http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/ 450-38 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/450-cavo An average wine bar in Ebisu. Good selection of mostly french wines, unfortunately not the best ones... Food is not bad, the problem is the bad ventilation system, you will smell of food and cigarette smoke if you spend more than 10 minutes inside. I also saw once the owner getting mad at a guy who just happened to be perusing one of his samples on the wall and kicked him out violently... I won't go there again. ]]> Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:45:58 +0900 450-36 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/450-cavo Dropped in to this place last week after seeing the listing here. Overall quite impressed! 5-6 reds and whites by the class, with almost all of them from France, including a number of interesting VDP wines from down South. The food menu mostly consists of tapas-style dishes and galettes, and everything I ordered was good. The ground-floor venue is long and narrow, and was mostly full for the time I was there (10-12 PM). As you might expect from a standing wine bar in Ebisu there was good mixed of Japanese and foreigners, with French dominating the latter group. The people were all friendly and place is cozy and relaxed. I'll be going back for sure. ]]> Sun, 23 Oct 2011 04:26:59 +0900 414-33 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/414-mille-wine-bar Like this place a lot but it seems to be vacant now? Anybody know the status? ]]> Thu, 29 Sep 2011 05:12:52 +0900 399-28 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/399-bistro-shin Very reasonable pricing on a varied wine list. I personally liked the nomigoro (ready to drink) wine section. Inexpensive wines of older vintage are always fun, kind of like gambling. Food portions were surprisingly large! I recommend this place although it is often quite full. Cost performance! ]]> Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:34:26 +0900 373-27 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/373-cona Cona offers ridiculous value- The food is fresh and good and hey, stone fired pizza for 500 yen is awesome. Narrow standing only bar leaves a little to be desired in the ambiance department but then again, every bottle of wine is 1,900 yen. You choose the wine yourself by going in the cellar. 90% of the wine is worth just that, 1,900 yen, but if you know what you're doing you can find a gem in there. Ideally it will be a label that you have never heard of. I had a killer wine from the Dao, Portugal (05 vintage) and I was very happy with it. Keep in mind: 1,900 yen. ]]> Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:26:22 +0900 373-23 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/373-cona Very good made-to-order pizzas and other fare, reasonably priced and tasty. A smallish, open wine cellar offers a good selection of mid-range wines, all at 1900 a bottle. Worth a look if you're looking for something cheap and easy. Standing only. ]]> Fri, 14 May 2010 09:35:54 +0900 370-20 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/370-liar I like the pictures of the wine cellar, do you have the pictures of the kitchen aswell? Better to know the chef style before I book a table! ]]> Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:34:04 +0900 368-19 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/368-tokyo-wine-club-raku Dropped in last night after the Kings of Convenience show nearby. Finding it is easy if you just walk up the hill along the left side of Mark City, or if you're coming from the other side (Dogenzaka) you can go through mark City and then take the exit to the right at around a 3rd of the way into the building right after the AM/PM. At any rate, Tokyo Wine Club Raku is visible from the street but the signage is in Japanese. Look for a lighted bow on the steps that lead up to the entrance. The interior has an izakaya/pub-type feel to it, with an open kitchen flanked by a long bar. The place was mostly full and buzzing when we arrived at a little before 10 PM. After getting food menus (Japanese) I took a look at the wine cooler, a large glass-fronted cases with around 50 kinds of wine. Pricing is set at listed price plus 1000 yen, which is a huge savings over typical restaurant prices. I found a 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape for 3,470 (+ 1000) and grabbed it. Our waitress uncorked it and brought it back to the table. As expected, it was quite good. ;-) I was impressed with the wine selection overall, which includes numerous wines from lesser-known regions such as Columbia Valley, Bolgheri and Patagonia. The food was well-prepared, tasty and reasonably-priced. No real wow factor here, but none of the 6-7 dishes we ordered disappointed at all. Overall an excellent late dinner in a relaxed and wine-centric setting. Will definitely be going back! ]]> Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:25:09 +0900 368-18 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/368-tokyo-wine-club-raku A welcome new addition to Shibuya where there are few decent world-wide wine restaurants. I always find it hard to rate restaurants on a point/star system as this isn't fine dining, but it is a screaming value. So I'll give it four stars overall. Tokyo Wine Club Raku is part of a larger group specializing in modern izakaya food, so the food here is nice especially for the price. The wines are all priced at regular retail + 1000 yen. The retail POS price cards are even posted in the cellar so you know exactly what you are getting. This is great, since most places charge 2 - 3 times regular retail. I'd compare this to the quality at Fujiya Honten Wine Bar, but this one has a more Japanese take on the menu. Prices are somewhat similar, but it is possible to sit down at Tokyo Wine Bar Raku which makes it nice after a long day. (There is also a standing section.) Overall, it is more spacious and nicely designed. Reservations recommended after 7PM and definitely on Fridays/Saturdays. ]]> Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:33:35 +0900 366-17 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/366-fujiya-honten-wine-bar Took me a long time to find this place but so very glad I did! Can't say anything bad about it. The wine selection is plentiful and affordable, with healthy pours by a knowledgeable staff. No tables means you can pop in and out very easily, and also facilitates conversation with your neighbors. Love the food, too. They have an Iberico ham pizza that just rocks. If you order cheese don't leave it up to the kitchen or you'll get cheddar, gouda or worse. I recommend going with 2-3 others so you can share a bottle or two and walk out having spent next to nothing. Go! ]]> Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:33:47 +0900