Maz Tokyo

The Verdict

When Virgilio Martínez announced in 2022 that he would open a Tokyo outpost of Central — the Lima restaurant that ranked number one in the world — the question was whether Peru's most exported chef could translate his ecosystem-mapping menu format to a city six thousand miles away. Three years on, Maz Tokyo has its second Michelin star, has cracked the World's 50 Best top twenty, and stands at the forefront of culinary innovation in Akasaka. The answer was yes, on his own terms.

The format is the same as Lima: nine courses, each marked with the altitude in metres at which the star ingredient grows. The radical part is that only twenty per cent of those ingredients are imported from Peru. Eighty per cent come from specialist Tokyo growers and producers Martínez and his team have spent three years cultivating. This is not a Peruvian restaurant in Japan; it is a Peruvian framework applied to Japanese terroir, with the imported items — chaco clay, cacao, dehydrated potato, biodynamic coffee — providing the conceptual anchor.

The room is a study in stone, wood, and restraint. There is no obvious South American iconography. The plating draws on Peruvian textiles and earthen colours but does so quietly, with the assumption that the food itself will explain. The wine and beverage pairing is one of the most adventurous in Tokyo, drawing from Peruvian fermented drinks, sake, and small-production European wines. The price — from ¥38,500 — is high but for a globally top-twenty experience in central Tokyo, the value is more defensible than at any other restaurant in the city's top tier.

Why It Works for Impress Clients

Maz is a first-class option for impressing a client who has eaten everywhere and needs to be shown something they have not yet seen. The format — nine courses, narrative-driven, geographically specific — gives a business meal natural conversational scaffolding. For a first date, it is one of the most intellectually generous rooms in the city: the courses are talking points, the room is calm, and the experience leaves both diners with a shared reference. Solo diners are warmly accommodated at the counter and the staff narrate each course in fluent English.

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, ESqUISSE is well worth the table. For a different occasion fit, see Sushi Arai or Crony. Browse the complete Tokyo guide for the full list, or filter by Impress Clients across all cities.