Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo's Italian case, quietly getting stronger.
An award-tracked Italian enoteca in Meguro, Cignale Enoteca has posted back-to-back Opinionated About Dining rankings and a La Liste score of 92 points in 2026 — a clear upward trajectory. Dinner-only, Tuesday through Saturday, with a wine-forward format that rewards returning visitors more than a single visit reveals.
Cignale Enoteca is one of the stronger arguments for Italian dining in Tokyo, and its trajectory over the past three years makes that case harder to ignore. Ranked #179 by Opinionated About Dining in 2024 and climbing to #199 in 2025, with a La Liste score that jumped from 81 points in 2025 to 92 in 2026, this is a restaurant moving in the right direction under chef Toshiji Tomori. If you went once and liked it, go back — the room is worth a second look and the wine-forward format rewards repeat visits more than most Italian restaurants in the city.
Located in Komaba, Meguro — a quieter residential pocket compared to the density of Minami-Aoyama or Ginza , Cignale Enoteca operates Tuesday through Sunday, dinner only, from 6 pm to midnight. The late close is useful: if you're finishing elsewhere in Meguro or coming from Shibuya, you have a genuine window to arrive at 9 pm and still eat well. Sundays are closed, so factor that in when planning a weekend trip.
The format is enoteca rather than pure ristorante, which means the wine list is structural to the experience, not incidental. For a returning visitor, this is the clearest shift in how to approach the meal: lean into the wine program rather than treating it as an add-on. Italian enoteca dining in Tokyo sits in a narrow category , AlCeppo and Principio are the closest comparators in terms of format , but Cignale's award momentum gives it a clearer credential at this point.
On the question of lunch versus dinner: Cignale Enoteca does not serve lunch. The kitchen opens at 6 pm every operating day, so this is strictly an evening destination. That removes the value-lunch calculation that works well at places like Aroma Fresca or Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo, where a daytime booking often delivers similar quality at lower spend. At Cignale, dinner is the only option, so the relevant comparison is whether the evening format , enoteca pacing, wine focus, late hours , suits what you're after.
For a returning guest, the practical recommendation is to book mid-week if possible. The Google rating of 4.7 across 170 reviews is consistent enough to suggest the kitchen performs reliably rather than peaking on weekends. Booking difficulty is rated easy, which means you likely don't need three weeks of lead time, but given the award profile and the fact that it's a single-seating dinner-only room, calling or booking a week ahead is sensible rather than assuming walk-in availability. No booking method is confirmed in the venue record, so check the current reservation process directly before visiting.
Chef Toshiji Tomori has built something with real award traction in a city where Italian restaurants compete against some of the most technically precise kitchens in the world. PRISMA sits at the higher end of Tokyo's Italian options and pushes harder on innovation; Cignale's enoteca identity positions it differently , more convivial, more wine-anchored. If you're deciding between the two, PRISMA is the right call for a special-occasion meal with formal intent; Cignale is better if you want a long dinner built around a good bottle.
For broader context on where Cignale fits in the city's dining picture, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide. If you're exploring further afield, comparable Italian ambition appears at cenci in Kyoto and in a different register at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong. Elsewhere in Japan, the award-tracked dining scene includes HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa. For everything else in Meguro and across the city, our Tokyo hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the surrounding picture.
Cignale Enoteca opens Tuesday through Saturday from 6 pm to midnight, and on Sunday the kitchen is closed. The Komaba address in Meguro City is accessible from Komaba-Todaimae Station on the Keio Inokashira Line. Booking difficulty is rated easy relative to Tokyo's hardest tables, but given the La Liste recognition and the dinner-only format, a reservation placed several days ahead is advisable. No dress code is confirmed in the available data; for an enoteca at this award level in Tokyo, smart casual is a safe baseline.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cignale Enoteca | Easy | — | |
| Harutaka | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| L'Effervescence | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| RyuGin | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| HOMMAGE | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| Crony | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Cignale Enoteca measures up.
Dinner is your only option. Cignale Enoteca opens at 6 pm Tuesday through Saturday and does not serve lunch, so there is no trade-off to weigh. If a midday Italian meal is what you need, you will have to look elsewhere in Tokyo.
Book at least two to three weeks out. Cignale Enoteca earned 92 points on La Liste 2026 and sits in the OAD Japan top 200, which means demand from both locals and visiting diners is real. The Komaba address is off the main circuit, but that does not translate to easy availability.
This is a dinner-only, evening-format Italian restaurant in a residential part of Meguro — not a tourist-facing room in Ginza or Minami-Aoyama. Chef Toshiji Tomori runs the kitchen, and the venue has climbed from OAD Highly Recommended in 2023 to a ranked position in 2025, then to 92 points on La Liste 2026. Come expecting a focused Italian programme, not a broad crowd-pleasing menu.
Bar seating is not documented in the available venue data. Given the enoteca format and the evening-only operation, it is worth contacting the restaurant directly to confirm seating options before assuming counter or bar availability.
An enoteca format with evening hours and a wine-led Italian programme tends to suit solo diners reasonably well, but specifics on counter seating or solo-friendly policies are not confirmed in the venue record. If solo dining is your priority, check availability directly when booking — the kitchen closes at midnight, so you have a generous window.
Dress expectations are not specified in the venue data. Given its La Liste ranking and OAD recognition, a neat, put-together outfit is a safe assumption — think the kind of thing you would wear to a serious wine-focused Italian restaurant, not a neighbourhood trattoria. If in doubt, contact the venue before your reservation.
Specific menu items are not documented in the venue record, so any dish-level recommendation would be speculation. What is confirmed is that this is an Italian kitchen with enoteca roots, meaning the wine programme is likely central rather than secondary. Ask the team for current menu direction when you book.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
