La Bisboccia — Restaurant in Tokyo

Located a short walk from either the French Embassy or Hiroo Station, la Bisboccia is full of old world charm and could easily be the setting for a Puccini opera. The clientele is well heeled and chic. The place was packed with people in anticipation of the lifting of the "state of emergency" as if there ever was one. I was looking forward to a gourmet experience based on the recommendation of my Italian teacher. There are a couple of Italian waiters on staff for extra "authencità" though the head chef is Japanese. There are only two choices of wine by the glass, red or white, though there is an extensive selection of Italian wines. One would think that there would be a larger selection of wines by the glass for a restaurant that prides itself on its cuisine. BTW the waiter never brought the bottle to the table so I had no idea what I was drinking, only that it was a "medium bodied" wine. I guess I was supposed to be able to tell if it was a Barolo and not a Montalcino. I ordered dishes that I have never seen at any other Italian restaurant: stuffed zucchini flowers, spinach ravioli, Saltimbocca, and red snapper Acqua Pazza. To be brief, I was not impressed. Maybe I should have stayed with tried and true dishes like Antipasti Mixto and Fettucine alla Bolognese. The Saltimbocca had a gratuitous sprig of sage rather than the customary entire leaf placed on and or inside the veal slice, so there was no flavor of sage at all. The dish tasted like had been sitting in a warmer rather than made to order. I suspect that this is because la Bisboccia is a huge restaurant there have to be some compromises in order to keep service moving continually. I would be willing to give la Bisboccia a second try with my friend who has also been eager...

O my God! The chefs here are the Gods of taste. Everything I have tried here, is delicious. The restaurant, is one of a kind venue with an amazing bar and a semi open kitchen where you can actually watch the chefs cooking. Everything looks great, cozy, with an authentic Italian atmosphere only outlined by the staffs’ Italian welcoming sentences.

First time I have been here was last year. I came walking in without reservation and the manager if I’m not wrong, Francesco Fiore, welcomed us in even if with a time limit, which it was great and greatly appreciated by me and my wife.

The service is on par, excellent and prompt. They always bring a “today’s cart” with fresh meats alongside with some fresh homemade sausages and offer lengthy descriptions and explanations about the food and the process used to actually cooking it. Oh, don’t forget to ask for the spirits cart and the sweets card. You can’t pass over the sweets cart. It’s a must try out all the in house home made delicious cookies.

Francesco Fiore is a great wine connoisseur who can help you find the desired wine to complement your dinner. My wife was absolutely delighted with the white wine he had recommended us, by only giving him little idea of what we wanted. You all know this is a big matter to have our ladies happy, so yeah, good job man! It is expensive, but totally worth the experience to have an exclusive...

La Bisboccia is a rustic, authentic Italian restaurant that has been certified by the Italian government. The entrance of the restaurant is adorned with wild flowers and once you go in you're transplanted to Italy with Italian waiters greeting you in Italian.

We went on an evening when the restaurant was doing a four day pop-up event with Chef Fumio Yonezawa (formerly at Jean-Georges and The Burn) so they were offering a special menu. We ordered all six dishes: 1) brown mushroom carpaccio with Parmesan cream, 2) roasted cauliflower, 3) fettuccine with peas, mint and pistachio, 4) squid with black olive sauce, 5) wagyu steak with chimichurri sauce, and 6) white chocolate cheesecake. The roasted cauliflower and the steak are twists on Chef Yonezawa's classic dishes that are served at The Burn. Everything was delicious, especially the cheesecake.

We would love to go back to La Bisboccia for their regular menu on a...