Very good Italian restaurant which was close from where we stayed in Akasaka. We just asked for recommendations and these were what we got. All very good. Lots of group dinners and birthdays so expect to get a bit noisy especially during weekends.

+1

My grandparents have been customers here for 28 years and this was my first time visiting. This is the best Italian food I’ve ever had! It beats my trips to Italy, truly magnificent!

+1

Elio serves delicious Italian dishes, which are impressively sourced from Japan. I fully support this sourcing strategy because it supports local farmers while avoiding excessive importation of ingredients. It’s impressive how they can do this while maintaining the authentic flavors of their Italian dishes. We ordered the Pranzo Maestro, and I’m personally impressed with the cheeses that they use for their appetizers and their pasta. Their lasagna is my personal favorite. Their ambiance is quite reminiscent of an Italian trattoria, with rustic interior design and cozy furniture pieces. We visited on a special weekend, so we dined with many customers. It’s noticeable that the dining area is a bit noisy, probably because of the crowd, but I think the hard surfaces of the architecture also add to the echo. Everything was going well until they notified us that we had to leave because we ran out of time. Apparently, they allot just one hour per table, which I hope they communicated to us earlier. It is not uncommon for Japanese restaurants to have time limits, but this came as a surprise since we’re dining in an Italian restaurant. After living in the Lombardy region of Italy for more than 2 years, most of it in Milan, I could say that having a time limit while dining is unheard of in Italian restaurants. When everything was going well, the server came in twice and told us to leave, as if we were being kicked out. The experience felt like the restaurant was an Izakaya or any drinking bar faking to be an authentic Italian restaurant. We have dined in Italian restaurants before, both in Japan and Italy, but this is the first time we have encountered such disappointing service. We left even though we didn't finish our dessert. After we paid and left Elio, we saw no one queueing to be seated. So, what’s the excessive rush to kick out good-paying customers who are enjoying their meals?

+3

This is a higher end Italian restaurant with wonderful dishes and great friendly service by a team of Italians and Japanese. Three of us had a lovely meal and every dish was excellent from the appetizers to the pasta and fish and the tiramisu and after dinner drinks. The Italians were all happy to speak Italian with me (even though my Italian is extremely basic), and sang happy birthday in Italian to a fellow nearby midway through the meal (during which they turned off all the lights and presented him with a small birthday cake). Many of the ingredients were sourced from Hokkaido or Kyushu. I have seen people complaining that lunch is restricted to 1 hour only, but at dinner we were not rushed at all and stayed for around two hours. I would definitely return. Certainly one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to in Japan. Would love to return someday!

We had our Valentine’s lunch here and ordered the “Pranzo Maestro” course, which included bruschetta, antipasto misto, primi, secondo, dolce misto, and coffee. The food was genuinely good. We enjoyed traditional Italian dishes prepared with fresh ingredients sourced from different prefectures across Japan. Some ingredients, such as the mozzarella cheese, come from the owner’s farm in Hokkaido. The restaurant has also been recognized by Gambero Rosso as one of the best Italian restaurants in Tokyo, which we found impressive. Service was warm for most of our visit. Many of the waiters were foreigners (I presume Italian), and they kindly explained the dishes to us in English. Elio himself, who is from Calabria, Italy, was present and made the rounds greeting and serving guests at their tables. However, I am giving 3 out of 5 stars because of how the meal ended. While we were still finishing our dessert, exactly one hour from when we arrived, we were informed that our time was up. The staff returned shortly after to firmly remind us that we needed to leave. It was disappointing, especially since this was our Valentine’s lunch and we were still in the middle of our dessert course. Had we known that it would be such a strict one-hour seating, we might have chosen a shorter course instead of the Pranzo Maestro (or go to a different restaurant). Honestly, the one-hour time limit felt unusual for an Italian restaurant. Based on our experience dining in Italy, meals are typically meant to be enjoyed slowly and without rush. So if you are looking to fully enjoy a relaxed “la dolce vita” style meal, you won't get that here. Overall, the food and service were good, but the way our visit ended left us unsure about whether we would return.

+3