Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Seasonal Italian, Japanese ingredients, worth booking.
La Brianza is a Michelin Plate Italian in Roppongi that maps Japanese seasonal ingredients onto Italian set-menu structure at a ¥¥ price point. OAD-ranked in Japan for three consecutive years, it is one of the more consistent mid-range Italian options in Tokyo. Booking is easy, making it a practical choice when ¥¥¥¥ venues are full.
At the ¥¥ price point, La Brianza delivers one of Roppongi's more considered Italian dining propositions: a kitchen that maps Japanese seasonal ingredients onto Italian structure, with a set-menu focus that gives the food a clear arc from start to finish. If you are looking for Italian in Tokyo and want something more thoughtful than pasta-and-wine-bar territory without committing to the ¥¥¥¥ spend of somewhere like Aroma Fresca or Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo, La Brianza is worth serious consideration. A Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, plus a climb from Opinionated About Dining's Highly Recommended tier in 2023 to a ranked position of #303 in 2024 and #384 in 2025, confirms this is a venue with a track record rather than a one-season flash.
La Brianza sits on the third floor of Hills Residence in Roppongi, Minato City, a residential-feeling address that filters out the tourist foot traffic the neighbourhood is known for. The room's atmosphere tends toward the quieter, more composed end of the Roppongi dining spectrum. Do not come here expecting the high-energy buzz of an izakaya or a buzzy wine bar: the mood is deliberate and controlled, which suits the set-menu format well. For a first-timer, this means you can actually hear conversation across the table, and the pace is set by the kitchen rather than by how quickly you want to turn the table over.
Chef Yoshiyuki Okuno's kitchen operates on a premise that takes the Italian tradition of cooking with whatever the season offers and applies it with Japanese rigour. Both culinary traditions share a deep commitment to seasonal rhythm, and La Brianza uses this overlap as its structural logic. The fish carpaccio is finished with kelp, the focaccia arrives with a yuzu pepper sauce, and the risotto is built on Japanese rice rather than arborio. These are not novelty twists applied for the sake of differentiation: they reflect the reality that Japanese produce, handled with Italian technique, produces results that neither cuisine would arrive at alone. For a first-timer, this framing matters because the menu will read as Italian in structure but will taste distinctly of Japan. Go in expecting fusion and you will misread it. Go in expecting a chef working two seasonal traditions simultaneously, and the progression will make sense.
The set menu is the primary format at lunch and dinner, but evenings open up à la carte options, giving you more control over pacing and spend if you prefer not to commit to a fixed progression. For a first visit, the set menu is the more coherent experience: it lets the kitchen build a narrative across courses in a way that individual à la carte orders cannot replicate. The move from kelp-touched carpaccio through to a Japanese-rice risotto is more legible as a complete thought when experienced in sequence.
Hours run Monday through Sunday, 11:30 am to 3:30 pm for lunch and 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm for dinner. The consistent seven-day operation makes this easier to slot into a Tokyo itinerary than many comparable venues that close mid-week. Booking is rated Easy, which is worth noting: at this price tier and recognition level, La Brianza is not a venue you need to secure weeks in advance, which makes it a practical fallback if higher-tier options are already full.
Google reviews sit at 4.2 across 499 ratings, a score that reflects genuine consistency rather than novelty hype. A strong volume of reviews at this score suggests the kitchen performs reliably rather than producing occasional standout meals surrounded by inconsistency.
If you are building a Tokyo dining itinerary that covers Italian alongside other cuisines, La Brianza pairs logically with exploration of the broader Japanese food culture that informs it. For Italian elsewhere in Japan, cenci in Kyoto takes a similar Japan-meets-Italian approach worth comparing. Farther afield, 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong represents the three-star ceiling for Italian in Asia if you want a benchmark for how far the format can go.
Within Tokyo's Italian category, La Brianza sits between the neighbourhood trattoria tier and the full fine-dining commitment of venues like PRISMA or Principio. For a comparison that stays closer to La Brianza's price band, AlCeppo is worth checking availability alongside it. The sustained OAD recognition across three consecutive years, combined with a Michelin Plate holding, puts La Brianza in a reliable middle tier: not the most technically ambitious Italian in the city, but one of the more consistent and intelligently conceived options at its price point. For more on eating in the city, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide. If you are planning a broader trip, our Tokyo hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the city. For Japanese dining in other cities, HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa are all worth a look alongside a Tokyo wineries guide visit if wine is part of the plan.
Expect a set menu that moves through Italian-structured courses built on Japanese seasonal ingredients. The fish carpaccio uses kelp, the focaccia comes with yuzu pepper sauce, and the risotto uses Japanese rice. In the evening, à la carte is also available if you prefer more flexibility. The atmosphere is calm and conversation-friendly, and booking is direct at this price tier. Go expecting a coherent seasonal progression, not a conventional Italian restaurant.
At ¥¥, yes. You get Michelin Plate-level cooking with OAD recognition across three consecutive years at a price point well below the ¥¥¥¥ venues in the same city. If you want Italian in Tokyo without committing to the full fine-dining spend of somewhere like Aroma Fresca, La Brianza is one of the more defensible choices at a lower price tier. The 4.2 Google score across nearly 500 reviews suggests the kitchen delivers consistently.
No dress code is listed in the available data. Given the venue's tone (a composed, mid-range Italian with a Michelin Plate), smart casual is a safe default. Roppongi is a business and dining district, so jeans and a clean leading to business casual are both appropriate. Avoid anything too casual if you are visiting for a special occasion dinner.
No specific dietary policy is listed in the available data. Because the menu is set-menu focused and built around specific Japanese-Italian ingredient combinations, it is worth contacting the restaurant directly before booking if you have strict requirements. The evening à la carte option may offer more flexibility than the lunch set menu for diners with specific needs.
Yes, with the right expectations. The quiet, controlled atmosphere and set-menu format make it a solid choice for a birthday dinner or an anniversary at the ¥¥ price point. It is a more intimate, considered experience than most Roppongi options at this price. If the occasion warrants a larger budget, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo or Aroma Fresca will give you more occasion-dining theatre, but La Brianza is the stronger value case.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Brianza | Here, Italian recipes meet Japanese ingredients. The fish carpaccio is subtly flavoured with kelp, while the focaccia is served with a yuzu pepper sauce; the risotto is made with Japanese rice. Both Italian and Japanese cuisines celebrate the four seasons, incorporating unique flavours into every dish. While set menus remain the focus, La Brianza also offers à la carte dishes in the evening, allowing diners to tailor their culinary journey.; Michelin Plate (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #384 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #303 (2024); Michelin Plate (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Highly Recommended (2023) | ¥¥ | — |
| Harutaka | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| L'Effervescence | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| RyuGin | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| HOMMAGE | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Crony | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
Comparing your options in Tokyo for this tier.
Dress neatly but not formally. La Brianza occupies a residential-feeling third-floor address in Roppongi's Hills Residence, which sets a relaxed-but-considered tone. Business casual fits the room well. Overly casual streetwear would feel out of place at a Michelin Plate restaurant operating at the ¥¥ price point.
The kitchen is built around set menus, which remain the main format at lunch and dinner, though à la carte is available in the evening. Chef Yoshiyuki Okuno's approach maps Italian recipes onto Japanese seasonal ingredients — kelp-cured fish, yuzu pepper focaccia, risotto made with Japanese rice — so expect Italian structure with Japanese product logic. If you want a traditional Italian menu without those substitutions, this is not the right fit.
At ¥¥, yes — provided the Italian-Japanese format appeals to you. La Brianza holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025 and ranks in Opinionated About Dining's top restaurants in Japan for three consecutive years, which gives it credibility at this price tier. For a more conventional Italian experience at a similar price, other Roppongi options may suit better; if the cross-cultural ingredient approach interests you, this is among the few Italian kitchens in Tokyo doing it with consistent recognition.
Nothing in the available venue data confirms specific dietary accommodation policies. Given that the menu centres on set courses with Italian-Japanese ingredient combinations, check the venue's official channels before booking if you have restrictions — substitutions in a structured set-menu format can be limited.
Yes, with caveats. The third-floor Hills Residence setting is quiet and removed from Roppongi's street noise, the set-menu format suits a celebratory pace, and the Michelin Plate recognition backs it up as a credible choice. For a larger group, check table configuration in advance — the address does not suggest a venue built for big parties. For two, this works well.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
