Faro
๐ฎ๐น Italian / ๐ Ginza
๐ Visits: 2 (2026, 2024)
My first visit was for the "Plant-based lunch". There wasn't quite enough food for me so, before dessert was served, I requested the signature saltimbocca as an extra course along with the vegetarian main I had already chosen. Ironically this was my least favourite dish: seasonings were very strong, in particular the sage. Despite that misstep I very much enjoyed my first meal here and on the evidence of the quality of cooking I would go back again for the vegan lunch.
On weekday lunches you have a choice of 4-course "Leggero" priced at JPY 10,000 or 5-course "Pranzo" priced at JPY 15,000. Both are available as either "Gastronomy" (meat/fish) or vegan. For weekend lunches only the 5-course is available. The main course in the 5-course vegan is the signature vegetable pie. Given that I preferred the vegan dishes in my first meal and because I wanted to try the pie, I went for Vegan Pranzo on my second visit.
The best of the savoury dishes was the whole roast yurine with mushroom and yuzu kosho sauce. Every component was delicious, the flavour combinations were good and I don't remember having a whole roast yurine before. On the other hand, every mouthful was the same. 8/10. The pie was a disappointment. The pastry was superb and I would never have guessed it was vegan. The sauce is all-vegetable and also delicious. However, I did not like the filling. Made mainly from dried porcini it was very strong in flavour like fermentation or vinegar. The contents of the pie does not vary according to season, which I found surprising to hear. It was quite filling and as a lone diner I believe I got a whole pie rather than half. The other savoury dishes I rated 7.5-8/10. The quality of vegetables was very good. The handmade pasta looks beautiful but the pasta itself didn't have much taste and hot broth should not be served in a cold bowl. Dessert I rated 9/10. The cacao ganache was superb. I could not believe the Chantilly "cream" was vegan. Breads were different across both visits but not especially memorable.
The dining room is great. Super high ceiling, thick carpet, thick tablecloth and very blue. (You may wish to coordinate accordingly.) Service would not be out of place in a three-, rather than one-Star restaurant.
The new chef plans to debut his changes in Spring so if you want to experience the "current" Faro you don't have very long. It will be interesting to see in which direction the new chef takes the restaurant and whether or not the pastry chef stays on. The restaurant also lost its sommelier last year to Firmanento (which I will review after a second visit). Either way, I will go back. There's nowhere else in this food genre offerring an experience of this quality at this price.
๐ https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1301/A130101/13002640/
❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.75
๐ฑ Booking: ๐ฉ Required. An easy booking via TableCheck only. They were not taking bookings for lone diners in December 2025. English menu. English spoken.
๐ Location:
10F, Tokyo Ginza Shiseido, 8-8-3 Ginza. 5 mins north-east from Shimbashi station Exit 1.
Map data ©2026 Google
๐ถ Free WiFi? ✅ Yes
๐ Visit January 2026
AMUSE
BLESSINGS FROM THE FARM
LOTUS ROOT RAVIOLI
ROASTED LILY BULB
VEGETABLE PIE
CACAO FROM THE FOREST
MONAKA
๐ Visit October 2024
AMUSE
CARROT PANNA COTTA
PUMPKIN RAVIOLI
BONITO AND TOMATO TAGLIATELLE
EGGPLANT POLPETTE
+ ROASTED JAPANESE VEAL +2000
AUTUMN IN TOKYO
MONAKA
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