How do you get a table at Quintessence in Tokyo?
How do you get a table at Quintessence in Tokyo? Book online on OMAKASE at 9:30am Tokyo time, exactly three months before the night you want. The restaurant says it takes reservations up to three months ahead on the same date, so a table on June 20 opens on March 20, and its Japanese page adds that the three-months-ahead date opens on OMAKASE at 9:30. In winter that is 4:30pm Pacific the day before. Checked November 13, 2026.
Quintessence is at 6-7-29 Kitashinagawa, on the first floor of Garden City Shinagawa Gotenyama, and the Michelin Guide lists it with three stars; it shows the restaurant as open, Tuesday to Saturday. My advice is to choose a Tuesday to Saturday night, count back three months, and be signed in to OMAKASE before 9:30 on that date. If you would rather phone, the line is open only 1:30pm to 3:30pm Tokyo time.
What are Quintessence's booking rules?
| Rule | What the restaurant says |
|---|---|
| Booking window | Three months ahead on the same date. If it is closed on that date, the dates for both that day and the next open day are taken on the next opening day |
| Online release | 9:30 Tokyo time for the date three months ahead, on OMAKASE; online booking is open 24 hours |
| Phone | +81 3-6277-0090, 1:30pm to 3:30pm Tokyo time (8:30pm to 10:30pm Pacific the evening before in winter). Questions and reconfirmation: +81 3-6277-0485 |
| Dinner | Two sittings, 17:00 to 20:00 and 20:30 to 23:30 on the Japanese page; closed Monday and Sunday |
| Party size | Two to six guests; parties of five or six are shown to a private room. No children under 16 |
| Cancellation | The English page gives a cut-off of 10:00pm two days before for a cancellation or change in party size and mentions a 100 percent cancellation fee. The sentence is cut off on the page, so confirm the wording by phone before you book |
| Deposit or card guarantee | Not stated on the reservation pages |
| Dress | Elegant casual; jackets preferred, no shorts, tank tops or sandals |
Tokyo is 17 hours ahead of California in winter and 16 hours ahead from March 14, 2027, when California changes its clocks and Japan does not. The restaurant also states that the dishes change almost entirely about every three months apart from the signature plates, so two visits closer together will repeat dishes.
When does your date open?
| Table for | Opens on (Tokyo time) | Pacific time |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, February 13, 2027 | Friday, November 13, 2026 at 9:30am | Already open (opened 4:30pm Thursday, November 12) |
| Saturday, February 20, 2027 | Friday, November 20, 2026 at 9:30am | 4:30pm Thursday, November 19 |
| Friday, March 5, 2027 | Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 9:30am | 4:30pm Friday, December 4 |
| Wednesday, June 16, 2027 | Tuesday, March 16, 2027 at 9:30am | 5:30pm Monday, March 15 (daylight time) |
Count the same day of the month, not 90 days. The restaurant gives its own example: June 20 opens on March 20. Where the opening day is a Monday or a Sunday, when the restaurant is closed, the page says the next open day takes both dates.
What should you do if Quintessence is full?
Try the next night, and phone during the 1:30pm to 3:30pm window. A new date opens each day, so a full Saturday does not mean the Friday after it is gone. The restaurant says it is currently experiencing difficulties in accepting reservations and gives +81 3-6277-0485 for questions and reconfirmation, so a call is the one route it names besides OMAKASE.
The restaurant's pages do not describe a waiting list or a bar or counter seat, so I will not guess at either. They also say it phones to confirm about a week before the dinner, and asks at booking for your full name, a phone number, any past visit and every food you do not eat. Have those ready.
For another Tokyo table with a date you can time, Narisawa opens a whole month at once, and Florilège opens one date a day, a month ahead.
How does Quintessence fit into a Tokyo trip?
Book it before the flights if you can: it is closed Monday and Sunday, and the three-month rule means the table for a spring trip opens in winter. Dinner only, so keep that evening free of other plans. The hardest tables in Tokyo sets it next to Sukiyabashi Jiro, Den, Narisawa and Florilège, and the booking windows guide compares how far ahead each hard table opens.
To work out when your own date opens, use the reservation release calendar. For the order to book everything else, see the Japan booking order guide.