Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
OAD-ranked Italian. Book without the scramble.
Ristorante Aso is a tasting-menu Italian restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo, ranked on the Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan list every year from 2023 to 2025. Booking is Easy and one to two weeks ahead is typically sufficient. The right choice for a focused, course-driven Italian dinner in a calm Shibuya setting.
Ristorante Aso sits in Shibuya's Sarugakucho neighbourhood and has held a place on the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in Japan list every year from 2023 through 2025, climbing from Recommended to Highly Recommended and eventually reaching a ranked position. That consistent upward trajectory — from unranked recognition to a ranked slot among Japan's leading restaurants — is a meaningful signal for a first-time visitor deciding whether to commit. Pricing information is not publicly listed, so contact the restaurant directly to confirm costs before you book, but at this tier of Italian dining in Tokyo, expect a tasting-menu format in the range typical of multi-course fine dining in the city.
If you are visiting Tokyo for Italian cuisine specifically and want a kitchen that applies Japanese precision to Italian structure, Ristorante Aso is one of the more considered choices in the city. Chef Taku Takashina leads the kitchen. Book it for a special dinner or a considered lunch, not a casual drop-in.
Italian fine dining in Tokyo occupies a specific niche: it tends to be quieter and more focused than its European counterparts, with service calibrated to the Japanese standard of attentiveness. At Ristorante Aso, the format is built around a tasting menu progression, the architecture of which follows a classical Italian logic while drawing on Japanese seasonal ingredient sensibility. For a first-timer, that means the meal is sequenced rather than à la carte , you are moving through courses, not choosing between them.
The kitchen is in Sarugakucho, a low-key Shibuya sub-district that trades in independent restaurants and boutiques rather than department stores and crowds. The surrounding streets are walkable and calm by Tokyo standards, which sets the register before you even arrive. Italian kitchens working at this level in Japan often foreground aromatic construction, and the course-by-course progression at a venue like this is typically where you notice it most: a broth, a sauce reduced from Italian technique, or a garnish from the Japanese pantry. Without specific dish data from the venue, no tasting notes can be provided, but the OAD ranking trajectory confirms the kitchen is producing food that knowledgeable diners find worth returning to.
Service runs on a tight window: lunch from 12:00 to 1:30 pm and dinner from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday plus Monday, with Wednesday closed. Those are compressed seatings. A 90-minute lunch window is genuinely short for a multi-course meal, so arrive on time and expect a focused, well-paced service rather than a leisurely two-hour ramble. Dinner gives you a two-hour window, which is the more comfortable format for a tasting menu if your schedule allows.
Google reviews sit at 4.4 across 632 ratings, which is a reliable indicator of consistent execution at a venue at this price point. Very high scores with very few reviews can indicate a honeymoon period; 632 reviews at 4.4 suggests the kitchen delivers reliably across a broad range of guests.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means you are unlikely to need a month of advance planning. That said, the compressed service windows , two seatings per day, closed on Wednesdays , limit total cover counts, so do not assume you can book same-week for a Friday or Saturday dinner without checking. A week to ten days ahead should be sufficient for most dates outside peak travel periods. No phone number or website is listed in public records; to book, approach via the restaurant directly in person or through a third-party reservation platform that covers Tokyo fine dining.
The address is 29-3 Sarugakucho, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0033. Shibuya is well-connected by train, and Sarugakucho is a short walk from Daikanyama or Naka-Meguro stations, both on the Tokyu Toyoko Line.
Quick reference: Lunch 12:00–1:30 pm, Dinner 6:00–8:00 pm, closed Wednesdays. Booking: Easy, 1–2 weeks ahead typical. Address: 29-3 Sarugakucho, Shibuya.
For other Italian options in Tokyo, Aroma Fresca, PRISMA, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo, Principio, and AlCeppo are all worth considering depending on your budget and format preference. If you want Italian in Kyoto specifically, cenci is the reference point, while 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong is the wider regional comparison for three-Michelin-star Italian in Asia.
For the broader Tokyo dining picture, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide. For planning around accommodation, our Tokyo hotels guide covers the full range. You can also explore bars, wineries, and experiences in the city. If your Japan trip extends beyond Tokyo, HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa are all Pearl-tracked venues worth your attention.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so one to two weeks ahead is usually sufficient. The compressed service windows (two seatings per day, closed Wednesdays) do limit availability, so for Friday or Saturday dinner, booking ten days out is sensible. During peak Tokyo travel periods, push that to two weeks minimum. The OAD ranking means demand from food-focused visitors is real, even if the queue is not as deep as at the city's hardest-to-book tables.
Dinner is the more comfortable format. The lunch window runs 12:00 to 1:30 pm , 90 minutes is tight for a tasting menu and requires precise arrival. Dinner runs 6:00 to 8:00 pm, giving you a full two hours, which suits the pacing of a multi-course Italian progression. If your schedule only allows lunch, it works, but arrive exactly on time.
Yes, with caveats. The OAD ranking, the tasting menu format, and the focused service environment all point to a venue suited to a celebratory dinner. The Shibuya Sarugakucho location is quiet and low-key rather than grand and theatrical, so if you need visual drama for the occasion, temper expectations. For pure food quality and attentive service at a special-occasion price point, it is a well-supported choice.
No specific dietary policy is listed in available data. At tasting-menu Italian restaurants in Tokyo operating at this level, advance notice of restrictions is standard practice and usually accommodated. Contact the restaurant directly before booking to confirm , do not assume flexibility on the night without prior communication, particularly for serious allergies or vegetarian requirements in a meat-and-fish-forward Italian format.
No bar-seating information is available in current venue data. Italian fine dining in Tokyo at this format typically centres on the dining room rather than a bar counter. If counter seating or walk-in access matters to you, confirm directly with the restaurant before visiting.
No group-booking policy or private dining information is listed publicly. For parties larger than four, contact the restaurant in advance: the compressed service windows and tasting-menu format suggest a limited-cover dining room that may not flex easily for large groups. Small groups of two to four are the natural fit for this format.
For Italian specifically: Aroma Fresca and PRISMA are the closest comparisons in terms of format and ambition. For a broader fine dining alternative at a similar price tier, L'Effervescence (French) and Crony (innovative French) offer tasting menus with strong critical backing. If you want Japanese cuisine at a comparable level, RyuGin is the kaiseki reference point.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ristorante Aso | Italian | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #483 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #358 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #424 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Highly Recommended (2023); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Recommended (2023) | Easy | — |
| Harutaka | Sushi | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'Effervescence | French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| RyuGin | Kaiseki, Japanese | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| HOMMAGE | Innovtive French, French | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Crony | Innovative, French | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
How Ristorante Aso stacks up against the competition.
Dietary restriction handling is not documented in available venue data for Ristorante Aso. Given the tasting-format nature of Italian fine dining at this level in Tokyo — where courses are typically pre-set — raise any restrictions clearly at the time of booking rather than on arrival. Calling ahead is advisable.
Booking difficulty at Ristorante Aso is rated Easy, so you are unlikely to need more than a week or two of lead time in most cases. That said, the service windows are compressed — two seatings per day, six days a week, closed Wednesdays — so specific date flexibility helps. Lunch slots (12–1:30 pm) may be easier to secure than dinner (6–8 pm).
Bar seating specifics are not documented for Ristorante Aso. The restaurant is a focused Italian fine dining room in Sarugakucho, Shibuya, and at this category of venue in Tokyo walk-in bar dining is uncommon. check the venue's official channels to confirm seating options before assuming counter availability.
Both sessions run the same tight format — 90-minute windows at 12 pm and 6 pm — so neither has a structural advantage over the other. Lunch works well if you want to keep your evening free; dinner is the default for a special occasion atmosphere. Pricing differences between the two are not documented, so confirm at booking.
For Italian fine dining in Tokyo, Aroma Fresca and PRISMA are the closest comparators in terms of format and standing. Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo suits diners who want international name recognition alongside Italian cooking. Principio and AlCeppo are worth considering if you want a less formal or more neighbourhood-focused Italian meal.
Yes, with the right expectations. Ristorante Aso has appeared on the Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan list every year from 2023 through 2025, reaching #358 at its peak — a meaningful credential for a special dinner. The format is quiet and focused rather than celebratory, so it suits anniversaries or intimate dinners more than large group milestones.
Group capacity details are not documented for Ristorante Aso. Italian fine dining rooms in Shibuya at this tier typically seat small numbers, and the 90-minute service windows suggest a compact operation. For groups larger than four, check the venue's official channels before booking to confirm availability and whether a private arrangement is possible.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
