Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Michelin-noted Shanghai counter, easier to book than you'd expect.
MIMOSA is a Shanghai-cuisine counter restaurant in Minami-Aoyama holding Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025. The white counter and live wok cooking make it a strong choice for a date night or celebratory dinner at ¥¥¥ — a full price tier below most comparable destination counters in the neighbourhood. Booking is rated easy, which at this level in Tokyo is a genuine advantage.
If you are choosing between MIMOSA and one of Tokyo's many kaiseki rooms for a special occasion dinner in Minami-Aoyama, the decision comes down to format and price tier. MIMOSA operates at ¥¥¥, a full tier below the ¥¥¥¥ spending required at comparable destination restaurants in the neighbourhood, and it delivers a counter-based set menu experience rooted in Shanghai cuisine rather than Japanese tradition. For a date night or celebratory dinner where you want theatrical cooking, direct chef interaction, and a composed multi-course structure without committing to the upper end of Tokyo dining budgets, MIMOSA is worth serious consideration.
The counter at MIMOSA is uniformly white, which creates an immediate visual clarity the moment you sit down. There is no decorative noise to process — the room directs your attention toward the cooking itself, which unfolds directly in front of you. The sight of wok work at close range, with the sound and aroma of high-heat stir-frying as an active presence, gives the meal a performative quality that many formal tasting menus in Tokyo deliberately suppress in favour of hushed minimalism. Here, the energy is part of the offer.
The chef engages with guests during service, sometimes speaking while plating, which softens the counter format into something more personal than theatrical. For a special occasion dinner where atmosphere and engagement matter as much as the food itself, this dynamic works well. It is a better format for a couple or a small group than a long kaiseki silence, and meaningfully different from the composed, distant service style you encounter at ¥¥¥¥ French restaurants in the same part of the city.
Minami-Aoyama, where MIMOSA operates from the second floor of the Fiora Minami Aoyama building on 3-chome, is one of Tokyo's more design-conscious neighbourhoods. The streets around Omotesando and Aoyama attract galleries, independent fashion, and a dining crowd that expects environments with considered aesthetics. MIMOSA's white counter and focused cooking theatre fit that context — this is not a neighbourhood restaurant in the informal sense, but it does not perform luxury for its own sake either. It occupies a specific position: serious food, accessible price point, credible Michelin recognition, and a location that makes it a natural choice for anyone already spending an evening in this part of the city.
MIMOSA's foundation is Shanghai cuisine, which in this context means a set menu structured around numerous courses, each dish served immediately after cooking. The arrangements are described as simple , the presentation does not chase visual complexity , and the emphasis falls on fresh ingredients expressing seasonal shifts through a Chinese culinary lens. This is a different offer from the Cantonese-oriented Chinese fine dining more commonly found at the leading of Tokyo's restaurant hierarchy. If your frame of reference for high-end Chinese dining in Japan is drawn from Cantonese banquet traditions, MIMOSA will feel deliberately spare by comparison, and that sparseness is the point.
The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the cooking meets a standard Michelin inspectors consider worth noting, short of star level but above the general field. With a Google rating of 4.2 from 84 reviews, the public response is positive without being overwhelming. For a counter restaurant of this type, that volume of reviews suggests a loyal but not mass-market following, which is consistent with the neighbourhood and format.
For comparison, Chinese restaurants operating at a similar or higher register in Tokyo include Chugoku Hanten Fureika and Chugoku Hanten Kohakukyu (Amber Palace), both of which carry stronger award credentials and operate at higher price points. Ippei Hanten and itsuka represent other reference points in Tokyo's Chinese dining tier, while Koshikiryori Koki offers a different formal dining mode in the city. Beyond Tokyo, HAJIME in Osaka and Gion Sasaki in Kyoto show how Japan's broader fine dining scene calibrates at the leading end. Internationally, Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin and Mister Jiu's in San Francisco offer points of comparison for Chinese-influenced fine dining in Western markets.
MIMOSA suits couples or small parties who want a counter-format tasting experience with direct chef engagement, Shanghai cuisine as the culinary frame, and a price point that does not require the full commitment of Tokyo's top-tier restaurants. The setting and format work well for a date night or a celebratory dinner where the theatre of live cooking matters. It is less suited to large groups or anyone looking for the deep formality of a kaiseki service.
If you are planning a broader evening in Minami-Aoyama, the neighbourhood offers substantial options beyond dinner. See our full Tokyo restaurants guide, our full Tokyo hotels guide, our full Tokyo bars guide, our full Tokyo wineries guide, and our full Tokyo experiences guide for context on the city's broader offer. For those travelling further afield, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa represent quality reference points across Japan.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which at a Michelin-recognised counter in Minami-Aoyama is a genuine advantage. You do not need to plan weeks in advance the way you would for Tokyo's most in-demand tasting menus. The format is counter-only, the price range is ¥¥¥, and the set menu structure means arriving with a clear expectation of how the evening will run. Dress code and precise hours are not confirmed in available data , contact the venue directly or check current listings before visiting.
Quick reference: ¥¥¥ counter tasting | Michelin Plate 2024 & 2025 | Google 4.2/5 (84 reviews) | Easy to book | Minami-Aoyama, 3F Fiora building.
The white counter setting and Michelin Plate recognition put MIMOSA in business-casual territory. Tokyo counter dining at this price range (¥¥¥) generally rewards guests who dress neatly without requiring formal attire. Avoid overpowering fragrances — at a compact counter where chef interaction is part of the format, it matters more than it would in a larger room.
MIMOSA runs a set menu, so ordering is not your decision — the kitchen sets the course count and sequence. The format is rooted in Shanghai cuisine, with dishes served immediately after cooking. Arrive hungry: the menu features numerous courses, and the point is the progression from the wok to the counter in front of you.
Booking difficulty at MIMOSA is rated easy, which is a genuine advantage for a Michelin-recognised counter in Minami-Aoyama. You are unlikely to need weeks of lead time, unlike comparable counter experiences in Tokyo. That said, weekend evenings at a small counter fill faster than weeknights, so a few days' notice is sensible.
If you want Shanghai-rooted Chinese cuisine at a counter, MIMOSA has few direct competitors in Tokyo at the ¥¥¥ tier. For a French tasting counter in the same neighbourhood bracket, L'Effervescence and Florilège are the more prominent comparisons, though both skew more formal. If the counter format appeals but you want Japanese cuisine, kaiseki rooms in Minami-Aoyama will cost more and require earlier booking.
At ¥¥¥ for a Michelin Plate counter in central Tokyo with multiple courses served wok-to-plate, the value case is solid. The format — seasonal ingredients, Shanghai technique, direct chef engagement — gives the meal a coherent logic. If you want à la carte flexibility or prefer not to commit to a full set menu, this is not the right venue.
Yes, at ¥¥¥ with two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a counter format that delivers active chef interaction, MIMOSA sits in a reasonable value position for Tokyo fine dining. It does not carry the ¥¥¥¥ premium of the city's top kaiseki or French tasting counters, which makes it a more accessible entry point for a special-format dinner.
Yes, particularly for couples or small parties who want an interactive counter experience rather than a traditional table dinner. The white counter, wok-side cooking, and multi-course Shanghai set menu give the meal clear occasion weight. It is less suited to milestone events requiring private rooms or large group seating.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
