Antonio's — Restaurant in Tokyo

Food: 5; Service: 5; Atmosphere: 5. Visited: 5+.

Sophisticated atmosphere, with a down-to-earth, welcoming vibe. Antonio's is the oldest Italian restaurant in Tokyo, and for good reason. Run by Antonio, grandson of the founder, this restaurant pairs excellent Italian food with a warm, welcoming experience.

Background Since 1944? As you approach the restaurant, the neon 1944 jumps out at you. I had to do the historical math in my head. The story about how this restaurant came to be is fascinating. The grandson of the founder, also Antonio, tells it remarkably well. Going for the story would be enough, but there is so much more.

Food: Menu has a large selection of recipes from the restaurant’s founder, Antonio, including pasta and pizza. Traditional Italian dishes prepared with high quality Japanese products, the results are outstanding.

The dessert menu is arguably better. If you like creamy tiramisu, this is the tiramisu for you. And excellent espresso to pair with.

Atmosphere: Miss your favorite Italian place in Europe or US? Just step through the door. This is a traditional style Italian restaurant with some distinct features not often found in Tokyo: high ceilings and tile everywhere; cloakroom, as you would encounter in Europe or USA; no private rooms, as the founder wanted everyone to dine in the same room.

It has the feel of a sophisticated restaurant, with a down to earth vibe. There are usually many families and regular customers, which have been coming for years. The atmosphere is lively, but not loud. And the tables are spaced adequately apart.

Service: Outstanding service. Owner comes around to check in and chat with everyone. Servers friendly and competent, with excellent recommendations. The restaurant business is in their DNA, so they are able to sense how much you want to engage and adjust accordingly.

Always an enjoyable experience.

The restaurant is located on a main road in downtown Tokyo. Easy access from central...

A "Scorsese"-esque Italian -American experience

My wife had wanted to try this place for a long time, so there we went for dinner. It has been open since 1944 and the decor probably has not changed much since then; to its credit! To me, that is its main attractive point: it looks like the sort of place where Tony Soprano or the "Goodfellas" would eat! Dark lightning, rich but kitsch decor, cozy in a familiar way.

Now, is it authentic Italian food? No. I would describe it as "americanized italian": too much cheese on the pizza, too much cream on the pasta, un-inspired dessert menu... It it tasty? Absolutely! Lack of inspiration aside, all the dishes we had were well executed. The wine list is great, with wine I never had before (In Mezzo dark rose is incredible!). Is it good value for money? Absolutely not! But hey, you're in Minami-Aoyama, so high prices are expected so no surprise. Would I go back? Probably not. There are just too many excellent, cheaper and more authentic Italian restaurants in Tokyo..... But Antonio's remain a landmark that should be tried, for its...

Have been here twice. I really enjoyed it the 1st time. The chef’s course was very nice. Pasta, fish, meat dish - excellent. On the 2nd visit, I tried a la carte menu. Pasta was excellent, both times I’ve visited. Some of the best I’ve ever tasted. But the antipasto appetizer - nearly 4000 yen including tax, was a very small dish compared to similar antipasto appetizer dishes at other places in Tokyo, which will give you more. This dish had one piece of cheese, a little ham, a few vegetables… I would suggest the restaurant just remove this dish from the menu if they can’t price it competitively. It made me want to not have coffee or dessert afterwards. I would also suggest the staff not be so quick to take the almost finished beer bottle away from the table when there’s still a tiny bit of beer remaining. But that’s my fault, I should have been quicker to say something.

All in all, I say again the pasta is A+ but I had to take a star off because of that 4000 yen antipasto...