{  Trattoria Il Figo Ingordo  }

Trattoria Il Figo Ingordo
Trattoria Il Figo Ingordo
Trattoria Il Figo Ingordo
Trattoria Il Figo Ingordo
Trattoria Il Figo Ingordo

A solid choice for great Italian food. Even though this restaurant is located on a random street in Roppongi, this place is quite popular and we noticed many people made reservations even for lunch. Perhaps it’s because the cost performance/price for the quality and amount you get is quite good.

For 1400yen, their set includes your choice between 5 handmade pasta dishes, a plate of all you can fit starters (you can’t go back to get more so try to put as much as you want the first round), a bread basket with a variety of breads, and a choice of multiple selections of coffees and teas (including a cappuccino or latte which is a bit rare). I was very satisfied with my meal and was not surprised as at all this place is so happening. If you want authentic good quality Italian, come here.

Address // 7-19-1, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6447-2347
Website // http://www.figo-ingordo.jp/

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{  Nicolas  }

Nicolas
Nicolas
Nicolas
Nicolas
Nicolas

I’m not really into parfaits but I had the most beautiful and delicious Sakura parfait (9ooyen) from this cafe in Sangenjaya. Apparently it’s a seasonal dish which changes every month so you may not be able to try this exact one, but they are famous for their impeccable parfaits. The one I had was more Japanese style and it wasn’t too sweet but still sweet enough with a great texture. It was full of surprises from beginning to the end and I loved every bite of it.

This cafe opens at 2pm which is a little weird and they only have one menu item for lunch, the pasta lunch for 1200yen which includes a bite size dessert and coffee or tea. The pasta was also delicious so it seems the chef has been trained well. On the negative side, one of the waitress had a bit of a strange attitude which made the service feel below the typical Japanese standard level. Also, it’s a small cafe located in a regular residential building, so they won’t allow customers to wait for an opening if the restaurant is full. Despite the obscure location, it seems to be quite popular since we saw many customers turned away who were even willing to wait. Thankfully we arrived a little before they opened so we were seated with no issues. With that in mind, I recommend coming early or making a reservation if you want to dine here.

Address // 4-28-10, Taishido, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6804-0425
Website // http://www.nicolasnicolas.com

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{  Panino Vino  }

Panino Vino
Panino Vino
Panino Vino
Panino Vino

Opened on December 25th, 2012 in Omotesando, this cafe/restaurant serves tasty panini’s. From the spacious terrace seating to the entrance way, chairs, beautiful tiled floors, wood ceiling and the nice bathroom, you can tell there was an excellent designer behind this place and no expense was spared. It’s hard to imagine how much all of these details cost but it’s not just beautiful, it’s also cozy. We visited this place on a weekend and they have a different menu than during weekdays (as most places in Japan do).

They give you a choice between two options for the bread on each panini you order, Focaccia or Ciabatta. We ordered the clam chowder (500yen) and the “Salsiccia Verdure Panini” which includes Italian sausage, grilled vegetables, lettuce, rucola and spicy salsa sauce for 1200yen on Ciabatta bread — mmmmmm! We also ordered the “Pollo lattuga Panini” which comes with smoked chicken, lettuce, rucola, and tartar egg on focaccia bread for 850yen. The clam chowder was more watery and different from what we expected but both of the panini’s had such fresh vegetables and ingredients with tasty bread so we enjoyed both of them. The service was also very good. We actually had to wait about 5 minutes before we got seated and they served us free tea. Definitely gets some brownie points for that ;)

PS: Panino Vino is owned by the same owner as AW Kitchen.

Address // 4-5-12, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5772-2896
Website // http://www.eat-walk.com/panino_vino/

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{  Stella  }

Stella
Stella
Stella
Stella

Stella is a local Italian restaurant right off of Gakugeidaigaku station in a quiet area right off the main street and it’s a hidden gem. It’s hard to get a seat since it only seats about 16 people and I’ve been wanting to come here for quite sometime now but never was able to because it was always full no matter what time I came. So we finally decided to make reservations and got to try this place. Results = :)

We got a table for the six of us and four of us ordered the dinner course that includes 2 appetizers, 1 starter, 1 pizza, 1 pasta, a dessert and drink ALL for 2900yen/each. The other two ordered individual items off of the menu but oh my goodness, we ordered way too much food. Just looking at these photos makes me full again… Anyhow, every plate was delicious. I particularly loved the starter “Italian veggie plate” that came with all sorts of marinated vegetables. The 2nd pasta you see was the special of the day which was a “uni cream pasta” which was surprisingly light and not too heavy on the uni (sea urchin). The desserts we ordered were pumpkin pudding and panna cotta.

It seems like this restaurant is owned by a husband and wife team, but I’m not certain. Either way, there’s only 1 chef and 1 server so don’t expect the service to be super fast here. However, the lady who served us was very polite and nice and didn’t mind answering any questions we had. If you are looking for more of a nice and quiet local restaurant to come to, definitely recommend this place.

Address // 3-14-3, Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3760-1851
Website // n/a

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{  Cucina Buona Italiana Knock  }

Cucina Buona Italiana Knock
Cucina Buona Italiana Knock
Cucina Buona Italiana Knock

yummmm this Italian restaurant is a popular lunch spot on the weekdays amongst Roppongi workers but it’s also an easy going local hangout on the weekends. The photos above are from a recent trip I did over a weekend for brunch. They have a brunch menu where you can order an “Antipasto Party Plate” plus a main dish from the menu and it starts from 1680yen (depending on which main plate you choose). We got the ‘Lasagna Gratinata’ which is a lasagna with summer veggies and the Spaghetini with olive, capers, dried tomato & rucola. The antipasto plate was amazing! I mean look at that photo above (tip: if you go with 2 people, just get 1 “antipasto party plate” set since it’s big enough to split!). Everything was delicious. My olive pasta was a little on the salty side but the lasagna was excellent. I would come back here in a heartbeat.

Address // 3-2-11, NishiAzabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-3478-8220
Website // Cucina Buona Italiana Knock Website

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