Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Serious beef, no ceremony. Book ahead.
A chef-led steakhouse in Kamimeguro that punches well above its low-key basement setting. Chef Sohei Yuki holds an Opinionated About Dining Top 600 Japan ranking — serious credentials for a format with no tasting menus and no theatrical trappings. Book for weekday lunch to get the best value and the quietest room.
The assumption with a Tokyo steakhouse in a basement in Kamimeguro is that you're trading ambiance for value, or settling for something that doesn't quite belong in the same conversation as the city's celebrated tasting-menu restaurants. Steak Dining Vitis corrects that assumption. Chef Sohei Yuki's restaurant has climbed Tokyo's competitive dining ranks consistently — from #399 in the 2024 Opinionated About Dining Japan rankings to #540 in 2025, the slight drop in rank reflecting a more competitive field rather than any slip in quality. A 4.6 Google rating across 91 reviews confirms steady execution. Book it if serious steak work in a low-key setting is what you're after.
Don't go to Vitis expecting the theatrical presentation of a hotel steakhouse or the ceremony of a high-end teppanyaki counter. The Kamimeguro address, a basement-level room a short walk from one of Tokyo's more residential train stops, signals something different: a chef-led steakhouse operating without the overhead or the pretension. That gap between setting and execution is exactly where Vitis earns its reputation.
Chef Sohei Yuki's focus is on the meat itself. In the context of Tokyo's steakhouse category, that means Japanese beef handled with the same rigor you'd expect from the city's French or kaiseki kitchens. The OAD ranking places Vitis inside the top 600 restaurants in Japan across all cuisines — a meaningful credential in a country where the competition is as concentrated as anywhere in the world. For context, venues like RyuGin and L'Effervescence compete in that same ranking system. Holding a position there as a steakhouse, without the tasting-menu format or the white-tablecloth backdrop, is the clearest signal of what Vitis is doing.
The dining room is in Meguro City, at 3 Chome-1-13 B1F , basement level. Hours run every day of the week: lunch from 12:00 to 2:30 pm, dinner from 5:00 to 11:00 pm. The consistency across all seven days makes this easier to fit into a Tokyo itinerary than many of its peers, which often close mid-week or operate on tighter service windows.
Lunch is the sharper value play here. Tokyo steakhouses at this level frequently offer lunch menus at a significant discount to dinner, and arriving at the start of the lunch window (around noon) gives you the quietest room and the most attentive service. Weekday lunches are your leading bet for a relaxed, unhurried meal. Weekend dinners at a venue with consistent OAD recognition do fill , plan accordingly and book in advance rather than relying on walk-in availability.
If you're building a broader Japan dining itinerary, Vitis pairs well with a visit to restaurants in other cities: HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, or Goh in Fukuoka each represent a different corner of the country's dining range. Within Tokyo, round out the trip with Harutaka for sushi or Crony for something more inventive.
For a full picture of where Vitis sits in Tokyo's dining scene, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide. Planning a longer stay? Our Tokyo hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the trip. If steak is your focus across borders, compare Vitis against Capa in Orlando or A Cut in Taipei for a sense of how the category plays out in other markets. And for more of Japan outside Tokyo: akordu in Nara, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa are worth adding to the list depending on your route. For a high-end French alternative within Tokyo, Sézanne is the benchmark in that category.
It's a chef-led steakhouse, not a hotel restaurant or a theatrical teppanyaki experience. The setting is low-key basement dining in Kamimeguro; the execution is well above what that suggests. An OAD Top 600 Japan ranking means you're eating at a serious level. Come focused on the meat, not the room. Lunch is the easiest entry point for a first visit.
Lunch. Tokyo's quality steakhouses almost always offer better value at the midday service, and the room is quieter. The hours are the same every day (12:00–2:30 pm lunch, 5:00–11:00 pm dinner), so there's no complicated scheduling. If you want the full dinner experience without competition for tables, a weeknight dinner is more relaxed than a weekend sitting.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, but for weekend dinners at an OAD-ranked venue in Tokyo, don't push it , aim for at least a week out. Weekday lunches are more accessible and may be available on shorter notice. No phone number is published in Pearl's database; check current booking platforms for the most direct reservation route.
A basement steakhouse in Kamimeguro with a focused meat-forward menu is a solid solo choice, particularly at lunch when the pace is more relaxed. Tokyo's dining culture is comfortable with solo diners across all formats, and a chef-run room at this level typically means attentive, unhurried service rather than the impersonal pace of a larger operation.
Seat count isn't confirmed in Pearl's data, but basement-level rooms in Tokyo's Meguro neighbourhood tend to be compact. Groups of four or more should contact the venue directly to confirm availability and seating configuration before booking. For a large group dinner, a Tokyo hotel steakhouse with a confirmed private dining room may be a safer option.
Bar seating isn't confirmed in the available data. The venue is a focused steakhouse rather than a bar-led concept, so counter or bar dining isn't guaranteed. Contact the venue directly if that's your preference. For counter-focused dining in Tokyo, Harutaka offers the classic omakase counter experience as an alternative format.
No specific information is available in Pearl's database. A steakhouse format is inherently meat-focused, which limits flexibility for vegetarian or vegan diners. For dietary restrictions beyond beef preparation preferences, contact the venue directly before booking. The website and phone number are not currently listed in Pearl's data, so reaching out via the booking platform you use to reserve is the most practical route.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steak Dining Vitis | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #540 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Japan Ranked #399 (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 | ¥¥¥ | — |
How Steak Dining Vitis stacks up against the competition.
Groups of more than four will need to plan carefully. The Kamimeguro basement address suggests a compact space, and an OAD-ranked venue at this level in Tokyo typically runs a tight operation with limited covers. check the venue's official channels to confirm group availability before assuming a large table is possible.
Vitis is a serious, format-driven steakhouse in a basement in Kamimeguro under chef Sohei Yuki — ranked #399 by Opinionated About Dining in 2024, rising to #540 in 2025 across all Japan. Come expecting precise, focused beef cookery rather than theatrical presentation. Lunch is the sharper entry point for first-timers: Tokyo steakhouses at this tier routinely offer lunch at a meaningful discount to dinner pricing.
Yes. A focused, chef-driven steakhouse in this format is well-suited to solo diners who want to eat at the counter or bar and engage with the cooking directly. If counter seating is available, request it when booking — it's the most immediate way to experience what Vitis is doing.
Lunch is the better value case. Tokyo steakhouses at this tier typically offer lunch menus at a significant discount to dinner, and Vitis runs lunch service daily from 12–2:30 pm. If price is a factor, start at lunch. If you want the full evening experience, dinner runs until 11 pm and gives you more time to settle in.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in the available data, but the venue's basement format and focused operation suggest counter or bar-adjacent seating is likely part of the layout. Confirm when booking, and request counter seating if solo dining is your preference.
Book at least two to three weeks out, more if you're targeting a weekend dinner. Vitis has appeared on Opinionated About Dining's Japan rankings two years running, which means it draws a dedicated audience beyond neighbourhood regulars. Lunch slots on weekdays are your best chance at a shorter lead time.
Dietary accommodation is not documented in the available data, and a specialist steakhouse format is not built around flexibility by design. If you have serious restrictions, contact the restaurant in advance — but go in knowing that beef cookery is the core of what Vitis does, and the menu is unlikely to pivot far from that.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
