4552 This comfortable, luxuriously spacious restaurant is designed around a "Napa Valley" theme and offers a big list of Napa wines. The food is first-rate international cuisine, and while many other wine-oriented restaurants in town focus heavily on the higher-priced bottles, C'zon offers a big selection of wines in the Y3000-6000 range as well as more expensive choices. No smoking in the main dining room. (Formerly named C'zon.) [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Ebisu-Nishi 2-10-10, Elegante Vita Nacora 2F. Open 11:30am-midnight daily. | |
Old Vine (Nishi-Azabu - Teppanyaki). 5771-2439 Brand-name Japanese domestic beef meets Australian and New Zealand wine at this upscale teppanyaki restaurant. The sommelier, Kinoshita-san, has brought along his 2000-bottle wine cellar from his former wine bar (L Vino in Roppongi). Full-course dinners are priced at Y6800-12,000, and lunch is around Y3000. There's also a separate wine bar space called Old Vine Cellar Door, with wines by the glass and accompanying snacks; budget around Y3500 at the bar. [feedback]Nishi-Azabu 1-10-6. Open 11:30am-2:30, 6pm-4am daily. | |
Cicada (Nishi-Azabu - Mediterranean). 5447-5522 Mediterranean-inspired foods and drink from Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco, from TY Harbor chef David Chiddo. Enjoy one of Tokyo's friendliest wine lists; the bar is open late. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback] | |
Hearty, authentic French country-style cooking. There's a small wine bar at the entrance where you can stop for a glass or two along with snacks like raw oysters and venison carpaccio. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Hiroo 5-17-11. Open noon-2, 6pm-2am. Closed Sundays. | |
Modern French cooking and an impressive wine cellar (not just French). Three-course dinners from Y3,900; wine by the glass Y600-1,200, bottles from Y5,000. [feedback]Takanawa 2-5-6. Open 6-11:30pm (LO). Closed Mondays, some Sun. Service is friendly, and staff are ready to help you choose from among the twenty wines by the glass, mostly from Roussillon, Langedouc and other southwestern French regions. The bar menu offers wine-compatible nibbles like a tasty rillette sandwich, or you can explore the more serious restaurant menu. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Azabu-Juban 2-14-2. Open 11:30am-3, 6-11pm (LO) daily. | |
Very casual bistro-style fare and a good variety of wines from southern France - they import their own wines and many are available by the glass. The chef in charge is Philippe Batton, formerly of Le Petit Bedon in Daikanyama, and the atmosphere is authentically French. Breakfast is served from 8am on weekdays, and Saturday brunch is from 11am. [Go to branch review] [feedback]Toranomon 2-1-1. Open 11:30am-2:30, 6-11pm (LO). Closed Sundays. Grilled seafood and steaks from Oregon. Charcoal-grilled dry-aged steaks start at Y3800; there's also a nice selection of Oregon wines. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Higashi-Shimbashi 1-5-2, Shiodome City Center 42F. Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily. | |
Arossa (Ginza - New Zealand). 5524-1146 This New Zealand wine bar and restaurant is a branch of the popular Australian wine bar in Shibuya. The cellar offers more than 200 different New Zealand wines, and the kitchen focuses on grilled grass-fed lamb and beef as well as traditional Maori "hangi" dishes. Lunch from Y1000, prix-fixe dinner Y5000, plus a la carte. [Go to branch review] [feedback]Ginza 2-4-6, Ginza Velvia-kan 8F. Open 11am-2:30, 6pm-1am (LO) daily. | |
The small, bistro-style ground-floor dining room serves a Y4,800 prix fixe dinner until 10pm (last order). There's also a second-floor wine bar with an a la carte snack menu available till 2am. Saturday lunch starts at Y1800. [feedback]Ginza 2-5-6. Open 5:30pm-2am (noon-midnight Sat.). Closed Sundays. | |
"French barbecue" is the specialty here - basically kushiyaki with French names. Charcoal-grilled pork and chicken parts on skewers are served alongside excellent pate, foie gras, and pot-au-feu (amusingly described as French oden). The respectable in-house French wine list is supplemented by the book-size menu from sister restaurant Aux Amis des Vins just around the corner. Wine prices range from budget-friendly to stratospheric, and the multi-course set dinners (Y2800/Y4000) are a good deal. Seating is at the counter, with one small table in the back. [feedback]Ginza 4-3-4. Open 6pm-midnight. Closed Sundays. Cardenas (Ginza - International). 5537-5011 After branching out into charcoal-grilled meats, Chinese fusion and seafood, Cardenas has gone back to their California-inspired roots with this high-rise branch, a welcome addition to late-night Ginza dining. [feedback]Ginza 6-9-9, 7F. (across from Matsuzakaya) Open 11:30am-2:30, 6-10pm (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. [feedback]Marunouchi 3-3-1, Shin-Tokyo Bldg. 1F. Open 8am-midnight (from 11am weekends). Open every day. | |
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. [feedback]Marunouchi 3-3-1, Shin-Tokyo Bldg. B1F. Open 11:30am-2, 5-10pm (LO). Closed Sundays. | |
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. [feedback] | |
Sant Pau (Nihonbashi - Spanish). 3517-5700 Serious Catalan cuisine in this fancy Tokyo branch of Chef Carme Ruscalleda's famous Barcelona restaurant. The tasting menu is Y21,000, and main dishes run around Y7000 each. (The lunchtime "quick menu" is Y8000.) There's a more informal wine bar downstairs, with some 350 varieties of mostly Spanish wines and a light tapas menu. (Wine bar open to 1am; on Sundays only the wine bar is open.) [feedback]Nihonbashi 1-6-1, Coredo Nihonbashi Annex 1/2F. Open noon-1:30, 6-9pm (LO) daily. | |
Kagurazaka 3-1. Open 5:30pm-4am. Closed Sundays. Bistro-style food from Petit Bedon chef Philippe Batton (including perfect duck confit and world-class roast potatoes), plus an eye-opening selection of wines from southern France, with many choices available by the glass. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback]Kudan-Kita 1-10-2. Open 8am-10:30pm (LO). Closed Sundays. | |
Cabinet (Awajicho - German). 3294-0880 Run by the Kanda Izumiya liquor store, this small restaurant serves as a showcase for their German wines, some 40 of which are sold here for the same price as in the retail shop (around Y2500-4000/bottle). The food is uncomplicated - cold cuts, liverwurst, sausages and cheese platters. [feedback]Kanda Ogawamachi 2-10, B1F. Open 5:30-11pm. Closed Sundays. Exciting, well-centered modern American cuisine - drawing on European and middle Eastern and Asian influences - from this bayside brewpub. The wine list is fantastic, with good values at every price level. [See FULL REVIEW.] [feedback] | |
Sympa (Ogikubo - Wine bar). 3220-2888 This wine-bar restaurant is run by the chef from the old Dominus wine bar (which used to occupy this space) along with a new sommelier. [feedback]Ogikubo 5-16-23, B1F. Open 6pm-midnight. Closed Wednesdays. Zizi (Yokohama Sta. - Wine bar). 045-311-6770 A small Italian wine bar with food - the full-course meal is Y3000. [feedback]Sengencho 1-4-9. (About 10 minutes from Yokohama station) Open 6pm-2am. Closed Sundays.
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