Le Petit Tonneau — Restaurant in Tokyo

Last year, during our annual vacation in Japan, we spent two weeks in Tokyo. It was during that trip that I had my first experience at Le Petit Tonneau. I had known about the restaurant because, back in 2008, the chef gained fame for promoting French bistro cuisine on TV. We were a group of eight, including four children. Since finding restaurants in Tokyo that accommodate kids for dinner can be challenging, I usually look for French or Italian options, and at that time, everything about our visit was excellent. The service, provided by a French staff member, was outstanding (better than in France), and the food was genuinely delicious.

This year, I found myself back in Tokyo for Christmas and decided to return to Le Petit Tonneau. This time, we were four families—15 people in total (8 adults and 7 kids)—looking to celebrate together. While still in Taiwan, I made a reservation for dinner on the 24th.

We arrived a little after 6 PM to find two tables already occupied. To my surprise, the restaurant had prepared a table for six and another for ten. We had the kids sit together, squeezed around the smaller table, while the adults occupied the larger one.

When I asked the staff member in charge what options were available for the kids, her sarcastic response was, "Would you let me set the kids' table first?" I replied, "Sure," and waited for her to finish. When I asked again, I was surprised to learn that the options had changed. When I made the reservation, I was told that kids could choose from the full menu, including steak and French fries. However, on the day, the choices were limited to spaghetti Bolognese or risotto. After a quick discussion with the other parents, we agreed on spaghetti Bolognese for everyone, and we also ordered fries later (which were suddenly available).

Unfortunately, the kids finished their meals before we even started ours. Our dinner was supposed to include one appetizer, four courses, a salad, and dessert, but after two hours, we had only received the appetizer and the first course. Thirty-five minutes later, the third course arrived. Meanwhile, other tables that arrived after us were already finishing their meals. We asked if the kitchen could speed things up, and the response was abrupt. Soon after, the fish and meat courses arrived back-to-back, giving the impression that the staff wanted to rush us out. The waitress was cold and unfriendly, which added to the discomfort, even if the two other waiters were doing their job.

The surprises didn’t end there. When the bill arrived, we noticed charges for bread and butter that have been served to us but that we hadn’t requested, and for the tap water that we ordered. Given that it was Christmas, we decided not to argue, but the service experience was deeply disappointing this time.

So much so that I’ve decided I will not recommend Le Petit Tonneau to my friends in the future and i will need to return to it to make sure it was an...

We had the most wonderful time here last night! From the moment we walked into the door, we heard this lovely woman singing accompanied by a man on the piano. The crowd was singing with them, which was the most awesome ambiance. We were welcomed by the staff and they were very accommodating. I’m honestly baffled by a few reviews that said the service was poor… i’m like huh? We interacted with three staff and they were all great! The food was delicious. We ordered onion soup, escargot, salmon with peas, and steak ‘n frites. But the highlight of the meal for us was the dessert! I loved the ile flottante and the creme brulee. If i were to choose between the two though, i’d go for the ile flottante. We would highly recommend this place and we would definitely return! Side note: we went on a Saturday evening that’s why there was live music. If you don’t want live music, go on...

Exquisite is what comes to mind. Delicious, very very French. The interior Decor is all French, and the food well it's as good as any and perhaps the best we've had. The escargot was so magnificent, so garlicky so buttery so generous. The steak frites was absolutely perfect for medium rare and a cute little jar with a salad and dressing, even the presentation is superb. The sea bass and vegetables where exquisite. Chef Philippe matched our food with wines that invigorated our palettes....we could not refuse the desert or Sauternes. An experience...