"Yuki Sassa's one-star Hiroo counter cooks kaiseki with a sushi master's hands; book it for a solo seat at ¥28,000."
Yuki Sassa was born in 1991 and spent six years behind a sushi counter in Osaka before eight more cooking in Shanghai. In December 2024 he opened Nihonryori Sassa on a side street off Hiroo's shopping strip, and within a year the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2026 gave it one star. The cooking is kaiseki (a multi-course seasonal menu) built with a sushi craftsman's precision, down to rice cooked with almost no water. Dinner is one set course at ¥28,000 or ¥35,200.
Yuki Sassa trained the long way. After the Tsuji culinary school in Osaka he put in six years at the sushi counter of Sushidokoro Hirano, then time at Sushi Sugita in Tokyo, then eight years cooking and running rooms in Shanghai. That sushi grounding shows in his kaiseki: precise knife work on tuna, sushi-style rice cooked nearly dry, and dashi treated as the soul of the meal.
He opened Nihonryori Sassa in December 2024 in the ARISTO Hiroo building at 5-13-6 Hiroo, sharing the address with Sushi Riku, and the Michelin Guide awarded one star in the Tokyo 2026 edition. The set course runs ¥28,000 or ¥35,200 before a ten percent service charge, and the abalone risotto built on that low-water rice is the dish regulars come back for. The counter is the whole experience and payment is cashless only. It belongs among the city's best Japanese restaurants worldwide.
Sassa is a counter room off the Hiroo shopping street, the kind of address you walk past unless you know the number. Light is low and warm over pale wood, and sound is hushed, just the knife and quiet talk. The counter seats a small handful of guests for a single nightly sitting, with spacing easy. There is no stated dress code, but Hiroo is an old-money neighbourhood and most guests arrive smart. Payment is cashless. Come on time, since the course is timed to the counter.
Book Sassa for a solo seat because the counter is built for it. A single chef cooks and serves across the wood, so a lone diner gets the same running commentary as a couple, and the set ¥28,000 course removes any awkwardness about ordering. The hush of the room rewards paying attention rather than talking. Reserve one counter stool, tell them you are dining alone when you book through the reservation service, and let Sassa walk you through the abalone risotto and the night's fish. It is one of Hiroo's calmer rooms for a quiet, serious meal.
Not for a lively group night or anyone wanting choice: it is one set kaiseki course, one nightly sitting, a quiet counter, and cash is not accepted.
Yes, if a counter kaiseki is what you are after. Sassa earned its first Michelin star in the Tokyo 2026 guide barely a year after opening, and chef Yuki Sassa's sushi-trained precision sets it apart from older kaiseki rooms. At ¥28,000 it is mid-priced for a one-star Tokyo counter. Book it for a focused solo or two-person meal. More of the city is on our Tokyo dining guide.
Through a reservation service, not the phone. Sassa takes bookings via Japanese platforms such as OMAKASE and TableAll, which handle the deposit and the English. The counter is small and one sitting a night, so book two to four weeks ahead, more in cherry-blossom and autumn-leaf season. Payment at the restaurant is cashless only, so have a card ready.
Smart-casual. There is no formal dress code at Sassa, but Hiroo is a refined residential neighbourhood and the counter is intimate, so most guests dress neatly. A collared shirt or a simple dress is right, and you should avoid shorts and gym wear. Strong fragrance is discouraged at any counter where delicate dashi and raw fish are the point.
The set course is ¥28,000 or ¥35,200 per guest, tax included, plus a ten percent service charge. That covers the full kaiseki, while sake and wine are extra. It is cashless only, so bring a card. For the money you get one of Hiroo's newest one-star counters and dishes such as the abalone risotto built on sushi-style rice.
Reservations via OMAKASE or TableAll. Cashless only.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Sassa joins our ranked list of the city's best tables for 2026.
See the Tokyo top 10 →