Wine Bar Mayu — Restaurant in Tokyo

Whoa - where did this place come from?! You must go, you must go, you must go. Perfect date night spot, romantic atmosphere, delicious food and an unforgettable design.

This shop is small, with an outstanding wine list and approachable french cuisine. But I have to stop and mention - it's ENTIRELY IN A CAVE. The name Mayu (繭) means "cocoon" in English, and their decor does not disappoint. Tastefully done and entirely committed to the theme, you will feel like you have left this planet the moment you walk down their stairs, through a rock tunnel and into the restaurant itself. 8 small rooms offer private dining experiences for 2-4 people each.

My goal was to take my husband out for a romantic date, and wow did I succeed. The shop is dimly lit, the staff was friendly and efficient, and the food and wine selection was delicious. It was intimate, private, and all together quiet and memorable. While they offer a prix-fixe set, we chose to à la carte for the evening. I am even considering taking the kids back, as I'm sure the whole experience will blow their mind (disclaimer: my 8 and 11 yr old already love french cuisine).

What we ordered: a bottle of rose (we weren't familiar with it, but it was fantastic - Bandol Rose '15 (Domaine Tempier)) in-store baked bread (small portion, but outstanding texture and flavor) fresh salad (simple, tasty light dressing, and fresh, enough to share between two people) a plate of cheeses (smoked cream cheese, gorgonzola, shaved parmesan, brie, and camembert) cassoulet with pork confit, sausage and white kidney beans (perfect to share with two people, and very rich) pizza made with tarte flambé , melting raclette cheese, fromage blanc onions, and bacon (stinky upon arrival, but oh so good...

This place is great, I went there for Christmas and had the special menu, and the food was amazing. Yes, kind of expensive, but unlike other ‘fancy’ places I visited, I would say the food and atmosphere in here is actually worth the price. The place is romantic and intimate in a different kind of way because of the unique cave style with private rooms.

The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is the service. The moment they saw we are foreigners, their attitude changed. Of course, they weren’t ‘rude’, but they wouldn’t explain about the food even tho we do speak Japanese and understood and answered when they asked about allergies and everything. I could hear the servers explain about each course and wine to the other tables, but when the food arrived to our tables, the just put the plates and left, silently. This was very impolite in my opinion and made me feel uncomfortable.

Overall I do recommend this place for...

We showed up 4 hours before they closed seeking a table for dinner. Their website says they are open until 1:30AM on Saturday’s, with last call at 1:00AM. We were told by the man at the door “no tables”. We asked how long the wait was, since they don’t take reservations and he responded “no tables for the night”. We asked if we could come back and were told no. Not sure why we weren’t welcome here, but it was a huge disappointment after expecting a special romantic evening and traveling over an...