Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Michelin-plated Italian with a Japanese twist.
DepTH brianza holds back-to-back Michelin Plates (2024, 2025) and a 4.8 Google rating, making it one of the more compelling Italian options in Tokyo's Azabudai district. At ¥¥¥ pricing, Chef Okuno's Japanese-ingredient-led take on northern Italian cooking offers real conceptual depth without the financial commitment of Tokyo's starred alternatives. Book if the Italy-Japan dialogue interests you.
DepTH brianza holds a 4.8 Google rating from 23 reviews and back-to-back Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025. For a ¥¥¥-tier Italian restaurant in one of Tokyo's newer prestige addresses, that combination makes a clear case: this is a kitchen performing well above its price band, and it deserves your attention if Italian cuisine done through a Japanese lens is what you are after.
DepTH brianza sits on the second floor of Hills Residence A in Azabudai, Minato City, the mixed-use development that has become one of Tokyo's more discussed new dining districts. The address is not incidental. Azabudai Hills draws a crowd that expects serious food, and DepTH brianza is positioned squarely to meet that expectation.
The concept is Italian in structure and Japanese in sensibility. Chef Okuno, whose name provides the restaurant's title (「奥行き」, okuyuki, means depth in Japanese), works from a foundation of Italian culinary tradition while systematically rerouting it through Japanese ingredients. This is not fusion in the lazy sense. The approach is more considered: Italian technique applied to produce and proteins that are native to Japan, asking what happens when those ingredients are handled the way a cook trained in northern Italy — brianza is a region in Lombardy , would handle them.
For the food-focused traveller seeking depth and context, this framing matters. The Michelin recognition signals that the kitchen's execution is consistent enough to earn institutional credibility. The Michelin Plate designation, awarded in both 2024 and 2025, indicates a restaurant of notable quality that has not yet reached star level , which, at ¥¥¥ pricing, also tells you something useful: this is a venue where the ambition is high but the financial commitment is not at the extreme end of Tokyo's fine-dining spectrum.
The editorial angle here is ingredient sourcing, and that is where DepTH brianza's identity sharpens. The premise of the restaurant is that Japanese ingredients, reframed through Italian culinary logic, can produce something neither purely Italian nor purely Japanese. That requires a kitchen with real sourcing conviction: selecting Japanese produce that can hold up to Italian preparation methods, or conversely, finding Italian techniques that reveal something new in a Japanese ingredient. When a restaurant's concept is built on this kind of ingredient dialogue, the sourcing is not a supporting detail. It is the argument. The Michelin Plate recognition across two consecutive years suggests the kitchen is winning that argument consistently.
For context within the broader Tokyo Italian category, consider how DepTH brianza positions against its peers. Aroma Fresca operates at a higher price point with deeper Italian tradition and Michelin star-level recognition. PRISMA and Principio represent other corners of Tokyo's Italian offering. Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo operates a globally branded version of Italian-Japanese crossover at a higher price tier. AlCeppo offers a more traditional Italian register. DepTH brianza sits in a productive middle ground: more conceptually driven than a direct Italian trattoria, more accessible in price than the starred alternatives.
If you are building a Japan dining itinerary and want an Italian reference point that does something more than replicate what you could find in Milan, DepTH brianza is a credible addition. Travellers exploring the wider Japanese dining circuit may also want to cross-reference cenci in Kyoto, which operates in a related conceptual space, and akordu in Nara, which applies European technique to Japanese ingredients in a different register. For those moving between cities, HAJIME in Osaka and Gion Sasaki in Kyoto represent other high-conviction kitchens worth planning around. Further afield, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa round out a serious Japan dining circuit. For a broader regional comparison, 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong shows what Italian cooking at Michelin three-star level looks like in an Asian context.
The Azabudai address also means DepTH brianza benefits from, and contributes to, a neighbourhood dining ecosystem that is still maturing. Early positioning in a developing district can mean more attentive service and easier reservations than you would find at an equivalent restaurant in a more established location. That is a practical advantage worth noting.
For the explorer diner , someone who reads menus as documents, who wants to understand why a dish exists, not just whether it tastes good , DepTH brianza offers real content. The concept has intellectual architecture. The ingredient sourcing choices are the point. Whether the execution on any given night fully delivers on the concept is something the data cannot confirm without further verified sourcing, but two consecutive Michelin Plates suggest the kitchen is not trading on concept alone.
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Price range: ¥¥¥ (mid-to-upper tier for Tokyo Italian). Reservations: Booking is currently rated Easy , contact via the venue directly or through your hotel concierge. Location: Hills Residence A, 2F, 1-2-3 Azabudai, Minato City, Tokyo. Phone/website: Not publicly listed in our database , confirm via hotel concierge or reservation platform. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025. Google rating: 4.8 from 23 reviews.
See the comparison section below for how DepTH brianza sits against Tokyo's broader fine-dining field.
Yes, with the right expectations. The Michelin Plate recognition and ¥¥¥ pricing make it a credible special-occasion choice without the full financial commitment of a starred restaurant. It works leading for a couple or small group that wants a thoughtful, concept-driven dinner rather than a grand ceremony. If you want maximum formality and service depth, Aroma Fresca or a Michelin-starred venue will feel more occasion-scaled. DepTH brianza is the better pick when the occasion is about eating something genuinely original.
No dress code is listed in our data, but the Azabudai Hills address and ¥¥¥ pricing suggest smart casual is appropriate. In Tokyo's fine-dining context, that means no sportswear, and erring toward a neat, considered outfit will fit the room. A jacket is not required but will not look out of place.
Specific dishes are not in our verified data, so we cannot name them here. What the concept tells you: the kitchen is built around Japanese ingredients handled through Italian technique, so dishes that foreground seasonal Japanese produce reframed in an Italian structure are where the restaurant's argument is strongest. Ask your server what is currently driving the menu , in a restaurant with this kind of sourcing-led concept, that question will get you a useful answer.
Seat count is not listed in our database. The second-floor Azabudai address suggests a mid-sized room rather than a large one, and ¥¥¥ Italian restaurants in Tokyo at this positioning typically run 20 to 40 covers. For groups of six or more, confirm capacity and availability directly when reserving. Booking is currently rated Easy, so lead time should not be a problem for small groups.
Menu format is not confirmed in our data, but Italian restaurants at this tier in Tokyo typically offer both tasting and à la carte options. If a tasting menu is available, the Michelin Plate recognition and the sourcing-led concept both support it as the way to engage fully with what the kitchen is doing. At ¥¥¥ pricing, you are getting Michelin-recognised quality at a price point below the starred Italian alternatives in Tokyo , that is a reasonable value proposition for a full tasting experience.
At ¥¥¥, yes , particularly given two consecutive Michelin Plates and a 4.8 Google rating. You are paying mid-to-upper tier prices for a restaurant with a coherent concept and institutional recognition. Compared to Michelin-starred Italian in Tokyo, which pushes into ¥¥¥¥ territory, DepTH brianza offers a meaningful step down in cost with a credible step up in conceptual ambition relative to direct Italian alternatives at similar pricing.
For Japanese-Italian crossover at higher formality: Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo (¥¥¥¥, globally branded). For more traditional Italian execution with Michelin recognition: Aroma Fresca. For Italian in a different register: Principio or AlCeppo. Outside Tokyo, cenci in Kyoto operates in a closely related conceptual space and is worth comparing directly.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means you are unlikely to need more than one to two weeks of lead time for most dates. The Azabudai Hills location and the restaurant's growing recognition suggest demand will increase as the neighbourhood matures, so booking two to three weeks out for weekend dates is sensible. Special occasion dates, book further ahead to be safe.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DepTH brianza | Italian | DepTH brianza explores concepts that broaden the possibilities of Italian cuisine. Chef Okuno’s latest culinary adventure is a taste test that takes Italian cuisine a little outside its comfort zone. While firmly grounded in tradition, Okuno enjoys reframing Japanese ingredients in creative ways. ‘DepTH’ is a play on his name: ‘okuyuki’ is ‘depth’ in Japanese. Like a wizard reworking ancient spells, Okuno dreams up imaginative cuisine you won’t find anywhere else.; 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 | — |
Comparing your options in Tokyo for this tier.
Yes — two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a 4.8 Google rating give it the credibility a special occasion demands. The ¥¥¥ pricing sits at mid-to-upper tier for Tokyo Italian, so expect a considered spend rather than a blow-out. The second-floor setting in Azabudai Hills Residence A adds a sense of occasion without the formality of a full Michelin-starred room. For a birthday or anniversary where you want something genuinely considered rather than just expensive, it fits well.
The venue data doesn't specify a dress code, but at ¥¥¥ pricing in the Azabudai Hills development — one of Tokyo's more polished mixed-use addresses — neat, put-together clothing is the sensible baseline. Avoid overly casual attire. Think business casual or above if you want to feel comfortable at the price point.
Specific menu items aren't documented in available venue data, so any dish-level recommendation would be speculation. What the record does confirm is that Chef Okuno focuses on Italian tradition reframed through Japanese ingredients — so expect dishes that look familiar in structure but pull from local Japanese produce. Ask the team when booking what the current format is: prix-fixe or à la carte options vary by restaurant and season.
Group capacity details aren't in the venue record, and for a second-floor restaurant in a residential building in Azabudai, the room is unlikely to be large. check the venue's official channels before planning anything above a table of four — smaller, more intimate groups are the safer assumption at this style of creative Italian.
If the format leans tasting menu — which fits the Michelin Plate recognition and the creative, concept-driven cooking Chef Okuno is known for — it earns its place at ¥¥¥. The combination of back-to-back Michelin acknowledgment and a 4.8 rating from diners suggests consistent delivery. If you prefer à la carte flexibility, confirm the format before booking, as it may not suit every preference.
At ¥¥¥, it sits in a range where Tokyo has strong competition, but two consecutive Michelin Plates and a near-perfect Google rating from diners point to consistent quality. The concept — Italian technique applied to Japanese ingredients — gives it a clearer identity than generic mid-range Italian in the city. For a single creative Italian dinner in Tokyo at this price tier, it makes a defensible case.
For Italian specifically, L'Effervescence and HOMMAGE both operate in Tokyo's fine-dining tier and offer strong European-technique menus with local Japanese sourcing. If you're open to Japanese fine dining more broadly, RyuGin and Harutaka represent different formats — kaiseki and sushi respectively — at higher price points. Florilège is the closest comparator in terms of European cooking reinterpreted through Japanese produce, and worth considering if a French kitchen appeals more than Italian.
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