Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Neighbourhood Chinese with serious hotel-kitchen technique.
A Michelin Plate Chinese in Meguro's Higashiyama that delivers technically precise cooking — including live-fire oven work from a hotel-trained chef — at a ¥¥ price point. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024, 2025) and a 4.6 Google rating confirm it over-delivers for its tier. Easy to book, ideal for a date or low-key celebration dinner.
Come back a second time and you notice what stays constant: Chugokusai Kan does not try to be a destination restaurant. It is a neighbourhood Chinese in Higashiyama, Meguro, priced at ¥¥, and it delivers a level of technical care that sits well above what that price tier typically signals. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024, 2025) confirm what regulars already know. If you are weighing whether to book, the answer is yes — with the caveat that this is a restaurant for people who want skilled, considered Chinese cooking in a low-key room, not a showpiece evening.
The cooking here is anchored in a specific technical confidence that comes from a long hotel kitchen background. The chef, Fujii, trained through the hotel circuit before opening independently in Meguro, and that background shows in the precision of his flame work. The signature move — items finished in a large oven using live-fire techniques , is not decorative. It is the product of years of repetition, and it is the main reason a ¥¥ Chinese restaurant in a residential Tokyo pocket holds a Michelin Plate two years running.
Meguro's Higashiyama district is not a dining pilgrimage zone in the way Ginza or Nishi-Azabu are. That is part of the point. Chugokusai Kan operates in the register of a serious local: no grand entrance, no elaborate staging, just consistent output from a chef who has spent a long time getting one thing right. Fujii graduated from Keio University and made an unconventional choice to cook , his mother reportedly opposed it , but the credentials he has built since are not unconventional at all. They are the kind that compound over time in a single discipline.
A Google rating of 4.6 across 143 reviews adds a second layer of evidence. Michelin Plate recognition tells you the inspectors see something worth noting; a 4.6 from 143 guests tells you the experience reproduces reliably for ordinary diners, not just on inspection nights. That combination is more useful to trust than either signal alone.
For a special occasion or a date dinner, Chugokusai Kan rewards the decision to go. The room is not grand, but the quality of the cooking creates its own atmosphere. If you are planning a celebration and want somewhere that feels genuinely considered without the formality (or the price) of a multi-star kaiseki, this is the category to be looking at , and within that category, Chugokusai Kan is one of the more credentialed options at this price point in Tokyo. For similar Chinese dining ambition in the city, Chugoku Hanten Fureika and Chugoku Hanten Kohakukyu (Amber Palace) operate at a higher price tier with more formal environments. Ippei Hanten is another point of comparison if you want to assess the broader Chinese dining range in the city.
The ¥¥ pricing is genuinely useful information. Tokyo Chinese at this quality level is not always easy to find at a moderate price. The flame techniques and oven work that Fujii has spent years refining would justify a higher price in a more conspicuous location. Here, you are effectively paying for the cooking without paying for the postcode.
If you are building a broader Tokyo dining itinerary, the Pearl Tokyo restaurants guide covers the full range of options, and you can cross-reference against hotels, bars, and experiences to plan around a stay. For Chinese cooking with similar intent outside Tokyo, Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin and Mister Jiu's in San Francisco are the international comparators worth knowing. Within Japan, the broader fine-dining circuit runs through HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, and akordu in Nara if you are travelling further afield, with Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa rounding out the regional picture. For something closer in format and price, itsuka and Koshikiryori Koki are worth checking in Tokyo. The Tokyo wineries guide is also available if you are planning around drinks.
Location: Higashiyama 2-chome, Meguro City, Tokyo (Oriental Higashiyama building, 1F). Price range: ¥¥ , moderate, one of the better value propositions in this cuisine tier in Tokyo. Reservations: Booking difficulty is rated easy; walk-ins may be possible, but reservations are sensible given the Michelin Plate recognition. Dress: No published dress code; the neighbourhood-restaurant register means smart casual is appropriate. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025. Google rating: 4.6 (143 reviews). Phone/website: Not currently listed , check Google Maps or a reservation platform for current contact details.
The flame-broiled items finished in the large oven are the technical centrepiece of the menu and the clearest expression of Fujii's hotel-kitchen training. Prioritise those. Beyond that, the menu specifics are not published in a way we can verify, so ask the chef or staff on the night for current recommendations , in a room this size and at this price point, that kind of direct guidance is usually available and worth taking.
This is a serious neighbourhood Chinese, not a tourist-facing destination. It is in Higashiyama, Meguro , residential, low-key , so do not expect the visual spectacle of a high-end Ginza room. What you get instead is technically precise Chinese cooking from a chef with long hotel experience, two Michelin Plate recognitions, and a 4.6 Google rating from 143 guests. At ¥¥, it is one of the better deals in the city for this standard of cooking. Go in knowing it is a compact, local operation and you will be well placed.
There is no published dress code. The venue's price tier (¥¥), neighbourhood setting in Meguro, and Michelin Plate (rather than star) recognition all point to a smart casual register being appropriate. You do not need to dress for a formal dining room, but the cooking quality means a step above streetwear makes sense, particularly for a date or celebration dinner.
Yes, clearly. Michelin Plate recognition two years running at a ¥¥ price point is a strong signal of disproportionate quality for the tier. For comparison, Chinese restaurants in Tokyo with similar Michelin recognition at ¥¥¥ or ¥¥¥¥ such as Chugoku Hanten Fureika or Chugoku Hanten Kohakukyu will cost meaningfully more for a broadly comparable level of culinary seriousness. Chugokusai Kan's value proposition is precisely that gap.
Menu format details are not confirmed in available data, so we cannot verify whether a formal tasting menu is offered. What the awards data confirms is that the cooking justifies the visit regardless of format. If a tasting menu is available, the chef's background in theory and technique , hotel-trained, Michelin-recognised , means it is likely to be well-constructed. Ask when you book or arrive.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, so you are unlikely to need the three-to-four week lead time that a starred or heavily sought-after Tokyo restaurant requires. That said, Michelin Plate recognition has a way of tightening availability over time. A week's notice is a reasonable buffer; for a specific date (anniversary, birthday), book as soon as you know you are going. Contact details are not currently listed here , use Google Maps or a local reservation platform to find current booking channels.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chugokusai Kan | Chinese | Owner-chef, a Keio University graduate, became a chef from his dreams of being an artisan; a person who can accomplish one thing can do anything. Flame-broiled items finished in the massive oven are a gift acquired through many labours as a hotel chef. Fujii cuts a deft and poised figure in the kitchen, master of both theory and practice. He claims his mother vehemently opposed his choice of career, but when he beholds the joy of his guests, his face is the picture of happiness.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Harutaka | Sushi | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| RyuGin | Kaiseki, Japanese | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'Effervescence | French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| HOMMAGE | Innovtive French, French | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Florilège | French | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Chugokusai Kan and alternatives.
Prioritise the flame-broiled items finished in the large oven — that is the technique Fujii developed over years as a hotel chef and it is the clearest expression of what makes this kitchen distinctive. The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 points to consistent execution across the menu, so you are not gambling on a single signature dish, but the fire-finished preparations are the reason to come.
This is a neighbourhood Chinese restaurant in Higashiyama, Meguro — not a destination dining room angling for tourist trade. Chef Fujii runs a tight, technically grounded kitchen built on hotel-kitchen discipline, and the atmosphere reflects that: focused cooking over spectacle. At ¥¥ pricing with two consecutive Michelin Plates, the value-to-quality ratio is the main draw. Go with a sense of what you want from Chinese cooking rather than expecting a formal multi-course production.
The ¥¥ price range and neighbourhood setting in Meguro's Higashiyama district suggest a relaxed dress expectation. Neat, comfortable clothing fits the format — this is not the kind of venue where a jacket is expected. Think of it the way you would dress for a well-regarded local restaurant rather than a formal dining room.
At ¥¥ — moderate pricing for Tokyo — and with back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, Chugokusai Kan sits in a strong position for value. You are getting technically accomplished Chinese cooking from a chef with formal hotel kitchen training at a price point well below comparable Michelin-recognised venues in the city. For the category, the answer is yes.
Menu format details are not publicly confirmed for Chugokusai Kan, so it is not clear whether a set tasting menu is the primary offering or one option among several. What is documented is the Michelin Plate standing at ¥¥ pricing and a kitchen whose strengths are in flame-broiled preparations. check the venue's official channels to confirm what format suits your group before booking.
No booking window data is available for Chugokusai Kan, and the restaurant's website and phone are not publicly listed in current records. Given the Michelin Plate status and the compact neighbourhood format, booking as early as possible is the practical move — Michelin-recognised venues at ¥¥ pricing in Tokyo tend to fill quickly. Reach out directly via the venue address in Higashiyama 2-chome, Meguro to confirm availability and reservation process.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
