Crony

The word over the door means a close friend — someone you share food and wine with as an equal — and the room takes it literally: warm light, soft surfaces, tables set for talking rather than for hushed reverence. This is a two-Michelin-star restaurant that has decided not to behave like one, and in a city full of solemn French temples that is exactly what makes Crony feel like a discovery.

The Kitchen

Michihiro Haruta, born in Oita in 1987, opened Crony in Nishi-Azabu in December 2016 and won a Michelin star in the 2018 Tokyo Guide. A relocation to Higashi-Azabu brought a second star in 2022, where it has stayed in the 2026 Guide. His training is the kind few French chefs of any nationality can match: Ledoyen in Paris, Quintessence in Tokyo, Maaemo in Oslo, Saison in San Francisco. Sommelier-owner Kazutaka Ozawa, one of the city's most respected wine professionals, runs the cellar.

The cooking is French in technique and broader in spirit — Nordic fermentation and Japanese seasonal restraint laid over a classical base. The sea urchin course is the one people remember; the aged-beef main, finished with a reduction that owes more to dashi than demi-glace, is the signature. The bread is among the best in Tokyo, and the vegetable courses, a discipline Haruta absorbed at Maaemo, carry the same weight as the protein. The tasting menu starts from about ¥27,000, which for a two-star kitchen in central Tokyo is genuinely fair, and Ozawa's natural-wine list is priced more gently than the grand hotel rooms.

The Room

Crony seats around twenty-four at Higashi-Azabu, a quieter corner of Minato than the Nishi-Azabu address it left behind. The design reads like a refined modern bistro: low warm light, generous space between tables, sound that stays at a conversational hum rather than a roar even when the room is full. Dress is smart-casual — no jacket rule — and service is precise without hovering. It is the rare two-star where you can hear your companion without leaning in.

Best for a First Date

Crony is one of Tokyo's great first-date rooms, for three specific reasons: it is sophisticated without being intimidating, the tables are spaced far enough apart to keep a conversation private, and the price is defensible enough that the evening doesn't read as a grand statement. The cooking gives you something to talk about — the uni course, the dashi-finished beef — without demanding the silence a stiffer tasting menu would. For a birthday, the kitchen marks the moment quietly; for closing a deal, the room signals taste rather than hierarchy.

Not For

Not for anyone who wants a quick à la carte dinner or a budget evening — Crony is a single tasting menu from ¥27,000, runs two to three hours, and is built to be lingered over. If you only have an hour, book elsewhere.

Common Questions

Is Crony worth it?

Yes, and it is one of the best-value two-Michelin-star tables in Tokyo. Haruta's French-Nordic-Japanese cooking is more inventive than most starred kitchens in the city, and from around ¥27,000, with a serious natural-wine list, it costs noticeably less than the grand hotel rooms while cooking at their level. The warm, bistro-like room is the point, not a compromise.

How hard is it to book?

Plan four to six weeks ahead for a good evening slot, more in white-truffle season and around year-end. Crony takes bookings through its own website and TableCheck rather than a concierge line. With roughly twenty-four covers and two stars, prime Friday and Saturday tables go fast; a weekday or early seating is the easier route.

What should I order?

It is a set tasting menu, so the kitchen chooses, but the sea urchin course is the dish people remember and the aged-beef main finished with a dashi-leaning reduction is the signature. The bread programme is among Tokyo's best, and the vegetable cooking is treated as seriously as the protein. Take the wine pairing — Ozawa's cellar is the reason to.

How much does dinner cost?

The tasting menu starts from about ¥27,000 before drinks and a 10 percent service charge, with seasonal courses such as white truffle pushing it higher. For a two-star dinner in central Tokyo that is real value, and the wine is priced more gently than the city's hotel dining rooms. Budget more if you take the full pairing.

Related Restaurants in Tokyo

For a comparable experience in another part of Tokyo, Kanda in Toranomon offers a related take. For another chef-driven kitchen in the city, Maz Tokyo is well worth the table. For a different occasion fit, see ESqUISSE or Sushi Arai. Browse the complete Tokyo guide for the full list, or filter by First Date across all cities.