Massimo Bottura’s three Michelin-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy is on just about every food lover’s bucket list, but reservations are frightfully hard to come by (bookings are full until at May 2022). Still, there’s an equally exciting, more accessible option in Tokyo, with the world renowned chef’s new restaurant Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura now open in Ginza.
Combining modern Italian cuisine with Gucci’s eclectic design, the highly anticipated restaurant occupies the fourth floor of the luxury brand’s second flagship store on Namiki-dori in Ginza. This Tokyo outpost is the third of its kind in the world, with the original Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura located in Gucci’s birthplace of Florence, Italy, followed by a second restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. Both restaurants have been awarded a Michelin star each, so expectations are high for the Tokyo branch – after all, this city boasts the highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world.
Heading the Tokyo restaurant is executive chef Antonio Iacoviello, who worked at the restaurants of Alain Ducasse and René Redzepi before joining Osteria Francescana. Together with sous-chef Hayao Watanabe, Iacoviello offers a tasting course of vibrant Italian dishes peppered with a modern, Japan-inspired twist, like panna cotta yuzu with shrimp, Milanese wagyu and even parmigiana ramen.
Also served up on Gucci’s floral-printed tableware are a few of Bottura’s signature creations, including tortellini with Parmigiano Reggiano cream and the famous Emilia Burger, which can be ordered à la carte.
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo had its grand opening on October 28 and you can make a reservation online. Currently, online bookings open 30 days in advance, so if you have a certain date in mind, make sure to set a reminder. The lunchtime tasting menu ‘Italy from Tokyo’ offers five courses for ¥10,000, while the dinnertime ‘Come to Italy with Me’ tasting menu is priced at ¥15,000 for seven courses.
This post was originally published on October 5 and updated on November 8.
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