Le Petit Tonneau (Azabu-juban) Featured

Le Petit Tonneau has three locations in Tokyo, all designed to capture the essence of an authentic Parisian bistro and boasting an extensive list of Southern French wines. The Azabu-juban location is the newest and our favorite.

The Azabu-juban location of this popular trio of French restaurants is divided into two floors, with lower being fully open to the street and offering a great view of passers by and other goings on at the quiet interestion where it sits. Seating is somewhat tight, but not so much that the place loses it's comfortable intimacy. The mostly-French waitstaff are attentive and very good at recommending dishes and wines that might go well with them.

And speaking of wine, the winelist is one of the best things about Le Petit Tonneau. Unlike most other Tokyo restaurants, the folks at Petit Tonneau select and purchase all of their wine directly from France, taking great pains to ensure that what gets served in the restaurants matches perfectly the cuisine on the menu. Almost all of the wines come from Southern France, primarily the regions of Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence and the Rhone Valley, although a selection of premium wines from Bordeaux are also on-hand. They sell almost all of their wines on their online wine store, and regularly offer promotions such as this free bottle of wine special offer.

The menu changes often and often includes hard-to-find dishes like Cassoulet. While certainly not priced at the bottom of what you might expect in the typical range for French cuisine, chances are good you'll not leave thinking you paid to much. The quality of ingredients and preparation is exceptional.



Le Petit Tonneau opened its doors to the public in September 2001. Finally a brand new concept in wine and gastronomy brought together under one roof in a setting and atmosphere typical of an authentic Parisian bistro. Their original and exclusive wine selection is only available in Japan at Le Petit Tonneau. The owners believe their innovative, meticulously chosen, selections of French wine will give you a better knowledge and experience with wine from France and, in particular, the South of France. Chef Philippe Batton has taken great care to create the "carte gourmande" (food lover's menu) explicitly taking into consideration ideal matches between their cuisine and wine selection in order to intensify your dining experience.