Best farm-to-table restaurants in Tokyo

The seasonal menu at Faro is a celebration of Japan’s bountiful fresh produce. And it’s all made possible by the close connection executive chef Kotaro Noda and dessert chef Mineko Kato have with local farmers, fishermen and other producers.

Noda’s signature dish is his award-winning jagaimo (Japanese potato) spaghetti, which is a textural extravaganza of blanched and crunchy potato tendrils in a dashi broth. What sets Faro apart from its competition in Ginza is that the restaurant’s vegan dishes (like our favourite, lotus root and seaweed ravioli) are as carefully constructed as the meaty options, like the paprika-poached ise-ebi (Japanese spiny lobster) with leek and herb-infused sauce.

The lunch and dinner set menus can be made vegan/vegetarian, if you wish. Lunch offers ¥5,000, ¥8,000 and ¥10,000 options (four, five and six courses respectively) while dinner is ¥20,000 (non-vegan, 10-plus courses) or ¥12,000 (vegan, 10-plus courses). Always save room for sweets – Kato’s famous herb garden dessert is a gorgeous pastry topped with cream and a garden’s worth of edible herbs and flowers.

You’ve never tasted Vietnamese done this way. While dishes on An Di’s menu may sound familiar, head chef Chihiro Naito has reimagined classic Vietnamese fare – think rice paper rolls, pho and bánh xèo – with local Japanese ingredients, resulting in a medley of fresh, vibrant flavours.

Formerly from two-Michelin-starred Tokyo restaurant L’Effervescence, Naito executes each dish with great refinement. There are elegantly arranged rice paper rolls (¥1,200) full of seasonal herbs, but the crowd-pleasing tea leaf salad (¥1,800) is a show-stopper – a bowl of fermented Japanese tea leaves crowned with an array of nuts and vegetables, including toasted coconut, sesame seeds and crunchy cucumber. Produce comes from farmers throughout Japan as well as the Farmers Market at UNU.

Tables are for two and four people, with only 24 seats available, so you’ll need to book ahead of time. The omakase dinner is ¥7,500 (plus tax) while the weekend lunch course is ¥5,900 (plus tax). If you opt for the alcohol pairing, expect innovative sake and lots of natural wines from Japan and abroad.

Owner-chef Rimpei Yoshikawa’s dishes are a map of his travels through Europe, North Africa and South America, and his time working in Bordeaux, France – but recreated with local ingredients. Fresh vegetables come from the Farmers Market at UNU and Tom’s Farm in Chiba, beef comes from Gunma, and seafood comes directly from a fishmonger in Owase, Mie prefecture.

Be sure to try a seafood dish – like the smoked Spanish mackerel with cashew nut sauce (¥1,500) – which beautifully showcases the freshness of the fish and Yoshikawa’s passion and expertise. The house-made merguez sausage (¥1,900), which comes with a punchy harissa paste, is a good option, too, but the guacamole is the crowd pleaser, made with ample citrus, herbs and jalapeños, then topped with fresh tomatoes and seafood (¥1,600).

With deftly executed dishes celebrating fresh flavours, it’s easy to see why this laid-back neighbourhood joint has been consistently popular since opening in 2010.

Eatrip feels like a sanctuary of calm in Tokyo’s bustling streets. To reach this rustic restaurant, you’ll stroll up a stone path surrounded by lush greenery before coming to a charming old wooden house with an open kitchen and dining space. Owner-chef Yuri Nomura sources some of her produce from her parents – a culinary teacher and organic farmer – along with a network of producers across the country.

We recommend going for the tasting menu (six courses, ¥6,000; eight courses, ¥8,000), which features modern Japanese dishes accented with European flavours. Expect dishes like grilled seasonal vegetables served with black bean hummus, seared sea bream with cabbage cream, as well as grilled Yamagata beef with wild mountain vegetables, black garlic puree and Mimolette cheese. The desserts are not to be missed either; we love the crisp persimmon galette with funky sake lees cream and roasted green tea ice cream.

Kale is an obvious favourite at We Are The Farm, appearing in everything from caesar salad to beer. The restaurant, which has six locations in Tokyo and one in Kanagawa, sources fresh produce from its own farm in Chiba prefecture, so you can rest assured that the vegetables are fresh, always seasonal and free from pesticides and chemicals.

Try the house favourite appetiser, tomatoes with kale pesto and creamy fresh burrata (¥1,450), or opt for the Miyazaki wagyu sirloin steak, served with pickled onions, seeded mustard and shaved beetroot (¥2,900). The vegetable-based desserts and cocktails are a must; you can’t go wrong with the sweet potato cheesecake (¥400) and cucumber gin and tonic (¥780).

Indomitable chef Kazuhisa Tashiro offers great-value prix fixe dinners (from ¥7,000) at this Aoyama institution. Tashiro regularly visits farms, meets with producers and brings back the very best ingredients. He then transforms them into elegant garnishes and vegetable-forward dishes, such as a deeply aromatic jerusalem artichoke soup topped with shaved black truffle. La Blache’s signature terrine of sardine and potato is served with anchovy cream and potage – it’s an impressive pairing of umami-rich and salty flavours.