Chez Olivier

I went to Chez Olivier for my wife's birthday and we chose the Menu Dégustation (¥12,500 + 10% service fee), which included X courses. The menu was absolutely incredible — perfectly balanced and built like a crescendo. Admittedly, I'm not used to high-end restaurants, so this experience really broadened my culinary horizons. I was genuinely amazed by the variety of flavors, textures, and sensations created by the chef. My wife and I spent 2.5 hours enjoying this lunch, and we realized that the entire time we only talked about how the food made us feel. Each bite was an explosion of flavor — from the sweetness and acidity to the textures and surprising use of ingredients. The chef is clearly very skilled, and it's obvious that each dish is crafted with intention. Every ingredient had a purpose. For instance, I was surprised by how zucchini and cucumber — which are usually quite mild — added depth and crunch while enhancing the flavor dynamics. Using cumin in a chocolate and cherry dessert was bold, but it totally worked, creating an unexpected harmony. Every dish was extremely well-designed, offering a unique tasting and textural experience. The bouchées d’apéritif were a strong start — three refined, delicate one-bite dishes, each beautifully presented and distinct in taste. The progression of the courses was thoughtful, starting with more gentle flavors and gradually building up to a satisfying beef steak with wine sauce. Just before dessert, a staff member brought over a cheese cart and offered us a plate (for an additional charge). I’m not sure if this was offered to everyone, or only to French guests living in Japan — perhaps knowing how special these cheeses are when you miss them in daily life. Either way, I couldn't resist and asked for a plate with a selection of all four. The dessert was a wonderful conclusion — a dark cherry and chocolate ice cream with layered textures and a touch of crispy caramel flavored with cumin. Again, surprising and delightful. Throughout the meal, we were served three types of homemade bread (baguette, sourdough campagne, and sourdough with seeds) — seemingly unlimited, even though this wasn’t explicitly stated. Served with high-quality French butter flavored with chili, it was perfect for mopping up every bit of sauce. As a bread lover, I really appreciated this detail. The service was excellent. The chef greeted us personally and served a few of the dishes himself. Before dessert, he returned to our table to ask how we were enjoying the meal. Very polite, warm, and never intrusive. We even chatted briefly about our hometown, as we both come from the Bordeaux region. I truly loved everything about this lunch and would highly recommend Chez Olivier. Of course, it’s a splurge, but it felt absolutely worth it — never overpriced, just an exceptional and memorable experience.

Chef Olivier is very friendly and not only comes to the table at the start of the service but also came to take away our plates after each course to check if we liked it. He was standing and watching over diners from a corner of the room to read their faces and sense how his dishes were received. That attention to detail and customer satisfaction carried through to the quality of the meal and dishes. Some dishes were literal explosions of flavors that lasted in the mouth much after the last bite. Some were more bland or discreet. We recommend the sea spider with a wonderful bisque and the daurade as a main. Everything else was perfect. French also spoken. The wine list is wonderful including those wines which are in the more affordable end of the list.

Edible art on the plate I am astonished by the perfect balance of beauty and flavor A night spent admiring the chef’s creativity

The Restaurant decoration and ambiance is nice. The staff is great and speak French, English and Japanese. Food was delicious and original. With products that you find only in France usually. The wine proposition was also really great. The cost is not expensive, considering the usual prices for French gastronomy in Tokyo. Even in Paris it's hard to find that quality. I warmly recommend this place

I had lunch today, 4 plates. Overall I believe I was expecting too much because of all the positive reviews, but because I got bored with 2 dishes, I am giving it only 4 stars, as other non-Michelin places have given me more satisfaction for less the price. 1) amuse was squid ink cracker with a savory mousse on top, it was a lovely start. Also had a little bread with the texture of corn bread but had bacon inside. 2) a. duck terrine was absolutely divine. Probably my favorite. Bottom layer was like a pate with cashew, in the middle was savory duck breast, and then mousse of foie gras at the top. The wine sauce accented it very well. Each bite was better than the last and it was very good classical french with beautiful presentation 2. B.my parter had kampachi or amberjack with mango, wasabi oil and passion fruit. It was not creative at all, the taste was as is, yes it was beautiful but the it’s not like a harmonious dish where everything together exploded to something wonderful. Total disappointment. A regular Japanese restaurant would have come up with something more interesting. 3) fish with mussel cream sauce. Classical, yes it was good, but was there anything new or creative? Not really. 4. A. Pork with beets. At first I didn’t like it, because the pork was boring, and the wrapped ham made it just salty. I tried to appreciate it better by making sure every piece had a beet slice which would balance out the saltiness. However, their choice of sauce, a ginger sauce, is too commonplace in Asia so I just felt like it was a pretty “pork shogayaki” 豚の生姜焼き. But I guess pork is a bad decision for your main dish anyway. There is not much way to elevate the taste of pork. 4.B. Veal, not in the menu as offered by the server. It had a lemony sauce, also with beets, and also a fresh mushroom and thick mushroom sauce. This was much better, the meat itself was flavourful on its own, and blended well with the other sauces. 5. a. Dessert of 3 kinds of chocolate mouse and ice cream and sweetened banana at the base, topped with big flakes of chocolate and cumin - If you love chocolate then I’m sure you will enjoy this. It was just okay for me 5. B. Soymilk cheesecake and soy ice cream. Definitely wow. I have never tried soymilk based desserts. I actually forgot when they served it that it would be soy, and not regular cheese cake, so I was trying to figure out what it was. I enjoyed that moment of tasting something new, and figuring it out. The mousse was also very good, and there were pistachio kisses, blueberry jelly I had tea with the petit fours. Why I gave only 4 stars, looking at previous photos it seemed the restaurant was capable of serving more creative food, but when we went there, one entree was definitely boring and uncreative, and the fish was so typical. I really wanted this to be my best non-formal French lunch in Tokyo but I guess I didn’t get why they would have one Michelin star. I eat a lot around Aoyama, Omotesando, and small fine dining places there do serve similar interesting dishes for less the cost. If you go there, do get the more traditional offerings in the menu, and I think the fish is unnecessary unless you’re hungry. Lunch Chargr 7,500 per 4 plats 1,200 for sparkling 1000 for evian water

I visited Chez Olivier for the second time during lunch. Each dish was beautifully plated like art, and the taste and flavors were impressive. The restaurant is small, with an interior reminiscent of Paris. You can hear the voices of other tables, yet it’s a stylish place without pretentiousness—a comfortable atmosphere. The owner-chef personally greeted us and even saw us off, which made me very happy. I’ll definitely want to go again!

Superb execution of the various dishes from seafood or meat (venison from Tottori). Chef was friendly and serving was professional yet inviting. Lovely place.

Great experience once again Chez Olivier! The combination of tastes and structures in each dish is a superb work. Also a great wine selection Highly recommended!

One of the best restaurants in Ichigaya. Awesome food, perfect service... Your dinner will be the beautiful experience ever. Chef Olivier is an ex-teacher at Cordon Bleu (am quite not sure for the spelling... Sorry), the most prestigious school for French cuisine. You will see artistic plates with full of French technique, well balanced between traditional and nouvel style. And your stomach will be full!!! Not only the taste but the volume of the cuisine is gorgeous, too. If you are party of two, and like to see how chefs are working, there is a counter table in front of open kitchen.

The food was pretty good, all fresh stuff with your typical Parisian creamy style. Was a bit taken aback cuz they asked if we wanted some cheese and it ended up costing 2000 yen per person without any mention of it on the menu.