The private room at Sazenka

Why it is on the list

Sazenka has held three Michelin stars since 2021, with Tomoya Kawada as chef.¹ The chef trained in both Chinese and Japanese cooking, and the kitchen cooks Chinese dishes around Japanese ingredients.² The restaurant fills a detached house in Minami-Azabu, once an embassy residence, near Arisugawa Park.³ Next to the 14-seat main dining room there are three private rooms: one for four on the ground floor, and one for four and one for six upstairs.³ The private rooms are also where young children are welcome, and the kitchen can make them their own dishes there; the main dining room takes children from 12.²³

It is the wrong room for more than six. Take the Versailles salon at Joël Robuchon or the private salon at L'Osier instead.

How to get it

Book the private rooms online through the restaurant's web booking page, which sends private rooms to a separate booking page from the main dining room, or call the reservations line on 050-3188-8819 between 10:00 and 16:00 on days the restaurant is open.⁴⁵ Ask for the six-seat room upstairs. The book opens on the first of each month for every date up to the end of the month after next.⁵ About a week ahead, staff call to confirm; a booking they cannot confirm four days out may be cancelled.⁵ For five or more guests, cancelling within 48 hours costs the full food price, and half the food price in the days before that.⁵⁴ Tell them about allergies when you book; requests made at the table may not be met or may cost extra.⁵

Dinner opens at 16:00, with the last seating at 19:30, and closing days vary month to month.³ In November and December only the Shanghai crab course is served, about 15 dishes, ¥20,000 to ¥23,000 before tax, depending on the crab.⁶ Smart casual; no shorts or sandals for men, and no perfume or cologne.³

Discretion

The house stands on its own, among the embassies of France, Finland, Pakistan and Germany.³ The entrance has steps; say so on arrival and staff will help anyone who needs it.³ The whole house is non-smoking, the entrance and terrace included.³ The restaurant keeps a single parking space, given to whoever asks first when booking.²