Ristorante Narvalo – 長野 — Restaurant in Nagano

Had dinner here with my friend. We have been dining in quite a bit of French or Italian restaurant in Japan with the similar price range and this one is a bit of a surprise (a good surprise). I would say this is Japanese cousins with a touch of Italian style and dishes came out with different presentations than other restaurants we have been to.

The starter was burdock , raw shrimp and cabbage, which is pretty Japanese and very very good. Also we are with chapsticks unlike most Italian places with folks and knifes.

They also used some vegetable we have never seen before, which is pretty special for us. And just while we were guessing what dessert we would be getting, we both thought we’d get tiramisu, we actually got a very special dessert that could turn into tiramisu.

The service was very good too. We weren’t pushed to order more drinks when our glasses were empty.

There’s only 2 tables in this restaurant so better make a reservation. The price is 9000yen plus service charge and we also ordered drink so it was a bit more than that but it...

I was looking for a nice restaurant to celebrate our anniversary while travelling and stumbled across this place on google and was able to book online. It seemed to have good reviews and was in our price range.

WOW! What a gem! From the moment we walked in, we felt welcomed. There are only two tables seated at a time which provides an intimate experience. The owner waited on our table and took the time to explain each course. Coming from Australia, we speak only a little bit of Japanese, so whatever he couldn't explain he would use Google translate. He really tried to make us feel at home.

Every dish was incredible! We particularly liked the venison, cheesecake dessert and the abalone pasta.

It was very good value. Back home this dinner would have cost us $30 more per person.

If we could come back again sometime we definitely would! Thank you so much for this...

This is hands down the most unique course meal I’ve ever had in Japan! Narvalo takes you on an incredible journey before each dish even arrives. They give a “sneak peek” of each flavor, like a movie trailer that gets you excited for the scenes to come!

You’re not just eating; you’re experiencing the food with every sense heightened. The preview builds anticipation, and when you finally take that first bite, it’s like your taste buds are fully focused and alive.

Each bite sends a spark through your mind—it feels like a whole-body experience, where every flavor hits you with a burst of surprise. Truly a dining experience like no other. Couldn’t be happier with...