Take an eight-minute walk from Roppongi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, and you will find an impressive wooden door on the first floor of a building on a quiet street near the Nishi-Azabu Crossing in the gastronomic neighborhood of Nishi-Azabu, Tokyo, with plenty of renowned restaurants. The door leads to merachi, a chic Italian restaurant with a striking combination of stone and wood on the exterior.
The restaurant is helmed by Chef Kosuke Sugimoto, who trained at restaurants, both inside and outside of Japan, known for their modern cuisine, such as Ristorante TOKUYOSHI in Milan, Mielcke & Hurtigkarl in Copenhagen, Gaggan in Bangkok, and a one-star restaurant FARO in Ginza, for eight years in total before he opened merachi at the current location in 2021.
Chef Sugimoto creates original dishes by reinterpreting the traditions of Italian cuisine in his own way. He uses different culinary techniques originated from different cultures to offer Italian-inspired dishes only available in Japan. The ingredients are mostly sourced from within Japan, such as mozzarella cheese from KURKKU FIELDS in Kisarazu City, Ashikaga Marc beef from Hasegawa Farm in Tochigi Prefecture, and Mukashi Okina Ariki eggs from Higashi-Matsuyama City in Saitama Prefecture. The eggs delivered fresh with no eggy smell are used to make omelets. Pasta with Brown Mushrooms, made with chicken and mushroom stock and grated mushrooms, is a popular dish that looks simple at a glance but is actually labor- and time-intensive. The pasta menu always has two choices, one of which features fresh pasta handmade right in front of guests.
Chef Sugimoto pours the same enthusiasm into wines as he does into dishes. The wine cellar that guests can enter to select their own drinks is stocked with some 500 bottles of wine, including vintage French wines that are hard to find in Japan and magnum bottles. Wines are paired with dishes, though they are not paired one by one but served at the pace of each guest.
The restaurant boasts tiled walls in a muted shade and a straight counter made of solid hinoki cypress wood. If you take one of the eight seats at the wooden counter in the dining room featuring the warmth of wooden elements, you can watch the chef working in the kitchen. The restaurant is patronized by guests of different ages, ranging from 30-something to 50-something, and often chosen as a place for women to gather and for foodies to enjoy solitary meals.
The restaurant’s name, merachi, is coined from Greek and Italian words to mean “pouring your soul, creativity, love, and passion into something.” There is no way even for professionals who master their field of expertise to enchant their audience without pouring their soul into their works. The word “merachi” describes Chef Sugimoto’s desire for guests to savor the beautiful moments hidden in daily life.
He aims to go beyond offering delicious dishes and make the dining experience at merachi fun and memorable as if at a friend’s home so that he can hear his guests say, “I had a great time!” So, indulge in the dining experience at merachi with your close friends.
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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
8 minutes walk from Roppongi Station on the Hibiya Line.
15 minutes walk from Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda Line.
606 m from Nogizaka Station
