Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Creative izakaya punching above its price.
A Michelin Plate kappo izakaya in Ginza, Tokihami earns its recognition by applying luxury ingredients — foie gras monaka, caviar-topped rice, truffle omelette — with genuine wit rather than showmanship. At the ¥¥ price point in one of Tokyo's most expensive dining neighbourhoods, it is a strong value case for creative Japanese-Western cooking. Book it, and plan to return.
Picture a small plate arriving at your table: a monaka wafer, the kind you'd expect to find filled with sweet bean paste, but instead it holds foie gras. That image tells you almost everything you need to know about Tokihami. This kappo izakaya on the second floor of a building in Ginza's 3-chome district earns its two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) not by playing it safe, but by making Japanese-Western fusion feel genuinely considered rather than gimmicky. At the ¥¥ price point, it is one of the more compelling reasons to spend an evening in this part of Tokyo.
The verdict: book it, especially if you have already done the standard Ginza kaiseki or sushi circuit and want something with more creative range at a fraction of the price. First-timers will leave curious to return. Regulars will keep finding new reasons to.
Tokihami sits in Ginza, the neighbourhood that sets Tokyo's benchmark for expensive dining. That context matters for your decision: at the ¥¥ price range, this is a rare opportunity to eat creatively in one of the city's most prestigious dining postcodes without committing to a multi-course blowout. The format is izakaya — ordering freely from an extensive menu rather than following a fixed sequence — but the kitchen operates with kappo-level craft and precision.
The menu's range is the main draw. Japanese and Western techniques collide throughout: sansho pepper simmered in oil becomes an ajillo-style dish with seafood and unripe pepper; a truffle omelette sits alongside more traditional izakaya staples. Then there is Tsufuhan, which the restaurant calls 'Gout Rice' , salmon roe, bottarga, sea urchin, and caviar piled together in what amounts to a deliberate act of indulgence rendered in rice-bowl form. The Google rating of 4.5 across 103 reviews suggests the kitchen's ambition lands consistently.
The izakaya format rewards a multi-visit approach more than almost any other dining style. On a first visit, the natural instinct is to cover the obvious highlights: the foie gras monaka, the 'Gout Rice,' the ajillo-style sansho dish. These are the anchor plates, and they are worth ordering in full. But Tokihami's menu is described as extensive, and a single visit only scratches the surface.
By a second visit, you have a better sense of the kitchen's logic: the interplay between Japanese umami depth and Western richness, the way luxury ingredients are applied with a degree of wit rather than mere accumulation. Use the second visit to move into less obvious territory , the menu's breadth means there is likely a whole register of dishes you did not reach the first time around. For Ginza regulars and Tokyo-based diners, this is the kind of place that earns a slot in a monthly rotation rather than a once-a-year occasion. For visitors, two visits within a longer stay is entirely justified given the price point.
A third visit, if you can manage it, is the point at which Tokihami starts to feel like a standing arrangement rather than a reservation. The izakaya format means you are never locked into the same meal twice. Pair it strategically: if you have spent an evening at somewhere like Ginza Nominokoji Yamagishi or Ginza Shimada earlier in a trip, Tokihami offers a contrasting register , looser, more playful, lower stakes financially but not lower in quality. For similar creative izakaya energy in other parts of Japan, Benikurage in Osaka and Berangkat in Kyoto offer useful points of comparison if you are building a wider Japan itinerary.
The Ginza location is central and well-served by transit, making it direct to combine with an evening that starts or ends elsewhere. The second-floor address in a building on Ginza 3-chome is the sort of spot that is easy to walk past , worth confirming the floor before you arrive. Booking is rated easy, which is consistent with the ¥¥ izakaya category in Tokyo, but the Michelin recognition and strong Google score mean it will not stay a walk-in proposition indefinitely on busy evenings. Booking ahead is sensible.
For context on where Tokihami sits within Tokyo's broader dining options, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide. If you are building a full trip around food, Daikanyama Issai Kassai and Hakata Hotaru are worth adding to your Tokyo shortlist. Further afield, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, HAJIME in Osaka, and Goh in Fukuoka represent the broader tier of creative Japanese dining Tokihami belongs to in spirit, if not in format or price. Our guides to Tokyo hotels, Tokyo bars, and Tokyo experiences can help fill out the rest of a stay.
Tokihami is located on the second floor at 3-11-6 Suzuki Building, Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo (〒104-0061). Booking difficulty is rated easy, but with two Michelin Plates and a growing reputation, reservations on weekend evenings are worth making in advance. The ¥¥ price range puts this squarely in accessible Ginza territory. No phone or website is listed in Pearl's current data , searching in Japanese (「鴇波」) may help surface current reservation options. For broader neighbourhood context, the Hakata Issou listing and our Tokyo wineries guide offer additional evening planning resources. Other creative destinations across Japan worth bookmarking: akordu in Nara, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa.
Start with the foie gras monaka and the Tsufuhan ('Gout Rice' , salmon roe, bottarga, sea urchin, caviar) on visit one. The sansho ajillo-style seafood dish is another confirmed highlight from Michelin's own description of the kitchen. The menu is extensive, so treat the first visit as reconnaissance: note what you did not reach and return for round two.
At ¥¥, yes , strongly. This is Michelin-recognised creative cooking in Ginza at a price that sits well below the neighbourhood average for comparable quality. For the same spend elsewhere in Ginza you are more likely to get a competent but uncreative meal. Tokihami's kitchen applies luxury ingredients (foie gras, caviar, truffle) with enough wit to justify the cost without feeling like a premium ingredient checklist.
Tokihami operates as an izakaya, meaning the format is à la carte ordering rather than a fixed tasting sequence. This works in your favour: you control the pace and spend. Order broadly across the menu rather than safely. The Michelin Plate recognition reflects the kitchen's consistency across the full range, not just a signature dish.
Booking is rated easy, but that reflects the category, not a guarantee of walk-in availability. With two consecutive Michelin Plates and a 4.5 Google score, popular evening slots will fill. Book at least a week ahead for weekend evenings; midweek visits may be more flexible. No direct booking link or phone number is currently available in Pearl's data , check Japanese reservation platforms or search the restaurant name directly.
No dress code is specified in Pearl's data. As a kappo izakaya in Ginza, smart casual is the safe call , you will not be underdressed in business casual or overdressed in a jacket. The neighbourhood skews more formal than most Tokyo dining areas, so avoid overly casual attire out of respect for the setting.
No specific dietary policy is available in Pearl's data, and the venue has no listed website or phone number to check in advance. The menu is described as extensive and fusion-oriented, which usually means some flexibility, but the kitchen leans heavily on seafood, dairy, and luxury animal proteins (foie gras, caviar, sea urchin). If you have strict dietary requirements, confirm directly before booking.
Seat count is not confirmed in Pearl's data, and the venue is a second-floor Ginza address, which typically means limited capacity. Groups of two to four are likely the sweet spot for the izakaya format. Larger groups should contact the venue directly to confirm availability and whether private or reserved seating is possible.
Yes. The izakaya format suits solo dining well: you order as much or as little as you want, and the counter or small-table environment common to this venue type means you are not penalised for a table of one. At the ¥¥ price point, a solo meal here is one of the more cost-effective ways to eat creatively in Ginza. It also makes the multi-visit approach easier to manage on your own schedule.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokihami | A kappo izakaya bursting with creativity. The extensive menu captures your attention with its blend of Japanese and Western styles. Sansho pepper simmered in oil becomes ajillo à la Japonaise with seafood and unripe pepper. Popular items are lavished with delicacies: monaka wafers stuffed with foie gras, for example, or truffle omelette. Tsufuhan (‘Gout Rice’) is an ensemble of salmon roe, salted and dried grey mullet roe, sea urchin and caviar. Opulence that piques one’s curiosity.; 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 | ¥¥¥ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Tokihami and alternatives.
Tokihami is a Ginza address, so dress as you would for the neighbourhood: neat and presentable, but not formal. A kappo izakaya format sits between casual bar and serious dining room, so smart casual is the natural read. Avoid overly casual clothes given the Michelin Plate recognition and the calibre of ingredients on the menu.
The menu leans heavily on seafood, foie gras, truffle, roe, and shellfish-based preparations, so strict vegetarians or those allergic to shellfish will find the menu a difficult fit. Dietary information is not published, so check the venue's official channels before booking to confirm what can be accommodated.
Tokihami's format is a kappo izakaya, meaning the experience is built around ordering from an extensive menu rather than a fixed tasting sequence. If you want a curated chef-led progression, RyuGin or Harutaka are better options in Tokyo. At ¥¥ pricing, the flexibility of ordering multiple small plates here is arguably a stronger value proposition than a single locked tasting menu.
Tokihami is a second-floor venue in a small Ginza building, which generally means limited seating capacity. The izakaya format suits groups well in terms of how food is ordered and shared, but confirm space and reservation policy directly, as no group booking details are published.
Yes, for what it is. A ¥¥ price point in Ginza with Michelin Plate recognition two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) and dishes built around sea urchin, caviar, foie gras, and truffle is a clear value case. You are getting ingredient-led cooking at a fraction of what nearby fine dining rooms charge. For a straight luxury-ingredient blowout on a moderate budget in Tokyo, this is a strong call.
The standout items documented for the venue are the foie gras-stuffed monaka wafer, the truffle omelette, the sansho pepper seafood ajillo, and Tsufuhan ('Gout Rice'), which combines salmon roe, dried grey mullet roe, sea urchin, and caviar. These are the dishes that define the kitchen's approach, so prioritise them on a first visit.
Booking difficulty is rated as easy, which suggests Tokihami is more accessible than most Ginza Michelin-recognised venues. That said, Ginza restaurants with two consecutive Michelin Plate years do attract repeat visitors, so booking a week or two ahead is sensible rather than assuming walk-in availability.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
