Ginza Toyoda is a 1 Michelin star restaurant in Tokyo that sells a kaiseki dinner for 30,250 yen. Whew! That’s quite out of our budget! So we opted for a lunch which was much more budget friendly at 12,100 yen. We have read that Ginza Toyoda used to have 2 Michelin stars but at the time of this blog post being published and when we went, the official Michelin website only listed it as one.
If you’re looking for MORE affordable affordable Michelin food in Tokyo, be sure to check out Seisoka.
GINZA TOYODA LUNCH EXPERIENCE
We arrived at the restaurant and were greeting very warmly. The host would act as our server during the meal. The restaurant is fairly small and at our 12pm seating, they only served two other people at the same time as us. Ginza Toyoda staggered the seating and at its busiest there were only 8 diners. The service was attentive and our tea was constantly topped up. It was a delight watching the chef prepare food in front of us and he always explained in English what we were having.
THE FOOD
The seafood at Ginza Toyoda is simply so fresh. The dried mullet roe is something Howie eats in Taiwan but he says it’s better than what he’s had there. The snow crab in starch was one of my favorites as you could taste the sweetness of the crab. The sashimi was of such superb quality!
That prawn on top of the yuba dumpling? Sweet and scrumptious. The soup stock was so clear but held a lot of flavor. The yuzu on top brought a delightful freshness to the whole bowl.
The grilled Spanish mackerel was better than anything we’ve had in Vancouver. Perfect charred top but the meat was tender.
We have to admit that milt isn’t our cup of tea so we didn’t finish the portion served to us. However, we gobbled down the radish. It had soaked the broth perfectly.
The oyster rice came out and I have to admit I was feeling so full by then. The chef served us each a small portion but he actually had a lot more. He kindly asked if we wanted to take the rest home.
Fresh Fruit
We had a sweet bean paste as the first part of our dessert. To finish off our meal, we had fresh fruit (strawberry and pear slices). The fresh fruit was the perfect palate cleanser!
We were full at the end of the meal but not uncomfortably so. This was a good amount of food for the both of us, especially since we could’ve had more rice at the restaurant if we wanted.
PRICING
The lunch course is 12,100 yen versus the dinner which is 30,250. If you want, you can also reserve the dinner course for lunchtime. Service and tip is included. The restaurant accepts all major credit cards. You can make reservations online very easily. You will get an email reminder to confirm your reservation as it gets closer to the date so don’t forget to do that.
A couple did order the dinner set during lunch time and we could see the chef preparing a fresh king crab as part of their meal!
If you want, you can order additional drinks such as tea or alcoholic beverages to go with your lunch. We opted out of doing so. The staff did not make us feel like we were “cheaping” out by not getting anything additional.
OVERALL
Ginza Toyoda was such a delightful dining experience. For anyone on a budget, it is a no brainer to get the lunch course. We were very happy with what we got. Even though we love king crab and would have loved to try it in the dinner course, it was enough fun for us to watch the chef cut it up and grill it. We recommend making reservations online early to make sure you get a spot.
If you love Michelin meals on a budget, be sure to check out our post on Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnais! It’s only $35 CAD for a 3 course meal in Tokyo!
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