This acclaimed two-star destination restaurant is nestled in the mountains above Toyama Prefecture, relocated from Toyama City to its current location in December 2020. The restaurant was built with an accommodation facility in a cleared area of 7,500 m2 overlooking the Toga River.
Toga Village, where L'évo is located, is surrounded by 1,000-meter-high peaks and steep canyons blanketed with greenery. The village is also close to the historic villages of Gokayama known for their houses with steeply pitched thatched roofs inscribed in the World Heritage list. The village is a 90-minute drive from Toyama City or Kanazawa City, and a 40-minute drive from the nearest railroad station (JR Johana Station). Overnight guests can request a pickup service from JR Ecchu Yatsuo Station. While a significant trip from the city, the vistas and mountain breeze alone make a visit to the restaurant unforgettable.
L'évo is helmed by chef Eiji Taniguchi, who was born in Osaka and trained at three-star restaurants in Japan and France. He opened L'évo in the southern area of Toyama City in 2014. The restaurant was awarded one star, and he himself won the Chef Award of the Year, the highest accolade in the Japanese edition of a world-renowned restaurant guide, in 2017.
L'évo offers French cuisine that celebrates the bounty of the region. Flanked by the Sea of Japan and the mountains, Toyama Prefecture is blessed with a bounty from the land and sea. The restaurant’s specialty, L'évo Chicken, made with chicken thighs exclusively grown for chef Taniguchi and sake rice originally used to brew the local Japanese sake “Masuizumi,” is still on the menu. Entrées also highlight local game meat, such as wild bear and sika deer meat; meanwhile, fresh fish and shellfish are delivered from a local market near Yokata Fishing Port each day, selected by the chef or another staff member. The tableware and cutlery are also produced by local artists.
The wine list offers a wide selection of Japanese wines, including white wines from a Japanese sake brewery known for Masuizumi and wines from Says Farm in Himi, as well as imported wines, mainly from France and Italy. In addition to wines, guests can also explore a variety of Japanese sake, including Masuizumi and Kachikoma. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks pairings are available.
The restaurant has a graceful and modern interior with a counter seating up to four guests, three tables (each seating up to four guests), and two private rooms seating up to four and six guests respectively. The dining space is connected to the kitchen so that diners can sit and watch the chef and his team working. Though it should be noted that guests must be 12 years or older (old enough to have a full-course meal) to dine at the restaurant, L'évo can be booked out for special events, as well as anniversaries and gourmet gatherings to enjoy chef Taniguchi’s cuisine. In addition, English- and Chinese-speaking staff are on hand to assist guests from abroad.
Worth a special journey, L'évo offers seasonal delights reflective of the surrounding landscape, allowing guests to feel closer to nature, and to appreciate the significance and charm of the region through chef Taniguchi’s graceful dishes.
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* The availability of this webpage does not guarantee that the restaurant presented provides services in English, unless otherwise stated. Please be aware that English services may also depend on staff availability at the restaurant.
Access
A 40-minutes by car from Etchu-Yatsuo Station on the JR Takayama Line and Johana Station on the JR Johana Line
