Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
OAD-ranked wine bar, easy to book.
Bunon is a serious wine bar in Nishiazabu with three consecutive years on the OAD Casual Japan list and a 4.7 Google rating across nearly 500 reviews. It opens Monday through Friday from 6 pm, closed weekends. Booking is straightforward relative to its reputation, making it one of the more accessible credentialed bar experiences in Tokyo for wine-focused visitors.
Getting a table at Bunon is easier than you might expect for a bar that has appeared on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Japan list three years running — ranked 53rd in 2023, 78th in 2024, and 89th in 2025. The booking reality here works in your favour: walk-ins are plausible on quieter weeknights, and the effort required is low relative to the calibre of what you get. If you are in Nishiazabu for an evening and want a wine-led bar experience with real credentials, Bunon earns the stop.
Bunon sits in Nishiazabu, one of Tokyo's quieter, more residential pockets in Minato City — the kind of neighbourhood where small, serious bars operate without the foot traffic of Shibuya or the tourist density of Shinjuku. The space reads intimate rather than expansive. Wine bars of this format in Tokyo tend toward counter seating and close quarters, which works well for solo drinkers or pairs who want to engage with the programme directly. Groups of three or more should factor the scale into their expectations: this is not a venue built around large tables. The physical setting rewards the kind of drinker who wants proximity to the bottles and conversation with whoever is pouring.
Hours run Monday through Friday, 6 pm to 12:15 am, with Saturday and Sunday closed. That weekend closure is worth noting at the planning stage , Bunon is strictly a weeknight proposition. Thursday and Friday evenings tend to draw more traffic, so if you want the room at its most relaxed, earlier in the week gives you more space and a better shot at the counter without pressure.
The OAD Casual Japan rankings are a useful reference point here. A venue that held a top-60 position in 2023 and has remained in the top 90 through 2025 has demonstrated consistency across multiple assessment cycles , that is a more reliable signal than a single strong year. For a wine bar rather than a full-service restaurant, sustained presence on that list points to a drinks programme that the serious eating-and-drinking community in Japan keeps returning to. With a Google rating of 4.7 across 498 reviews, the consensus from a broader audience aligns with the specialist recognition.
Because Bunon is a wine bar, what you order is the experience. The programme will shift with seasons and availability , natural and low-intervention wines in this format tend to change regularly, and the most interesting pours at any given visit will depend on what has recently arrived. If you have specific preferences or restrictions, arriving with some flexibility and willingness to follow the recommendation of whoever is behind the bar will serve you better than arriving with a fixed request. Seasonal rotation is the point, not an inconvenience.
For food, wine bars in this Tokyo neighbourhood typically offer small plates designed to support the drinking rather than anchor a full dinner. Do not arrive expecting a complete meal; eat beforehand if you need one, and treat anything on the plate as accompaniment to the glass.
Reservations: Booking is rated easy , contact the venue directly, as no online booking platform is listed. Walk-ins are worth attempting on Monday through Wednesday evenings. Hours: Monday to Friday, 6 pm to 12:15 am. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Address: 4 Chome-2-14 Nishiazabu, Minato City, Tokyo 106-0031. Dress: No formal code is specified; Nishiazabu venues at this level tend toward smart casual without enforcing it. Budget: Price range is not published , expect wine bar pricing consistent with a credentialed Tokyo neighbourhood bar, likely ¥5,000–¥15,000 per person depending on how many glasses you work through. Groups: Better suited to two or three; larger groups should confirm space in advance.
Planning a broader Tokyo trip? Pearl's full Tokyo restaurants guide covers the full range of what the city offers across every format and price point. If you want to compare the bar scene specifically, the Tokyo bars guide is the right starting point. For hotels, see the Tokyo hotels guide, and for experiences beyond eating and drinking, the Tokyo experiences guide.
For serious wine bar comparisons beyond Tokyo, Antica Bottega Del Vino in Verona and Lady of the Grapes in London offer useful reference points for what a credentialed wine-first venue looks like in different markets.
If you are building a Japan itinerary beyond Tokyo, Pearl covers HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa. Tokyo restaurant alternatives worth comparing include Harutaka, L'Effervescence, RyuGin, Sézanne, and Crony , all operating at different price points and formats across the city.
Bunon is dinner only , the venue opens at 6 pm every day it operates, Monday through Friday. There is no lunch service. If you are planning a midday stop, you will need to look elsewhere; save Bunon for an evening later in the week.
No formal dress code is listed, and Nishiazabu wine bars at this calibre generally do not enforce one. Smart casual is the safe call: clean, put-together, and not overdressed. Think of what you would wear to a serious wine bar in any major city , that reads correctly here.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which is relatively unusual for a bar with three consecutive years on the OAD Casual Japan list. A few days' notice should be sufficient on most weeknights; Thursday and Friday may fill faster. Walk-ins are worth attempting Monday through Wednesday. Contact the venue directly , no online booking platform is currently listed.
The venue format suggests limited group capacity. Wine bars of this style in Nishiazabu typically seat parties of two or three most comfortably. If you are planning for four or more, contact the venue before assuming you can be accommodated , no phone or website is listed publicly, so approach via any available reservation channel or in person.
No menu information or dietary policy is published. Because Bunon is a wine bar rather than a full-service restaurant, the food component is likely limited in scope. Communicate any hard restrictions when you book , but for complex dietary needs, a venue with a confirmed full kitchen and published menu may be a more reliable choice.
The programme is wine-led and, in a bar of this format, subject to seasonal rotation. The OAD recognition points to a drinks list taken seriously by people who know the category. Follow the recommendation of whoever is pouring rather than arriving with a fixed list , what is open and interesting on any given night is the real offer here. Small plates are likely available as accompaniment; treat them as support for the glass, not as a primary meal.
Counter or bar seating is standard in Tokyo wine bars of this scale, and it is often the leading seat in the room , closer to the bottles and the person managing the programme. Whether formal table seating is also available is not confirmed in available data, but arriving prepared to sit at the bar is both practically sensible and likely to give you the better experience.
Dinner only — Bunon opens at 6 pm every day it operates and closes at 12:15 am. There is no lunch service. Plan accordingly: Monday through Friday are your only windows, as the bar is closed Saturday and Sunday.
Bunon has appeared on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Japan list three consecutive years, which signals the format: serious about what's in the glass, relaxed about what's on your back. Neat but unpretentious is the right call — no need to dress as you would for a formal omakase counter.
Booking is rated easy — a meaningful distinction for a bar with three consecutive OAD Casual Japan appearances. check the venue's official channels, as no online reservation platform is listed. A few days' notice should be sufficient on most weeknights, though Friday is worth booking earlier.
Wine bar formats in Tokyo's Nishiazabu neighbourhood typically run small — intimate counters and tight seating configurations are standard. Groups larger than four should contact Bunon directly before assuming availability; the venue's hours-only operation (6 pm to 12:15 am, weekdays) suggests a compact setup.
No dietary information is documented for Bunon. Given the wine bar format, food offerings are likely supplementary rather than a full kitchen production — check the venue's official channels ahead of your visit if restrictions are a concern.
No menu data is available, so specific dish or bottle recommendations aren't possible here. The OAD Casual Japan ranking — top 60 in 2023, top 90 through 2025 — points to a wine-led experience worth trusting. Arrive with an open brief and let the selection guide the evening.
Bunon operates as a wine bar, so bar seating is likely central to the experience rather than an afterthought. Walk-ins on quieter weeknights have a reasonable shot at a seat. For a Friday visit, a reservation first is the safer move.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
