Sampling risotto in Tokyo

Business travelers coming to Tokyo may be surprised to learn that the city is a major center for Italian cuisine. In fact, Tokyo has an estimated 1,500 plus Italian restaurants (plus another 1,000 that claim to be Italian or Italian inspired) and the Michelin Guide has awarded one star to no less than seven Italian restaurants and two stars to one. Hence, these awards give credence to the claim that Tokyo’s Italian cuisine has a generally higher level of quality than that of Rome’s. However, this should be no surprise given the Japanese passion for rice and noodles – staples of Italian cuisine.

Hence, the Asian Wall Street Journal’s Life & Style section recently had an excellent article about finding the best Risotto in Tokyo and recommended several restaurants that also happen to be located in major districts frequented by business travelers to the city. For business travelers staying in serviced apartments or using serviced offices in Minato-ku, there is the more casual Vino Hirata (phone: 81-3-3456-4744) where you could easily spend US$200 on some of the best Italian cuisine you have ever sampled and then there is the more upscale Piatto Suzuki (phone: 81-3-5414-2116) with its one Michelin Star. In the famous Ginza district and also convenient to serviced offices in Chuo-ku, there is Enoteca Pinchiorri (phone: 81-3-3289-8081) which (17 years ago) became one of the First Tokyo branches of a well known Michelin three-star restaurant in Florence. In Chiyoda-ku (where there are more limited serviced apartment options but a couple of serviced office choices), Elio Locanda Italiana (phone: 81-3-3239-6771) is run by a Calabrian native while Luxor (phone: 81-3-6212-6901) offers more affordable but nevertheless excellent cuisine. And finally, Passo a Passo (phone: 81-3-5245-8645) located in Koto-ku is a small neighborhood style restaurant run by a Japanese chef trained in Italy who also happens to be passionate about risotto. Average prices at the above listed restaurants range from US$50 to US$100 for a full set lunch for one person (excluding wine).

Thus, should you wish to sample some of the best best Italian cuisine and risotto in particular outside of Italy, then look no further than stopping by one of Tokyo’s top Italian restaurants on your next business trip to Japan.