Chez Inno

Should You Book Chez Inno?

Yes — and the good news is that getting in is easier than you might expect for a restaurant with this level of recognition. Chez Inno holds a Tabelog score of 4.43, a Tabelog Gold Award for 2025, a Michelin Plate, and an 82-point ranking on La Liste 2026. It has appeared in the Tabelog French TOKYO Top 100 in 2021, 2023, and 2025. Despite that track record, reservations are available and the room seats 68 — large enough that you are not competing for one of eight counter spots. For Tokyo French dining at this tier, the booking friction is low relative to the prestige.

The Case for Chez Inno

The pitch here is simple: serious French technique, a full-service dining room, an engaged sommelier, and a decade-plus of consistent award recognition , at dinner prices of JPY 30,000–39,999 per head (plus a 13% service charge) and lunch prices of JPY 15,000–19,999. That lunch price-to-quality ratio is where Chez Inno starts to look genuinely compelling. You are getting the same kitchen, the same sauce work that the restaurant has built its reputation on, and the same stained-glass room for roughly half the dinner spend. If you have already done dinner here and want a reason to return, lunch on a weekday is the answer.

Chef Noboru Inoue built Chez Inno as a French restaurant dedicated to sourcing quality ingredients, with a particular focus on fish. The kitchen under his tutelage , currently led by Junji Koga , draws on classical French foundations while adapting to the demands of a contemporary dining public. The sauces are the consistent point of pride: wine-rich preparations that signal a kitchen that has not chased trends at the expense of the fundamentals. Dishes such as lobster terrine and lamb baked in pie crust represent traditional recipes given careful attention by the next generation, rather than reinvention for its own sake. If you are the kind of diner who finds aggressive modernism exhausting, this kitchen is your answer in Tokyo.

The room itself contributes to the case. Stained glass, 68 seats, wheelchair access, spacious seating , this is a grown-up French dining room that works for business meals, celebrations, and friends equally. The private room options (capacity 14–24 or 35–40) make Chez Inno a practical choice for group bookings that other Tokyo French restaurants at this tier cannot accommodate as easily. For groups over 50, the entire space is available for private use. English menus are available, which removes a real friction point for international visitors who want to move through the menu without assistance.

The wine program has depth. A sommelier is on staff, the restaurant describes itself as particular about wine, and major credit cards are accepted (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, Diners). Note that electronic money and QR code payments are not accepted , cash or card only. No parking is available on-site, though nearby lots exist without restaurant discount arrangements. The dress code requires male guests to wear a jacket or collared leading; distressed jeans, shorts that expose the shins, and sandals are not permitted. This is a jacket-required room, so plan accordingly.

On timing: the restaurant is open Monday through Saturday, 11:30–13:30 for lunch and 18:00–20:30 for dinner. It is closed every Sunday, two Mondays each month, and during year-end and New Year holidays. If you are visiting Tokyo in late December or early January, verify availability before building your itinerary around it. The last dinner seating at 20:30 means this is not a venue for late diners , arrive on time or you will be working against the kitchen's schedule.

Opinionated About Dining ranked Chez Inno at number 209 among all Japan restaurants in 2024 and number 237 in 2025 , which in the context of Japan's restaurant density is a strong position, and the Google rating of 4.6 across 435 reviews reflects consistent guest satisfaction rather than a one-time spike. The restaurant relocated to its current Kyobashi address in December 2004, and the consistency of its award trajectory since 2017 (Tabelog Silver that year, Bronze through the pandemic years, back to Silver in 2023 and 2024, Gold in 2025) suggests a kitchen that has maintained standards over a long period rather than peaking and declining.

Chez Inno sits in Kyobashi, Chuo Ward , one minute on foot from Exit 5 of the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line Kyobashi Station, five minutes from Takaracho Station (Toei Asakusa Line), five minutes from Ginza 1-chome Station (Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line), and seven minutes from the Yaesu South Exit of Tokyo Station. It is one of the more accessible high-end French addresses in central Tokyo by public transport, which matters if you plan to order properly from the wine list. For more on where Chez Inno sits within the broader Tokyo dining context, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide.

For comparison within Tokyo's French category: L'Effervescence and Sézanne both operate at a higher price point and booking difficulty. ESqUISSE and Florilège lean more contemporary in approach. Château Restaurant Joël Robuchon is the reference point for formal French in Tokyo, but at a meaningfully higher price. Chez Inno sits in a useful middle position: classical technique, real award credentials, and a room that actually seats you without months of lead time. Beyond Tokyo, French cooking with this level of pedigree and consistency appears at venues like Les Amis in Singapore and Hotel de Ville Crissier in Switzerland , useful reference points if you want to calibrate where Chez Inno sits globally. For other Japan destinations, the French and kaiseki programs at HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa round out the broader picture of high-end dining across Japan. For where to stay and drink while you are in the city, see our Tokyo hotels guide, our Tokyo bars guide, our Tokyo wineries guide, and our Tokyo experiences guide.