Maruya-Honten
Unagi, or freshwater eel, has long been a part of Japanese cuisine, and though it’s strongly associated with summer due to the belief that it can alleviate hot-weather fatigue, it’s delicious year-round. At Maruya-Honten, dine on savory-sweet hitsumabushi, a Nagoya specialty of grilled unagi on rice, expertly prepared by skilled unagi artisans. The dish can be enjoyed three ways: as-is, mixed with condiments and as ochazuke, which involves pouring a special soup stock over your final bites for a refreshing end to your meal. Unagi aficionados will find Maruya-Honten on the third floor of the Garden Terrace.
Miyagawacho Suiren
If you’re longing for a calm, relaxed space that evokes the memory of Kyoto’s old geisha district, then make haste to Miyagawacho Suiren on the third floor of the Garden Terrace. The restaurant, which offers a full-course Kyoto-inspired dining experience featuring carefully prepared seasonal dishes, stays fresh with a menu that changes monthly while also preserving the traditions of Kyoto cuisine. Chefs at the restaurant are dedicated to the creation of well-crafted courses inspired by themes such as the transience of nature and human emotion.
Philippe Mille Tokyo
This restaurant is an exciting first foray into Japan for Chef Philippe Mille, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (“best craftsmen of France”) recipient. Mille, along with Tokyo head chef Tetsuya Nakamura, expertly recreates beloved specialties of Mille’s Michelin two-star restaurant, Le Parc Les Crayères, while also delivering an original menu exclusive to Japan that features locally sourced seasonal ingredients. In addition to the sumptuous items on offer, the restaurant, located on the fourth floor of the Garden Terrace, has a wide selection of Champagne, with over 160 houses currently available.
Toshi Yoroizuka
It’s hard to find a pâtissier more accomplished than Toshi Yoroizuka. The award-winning chef has trained extensively in Europe and was the first Japanese chef pâtissier at a Michelin three-star restaurant. Yoroizuka’s heavenly creations have been available to visitors to Tokyo Midtown since 2007 when a branch of the chef’s eponymously named dessert specialty store opened. In addition to providing a first-rate dining experience and a wide selection of sweets and baked goods to take home, the shop, on the first floor of the Plaza, also hosts live cooking demonstrations during which a pâtissier makes a one-of-a-kind seasonal dessert.
Nihonbashi Kaisendon Tsujihan
Nihonbashi Kaisendon Tsujihan, found on the B1 level of the Galleria, is a collaboration between Yudai Tsujita, the ramen prodigy behind the Tsujita chain of restaurants, and Shinya Kaneko, founder of Kaneko-Hannosuke, famous for its tempura-topped rice bowl. At Nihonbashi Kaisendon Tsujihan, the duo, in partnership with Hokkaido’s largest marine wholesaler, aims to provide customers with a thoroughly delicious — and incredibly large — kaisendon seafood rice bowl. The bowl, dubbed Zeitaku-don, comes topped with a veritable mountain of seafood that includes tuna sashimi, sea urchin and salmon.
Kayanoya
At the heart of Japanese cuisine is dashi, a soup stock that provides dishes with a deep umami. One of the best-known producers of dashi is Kayanoya, whose history stretches back to 1893. Today, Kayanoya specializes in a wide range of soup stocks and seasonings that contain no artificial flavorings or preservatives, which means that the taste, quality and nutritional value remain intact. In addition to selling stocks and seasonings, the Tokyo Midtown store offers light meals that come with soups made with their signature dashi for eat-in or takeout at their restaurant, Shiruya Kayanoya, on the B1 level of the Galleria.
Toraya
A noren curtain emblazoned with the Japanese character for “tiger” marks the entrance to Toraya, one of Japan’s best-known and loved confectionery shops. Though Toraya, which boasts approximately 500 years of history, is most renowned for its yokan, a jelled sweet bean paste, it also produces various other traditional confections. At Tokyo Midtown, Toraya and the adjoining Toraya Karyo tearoom offer a variety of traditional sweets, including anmitsu, a dessert consisting of cubes of agar jelly, various seasonal toppings, sweet bean paste and syrup, and kuzukiri, a refreshing chilled dessert-like noodle dish. You’ll find these tasty treats on the B1 level of the Galleria.
Billboard Live Tokyo
Tokyo Midtown isn’t just an urban oasis of shopping, dining and lush green space, it’s also home to an excellent restaurant with live music. Billboard Live Tokyo, named for the beloved music brand, can accommodate approximately 300 people across three floors, with seating ranging from sofas to table seating. Thrill at live performances from a diverse range of world-class musicians hailing from across Japan and the world while indulging in a wide selection of delicious meals and beverages. Billboard Live Tokyo can be accessed from the fourth floor of the Garden Terrace.
