Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Vegetable-first omakase, surprisingly easy to book.
Nebuka is a vegetable-forward omakase in Roppongi that earns two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024–2025) with a menu that blends French and Japanese technique. At ¥¥¥, it is one of Tokyo's more accessible Michelin-recognised tasting-menu experiences. Book counter seats for the most engaging version of the meal, and time your visit for a seasonal transition month if possible.
At ¥¥¥ per head, Nebuka is one of Roppongi's more considered bets for a vegetable-forward omakase that draws equally from French and Japanese technique. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) and a Google rating of 4.4 across 114 reviews suggest consistent execution rather than a flash-in-the-pan opening. If you want a seasonal tasting menu that treats produce as the main event — not protein — and you want that served in a room run by a young team with genuine energy, book Nebuka. If you need a grand, ceremony-heavy dining room or a sushi counter, look elsewhere.
Nebuka sits on the sixth floor of a building in Roppongi, Minato City , a neighbourhood better known for its nightlife and big-ticket steakhouses than for restrained, ingredient-led cooking. That contrast is part of what makes it worth your attention. The restaurant's name comes from a Japanese expression meaning deep-rooted vines, a reference to the connections the proprietor, who also runs a wine bar, maintains with growers and producers. That provenance focus shapes everything on the plate.
The format is an omakase set menu built around seasonal vegetables. The chef brings training in both French and Japanese kitchens to the execution, which means the menu moves between registers , a delicate Japanese preparation here, a pasta course there , without feeling incoherent. Each dish is composed simply, with the ingredient doing the work rather than elaborate saucing or plating theatrics. For the food-focused traveller who has already done the kaiseki circuit and wants something that feels lighter and more personal, this approach delivers.
The counter seating, which the editorial angle for this review specifically highlights, is the format to request here. Nebuka's kitchen-facing seats give you direct access to the rhythm of service , you watch the team, largely young and visibly engaged, move through each course. Because the menu is vegetable-driven, the pacing is different from a protein-heavy omakase: courses come with more texture variation and less of the single-note richness that can make longer tasting menus fatiguing. Sitting at the counter makes that progression legible in a way that table seating does not.
Wine bar background of the proprietor is also relevant to how you plan the evening. The beverage pairing at a venue with this kind of owner provenance tends to reflect genuine producer relationships rather than a generic sommelier list. That said, no specific pairing prices or wine details are available in Pearl's confirmed data, so clarify the drinks options when you book.
Timing matters here. Nebuka's vegetable-forward menu will track seasonal change more noticeably than a restaurant anchored to, say, a signature fish or beef preparation. The transition months , March into April and September into October , are when Japanese seasonal produce shifts most dramatically, and a meal at Nebuka during those windows will reflect that more acutely than a midsummer or midwinter visit. If you are building a Japan itinerary and want to sequence your dining around produce seasons, this is one of the restaurants where that logic actually applies to what lands on your plate.
Service from the young team is described as bright and pleasant , an important qualifier in a city where formal, sometimes impersonal service can create distance in a small room. At Nebuka, the counter format and the team's manner work together to make the meal feel communicative rather than ceremonial. For solo diners or couples who want engagement rather than reverence, that is a meaningful differentiator.
Nebuka is located at 6 Chome-8-28 Miyazaki Building 202, Roppongi, Minato City. Roppongi is well-served by Tokyo Metro (Hibiya and Oedo lines), making access direct from most central Tokyo hotels. For a fuller picture of where Nebuka fits in Tokyo's restaurant scene, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide. If you are building a longer Japan trip, comparable contemporary-leaning restaurants worth considering include HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, and akordu in Nara.
Within Tokyo, if you are mapping out a multi-night dining programme, Nebuka fits well alongside venues like hakunei, nôl, and FUSOU , each taking a different angle on contemporary Japanese cooking. For something sharper and more European in register, HYÈNE and JULIA are worth comparing. Beyond Japan, if contemporary tasting-menu cooking in this vein interests you as a category, Jungsik in Seoul and César in New York City offer useful points of comparison for a travelling diner building a wider reference set.
For more on Tokyo beyond restaurants, see our full Tokyo hotels guide, our full Tokyo bars guide, our full Tokyo wineries guide, and our full Tokyo experiences guide.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is rare for a Michelin-recognised venue in Tokyo. That said, easy is relative , advance planning is still advisable, particularly for weekend evenings or during peak seasonal travel periods (cherry blossom in late March and autumn foliage in November). Aim to book two to three weeks out as a baseline, and contact the venue directly given that no third-party booking method is confirmed in Pearl's data. For other Japan restaurants with variable booking windows, Goh in Fukuoka and 1000 in Yokohama offer useful contrasts in booking accessibility.
| Detail | Nebuka | Florilège | L'Effervescence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | Contemporary (vegetable-forward omakase) | French | French |
| Price tier | ¥¥¥ | ¥¥¥ | ¥¥¥¥ |
| Awards | Michelin Plate (2024, 2025) | Michelin-recognised | Michelin-recognised |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate | Moderate–Hard |
| Format | Omakase set menu | Set menu | Set menu |
| Location | Roppongi, Minato City | Aoyama | Nishi-Azabu |
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebuka | Nebuka was opened by the proprietor of a wine bar. It is said that the best grapevines are those with the deepest roots (‘ne-buka’), and deep are the connections Nebuka cultivates with producers and in ingredients and cuisine. Omakase set menus focus on seasonal vegetables. Experienced in both French and Japanese cuisine, the chef applies expertise in both schools, and even creates pasta dishes. Each dish is arranged simply, placing the ingredients centre stage. A young team provides bright and pleasant service.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | ¥¥¥ | — |
| Harutaka | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| RyuGin | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| L'Effervescence | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| HOMMAGE | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Florilège | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥ | — |
A quick look at how Nebuka measures up.
Nebuka's omakase is built around seasonal vegetables, so the menu is already more accommodating than most Japanese tasting menus. That said, the chef works across French and Japanese techniques and incorporates pasta dishes, so there is animal-derived content in supporting preparations. check the venue's official channels in advance — the small, attentive team is noted for bright service, which suggests flexibility where possible.
Nebuka is a Michelin Plate venue in Roppongi with a considered omakase format at ¥¥¥ per head, so dress accordingly — clean, put-together clothing is appropriate. There is no published dress code, but a chef's bar omakase in this price bracket in Tokyo generally calls for business casual at minimum. Avoid overly casual attire.
Pearl rates Nebuka's booking difficulty as Easy, which is notably uncommon for a Michelin-recognised Tokyo omakase. That said, easy is relative in Tokyo's dining scene — booking one to two weeks out is a sensible minimum, especially for weekend seatings. Prime slots will still go quickly, so earlier is better.
At ¥¥¥, Nebuka sits in the mid-to-upper range for Tokyo omakase and earns two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024, 2025). The vegetable-focused format is a point of difference in Roppongi, where beef and seafood-led menus dominate at this price. If you want a produce-driven, French-Japanese tasting experience that is easier to book than comparable Tokyo venues, the value case is solid.
Yes, for the right diner. The omakase set menu centres on seasonal vegetables with French and Japanese technique applied in parallel — including house-made pasta — which makes it a distinct format compared to seafood-led omakase at venues like Harutaka. The chef's dual-school expertise means the menu moves fluidly between traditions rather than splitting them awkwardly. If that sounds like your format, the consecutive Michelin Plate awards suggest consistent execution.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
