Bia

Should You Book Bia?

If you're weighing Bia against a direct omakase counter or a kaiseki room in Roppongi, the calculus is different here. Bia is a Thai-Japanese fusion course restaurant — a format that divides opinion — but its Tabelog Silver Award in 2024, 2025, and 2026, a Tabelog score of 4.42, and placement in Tabelog's Innovative/Creative Cuisine Top 100 for 2025 give it a credible case. At JPY 30,000–40,000 per person (with actual spend tracking closer to JPY 40,000–50,000 based on reviews), it is priced alongside Tokyo's serious fine-dining tier. The question is whether the format earns that price. For special occasions or adventurous diners open to a creative cross-cultural course, the answer is yes.

The Space and the Setup

Bia sits on the second floor of Kitayama Building in Roppongi, roughly four minutes from Nogizaka Station and five from Roppongi Station. The room runs to 15 seats, with private rooms available for parties of 2, 4, 6, or 8. The physical setup is worth noting for occasion dining: counter seating, sofa seating, couple seating, and private room configurations give it real flexibility that a pure counter-only restaurant does not. For a date or a small group celebration, the private room option makes Bia genuinely usable rather than just technically bookable. The space is described as stylish and relaxed with spacious seating , not the stripped-back minimalism of a traditional sushi counter, which suits the fusion nature of the menu. If intimacy and a quieter environment matter to you, arriving at the first seating (17:30) rather than the second (20:30) is the right call.

The Format and What to Expect

Bia operates dinner only, Tuesday through Sunday, with two simultaneous-start seatings at 17:30 and 20:30. Sunday and public holidays are closed. The course runs over 2.5 hours minimum, which is deliberate pacing , not a rushed counter experience. The drink program is a notable part of the offer: a sommelier is on-site, and the wine, sake, and shochu lists are described as a particular focus. BYO is permitted, which is uncommon at this price point and useful if you have a bottle worth bringing. One firm caveat: shellfish is prevalent in the menu and the kitchen states it cannot easily substitute for allergies or dislikes. If shellfish is a problem, this is the wrong room regardless of how strong the accolades are.

Chef Hiroyuki Kusaba has been running Bia since its March 2022 opening, giving the kitchen just over three years of operation , relatively young for a restaurant with three consecutive Silver awards. That award trajectory at this pace is a meaningful signal in Tabelog terms, where Silver is the second tier after Bronze and sits below Gold. Ranked #112 among all Japanese restaurants on the Opinionated About Dining list in 2025 (up from #319 in 2024), Bia has moved sharply in the rankings in a short time.

Practical Details

Booking is reservation-only with no walk-in option. The restaurant requests arrival five minutes before your stated reservation time for simultaneous service starts. Cancellations or guest number reductions made the day before or on the day of the booking incur a 100% course fee charge , so confirm your party before committing. Credit cards are accepted (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners); electronic money and QR code payments are not. No parking on-site, but coin parking is available nearby. The room is fully non-smoking and has free Wi-Fi. For groups up to 20, full private buyout is available , contact the restaurant directly by phone for this.

Who Should Book Bia

Book Bia if you want a high-quality special-occasion dinner that does not follow the conventional sushi omakase or kaiseki script. The private room configuration, the BYO option, the sommelier, and the relaxed 2.5-hour pacing all support a celebration or date format better than a 12-seat counter with a rigid sequence. The price is real , budget JPY 40,000–50,000 per person including drinks , but the three-year Silver award run and Tabelog Top 100 placement for innovative cuisine means the kitchen is delivering consistently at that level. Skip it only if shellfish allergy is a factor, or if you want a more traditional Japanese fine-dining format, in which case RyuGin or Harutaka will serve you better.

For more on where to eat, drink, and stay in Tokyo, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide, our full Tokyo hotels guide, and our full Tokyo bars guide. If you're planning a wider Japan trip, Pearl also covers HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa. For a global comparison on fish-forward creative tasting menus, Le Bernardin in New York City and Atomix in New York City offer useful benchmarks in the same price range.

FAQs

• Can I eat at the bar at Bia? Yes. Counter seating is available alongside sofa and couple seating configurations. However, the restaurant operates on a reservation-only basis , there is no walk-in counter option. If you want to sit at the counter specifically, request it when booking by phone.
• Is lunch or dinner better at Bia? Dinner only. Bia does not serve lunch. The two dinner seatings at 17:30 and 20:30 are the only options, Tuesday through Saturday. If evening timing is a constraint, this is the wrong venue.
• How far ahead should I book Bia? Booking difficulty is rated easy relative to the Tokyo fine-dining tier, which means you are unlikely to wait months as you might at Harutaka. That said, with only 15 seats and two seatings, and a cancellation policy that charges 100% for same-day or prior-day cancellations, tables are not left empty long. Book two to three weeks out for a standard date; for weekends or a specific occasion date, four weeks is safer.
• What should a first-timer know about Bia? Three things. First, shellfish is central to the menu and the kitchen cannot reliably substitute , if that is a concern, contact them before booking, not after. Second, both seatings start simultaneously, so late arrival affects the whole table's experience: arrive five minutes early. Third, the spend typically runs above the stated JPY 30,000–40,000 range once drinks are included , budget JPY 45,000–50,000 per person to be realistic. The BYO option can offset wine costs if you bring your own bottle.
• Is Bia good for a special occasion? It is a genuinely good special-occasion choice, provided the format appeals. The private room options (for 2, 4, 6, or 8 people), the 2.5-hour-plus pacing, the sommelier service, and the consistent Tabelog Silver performance across 2024, 2025, and 2026 all support it. For comparison, Sézanne offers more conventional French fine-dining ceremony if that register matters more. Crony is another creative option at a similar price. Bia's advantage over both for a small group occasion is the private room availability and the BYO policy.