Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Creative, affordable Michelin — hard to get in.
Yakumo Uezu holds a Michelin star (2024) in a quiet residential corner of Meguro, serving creative Japanese cuisine shaped by an Okinawan sensibility and a philosophy of unwritten, ever-evolving recipes. At ¥¥¥, it sits below many comparable starred Tokyo addresses in price while delivering more creative range. Hard to book, but worth the effort for a special occasion dinner.
Yakumo Uezu sits in a quiet residential pocket of Meguro, a neighbourhood most visitors pass through rather than pause in. That address tells you something: this is not a restaurant positioning itself for the tourist circuit. It holds a Michelin star (2024) and a 4.6 Google rating from diners who made the deliberate trip south from central Tokyo. If you are planning a special occasion meal and want Japanese cuisine that moves beyond the conventional kaiseki template, this is worth the booking effort. If you want something easier to reserve at a comparable price tier, [Jingumae Higuchi](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/jingumae-higuchi-tokyo-restaurant) or [Ginza Fukuju](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/ginza-fukuju-tokyo-restaurant) offer alternatives with more accessible booking windows.
The kitchen here is guided by a philosophy of constant advancement — an approach documented in the Michelin citation itself, which notes the chef's adoption of Western ingredients such as caviar and truffles alongside the development of what the guide describes as unwritten recipes. That framing matters for how you should think about booking this. You are not coming for a fixed, classical progression you could map in advance. The menu moves, responds, and incorporates influences that sit outside the conventional Japanese fine-dining grammar.
The Okinawa connection is the most distinctive structural element. Marinades built on Miyako miso and brown sugar signal a southern Japanese sensibility , earthier, more assertive than the restraint associated with Kyoto-style kaiseki. Sashimi is seasoned individually rather than relying on a single house approach, which means the pacing and flavour logic of the meal is constructed course by course. Dishes like takikomi-gohan and pureed vegetable soup anchor the menu in Japanese foundations, but the overall experience is expansive rather than narrow. For guests familiar with Tokyo's fine-dining range , from the rigour of [Kagurazaka Ishikawa](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/kagurazaka-ishikawa-tokyo-restaurant) to the precision of [Azabu Kadowaki](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/azabu-kadowaki-tokyo-restaurant) , Yakumo Uezu occupies a creative position that rewards diners who want something less codified.
Address , a residential low-rise block in Yakumo, Meguro , suggests a small, intimate room rather than a formal dining hall. At the ¥¥¥ price tier, the spatial register is almost certainly counter-forward or small-table, the kind of environment where the meal is the only thing happening in the room. That intimacy makes this a strong choice for a two-person celebration or an anniversary dinner where the focus needs to be on the food and the conversation, not on the ambient noise of a larger dining room. Large groups should confirm capacity before booking , this type of restaurant typically does not accommodate parties of six or more without advance arrangement.
No wine program data is available in the current record for Yakumo Uezu. At a Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant in this creative register, the drinks program typically runs toward curated sake selections aligned with seasonal and regional ingredients, with some western wine available for pairing requests. If wine pairing depth is central to your evening , the kind of program that drives the food as much as follows it , restaurants with documented wine programs such as [L'Effervescence](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/leffervescence) or [HOMMAGE](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/hommage) offer a more verifiable pairing experience at the ¥¥¥¥ tier. Confirm the drinks offering directly when you make your reservation.
Yakumo Uezu is hard to book. Michelin recognition at this address , residential, small-scale, with a chef cooking to an unwritten menu , means seat count is limited and demand consistently outpaces availability. Budget a minimum of four to six weeks lead time and treat any cancellation slot as a genuine opportunity. There is no booking platform or phone number listed in the current Pearl record, which means your leading approach is to contact the restaurant directly or use a concierge service familiar with Tokyo's smaller Michelin addresses. If you are staying at a hotel in Tokyo, your concierge desk has the leading chance of securing a reservation on short notice. For comparison on booking difficulty, [Myojaku](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/myojaku-tokyo-restaurant) operates in a similar tier and may have slightly more availability. Check [our full Tokyo restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/tokyo) for current booking intelligence across the city's leading tables.
At ¥¥¥, Yakumo Uezu costs less than many of its Michelin-starred peers in Tokyo, several of which sit at ¥¥¥¥. The Michelin 1 Star (2024) credential and a 4.6 rating on 41 reviews make this a high-confidence booking at its price point. The creative range , Okinawan influence, Western luxury ingredients, individually seasoned sashimi, unwritten recipes , means you are getting something genuinely different from the standard kaiseki progression. For a special occasion where the goal is a memorable, chef-driven meal that does not follow a predictable script, this delivers. If you want to compare across Japan's broader creative-Japanese dining tier, [HAJIME in Osaka](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/hajime-osaka-restaurant), [Gion Sasaki in Kyoto](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/gion-sasaki-kyoto-restaurant), and [Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/kashiwaya-osaka-senriyama-osaka-restaurant) all operate at comparable or higher tiers with their own distinct approaches. Within Tokyo, the value case for Yakumo Uezu is strong , the question is whether you can get a table.
Planning a full Tokyo trip around food? See [our full Tokyo restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/tokyo) for current recommendations across all price tiers, plus [our full Tokyo hotels guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/tokyo), [bars guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/tokyo), [wineries guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/wineries/tokyo), and [experiences guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/tokyo). If you are extending beyond Tokyo, [Isshisoden Nakamura in Kyoto](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/isshisoden-nakamura-kyoto-restaurant), [Goh in Fukuoka](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/goh-fukuoka-restaurant), [akordu in Nara](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/akordu-nara-restaurant), [1000 in Yokohama](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/1000-yokohama-restaurant), and [6 in Okinawa](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/6-okinawa-restaurant) are all worth considering depending on your itinerary.
Yes, at ¥¥¥ with a Michelin star, it sits below the ¥¥¥¥ tier of many comparable Tokyo restaurants. The creative range , Okinawan miso marinades, individually seasoned sashimi, Western luxury ingredients , gives you more than a standard kaiseki at a more accessible price point. The value case is strong if you can secure a reservation.
The Michelin citation specifically highlights the chef's evolving, unwritten recipes and creative incorporation of ingredients like caviar and truffles alongside classical Japanese technique. That is a strong signal that the tasting format here rewards trust , you are not ordering a menu you can preview online. If you prefer knowing what you are getting in advance, a more codified restaurant like [Kagurazaka Ishikawa](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/kagurazaka-ishikawa-tokyo-restaurant) may suit you better.
It is a strong choice for a two-person celebration or anniversary dinner. The intimate residential setting, Michelin-starred food, and chef-driven progression make for a focused, high-quality evening. Large groups should confirm the room can accommodate them before booking , this type of small, counter-forward restaurant typically has limited capacity for parties over four.
The menu is not written in advance, so there is no fixed dish list to plan around. Based on the Michelin record, look for the Okinawan-influenced beef marinated in Miyako miso and brown sugar, individually seasoned sashimi, and takikomi-gohan. The kitchen also produces pureed vegetable soup and incorporates Western ingredients like caviar and truffles. Follow the chef's progression rather than trying to direct it.
No dress code is listed, but a Michelin-starred restaurant at ¥¥¥ in Tokyo sets an implicit standard. Smart casual is the minimum , think well-dressed rather than formal. In Tokyo's fine-dining context, guests at this tier typically dress to match the occasion. Avoid overly casual clothing.
No counter or bar seating configuration is confirmed in the current record. Given the residential small-scale setting, the room may be counter-forward, but this is not verified. Confirm seating options directly when making your reservation.
No dietary restriction policy is listed. With an evolving, unwritten menu, informing the restaurant of any restrictions at the time of booking is essential , not optional. Contact them directly in advance. If dietary flexibility is a concern, restaurants with documented accommodation policies may offer more certainty.
For creative Japanese cuisine at a similar price tier, [Myojaku](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/myojaku-tokyo-restaurant) and [Jingumae Higuchi](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/jingumae-higuchi-tokyo-restaurant) are the closest comparisons. For kaiseki at a higher price tier, [RyuGin](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/ryugin) and [Kagurazaka Ishikawa](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/kagurazaka-ishikawa-tokyo-restaurant) offer more structured progressions. If you want Western fine dining at ¥¥¥¥, [L'Effervescence](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/leffervescence) and [Florilège](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/florilege) are the strongest options in the city.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakumo Uezu | Japanese | The chef draws on a deep well of ideas to conjure delightful surprises. His philosophy is one of constant advancement, as witnessed in his adoption of Western ingredients such as caviar and truffles and the development of unwritten recipes. Sashimi is seasoned individually and, true to his Okinawa pedigree, he marinates beef in Miyako miso and brown sugar. Other items include takikomi-gohan (rice dish boiled with various ingredients) and pureed vegetable soup. His free-flying imagination expands the horizons of Japanese cuisine.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Harutaka | Sushi | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| RyuGin | Kaiseki, Japanese | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'Effervescence | French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| HOMMAGE | Innovtive French, French | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Florilège | French | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Yakumo Uezu and alternatives.
For a Michelin-starred Japanese meal at a similar price point, Harutaka is worth considering for precise sushi-focused work. If you want more theatrical cooking and a bigger production, RyuGin operates at a higher price tier but offers a broader spectacle. L'Effervescence and Florilège work the French-Japanese hybrid lane and suit guests who want wine-pairing menus. HOMMAGE sits in a comparable creative register. Yakumo Uezu's appeal is its residential informality and a chef whose menu is genuinely unscripted — that is harder to find at the ¥¥¥ tier.
No dietary policy data is available in the current record. At a restaurant where recipes are deliberately unwritten and the menu shifts with the chef's ideas, communicating restrictions well in advance of your visit is essential — ideally at the time of booking. Japanese tasting-format restaurants at this level generally require notice to accommodate allergies or exclusions, and Yakumo Uezu's creative, improvised approach makes early communication more important than at fixed-menu peers.
No formal dress code is documented for Yakumo Uezu. The address — a residential block in Yakumo, Meguro — points to an intimate, low-key room rather than a grand dining hall, which typically signals that strict formality is not required. At the ¥¥¥ price tier with a 2024 Michelin star, guests at comparable Tokyo restaurants tend to dress neatly without going black-tie. When in doubt, err toward understated and tidy.
No seating configuration data is available for Yakumo Uezu. Given the residential scale of the address and the highly personal, chef-led format described in the Michelin citation, the room is likely small with limited counter options. Confirm seating preferences directly when making a reservation — counter seats at this type of restaurant often allow closer observation of the kitchen, which suits the chef's improvisational style.
Yes, with the right expectations. The 2024 Michelin 1 Star, the chef's creative format, and the residential intimacy of Meguro make it a strong choice for a low-key but serious occasion — an anniversary or a milestone meal where the food matters more than the setting's grandeur. It is better suited to two people than a larger group, and to guests who want to be surprised by the menu rather than those who want to pre-select dishes.
At ¥¥¥, it holds up well against Tokyo's Michelin-starred competition, most of which sits at ¥¥¥¥. The Michelin citation highlights a genuinely evolving menu — unwritten recipes, Western ingredients like caviar and truffles integrated into a Japanese framework, Miyako miso-marinated beef — which means you are not paying for a fixed script repeated nightly. For guests who value a chef working freely rather than executing a polished set piece, the format justifies the price.
At ¥¥¥, Yakumo Uezu is priced below many of its 2024 Michelin-starred peers in Tokyo. The citation documents a chef who marinates beef in Miyako miso and brown sugar, seasons sashimi individually, and builds menus from unwritten recipes influenced by his Okinawa background and Western ingredients. That combination of credential and creative range at this price point is not easy to find in Tokyo. Worth it for guests who want craft over ceremony.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
