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Its low-key address, on a quiet lane with traditional old houses for neighbours, belies Isola's reputation for producing what are widely recognised as Tokyo's best pizzas. A bright- red ceramic wood-fired oven takes pride of place amid the restaurant's simple white, rustic decor. There's just a handful of pizzas on the menu, priced from 2,500 to 3,000 yen ($165-$200) and all lovingly made to order. They feature light toppings such as arugula, gorgonzola and fresh ham. They're pounded into shape, pushed onto traditional wooden paddles and cooked for a few minutes - and the results are how pizza should be: blackened edges, chewy middles that taper outwards and, to the fore, the individual taste of each high-quality ingredient.

Stellato

3F, 4-19-17 Shiroganedai, Minato-ku

This has been home to the 'romantic dinner for two' for years, which isn't surprising, given Stellato's gaudy, movie-set-style furnishings, which make it look as decadent and sexy as a Parisian lingerie store. The cuisine, a fusion of Californian, French and Japanese ingredients and influences, is just as warming. Dishes are created and presented with a flourish, and change according to the season. A typical main course is grilled honmaguro tuna (3,500 yen), served rare in a beurre noisette with spicy green Thai peppers, bell peppers, bamboo shoots and spinach.

Sabado Sabadete

5-3-2 Shiroganedai, Minato-ku

This is a Catalonian restaurant on the second floor of an innocuous-looking 1970s low-rise building. Serving Spanish staples such as gambas ajillo (garlic prawns), tapas-style portions of Manchego cheese and garlic soup at 700 to 1,000 yen a dish, it offers filling and flavour-packed, home-style fare. Run by former jewellery designer Manuel Benito and his Japanese wife, Sabado Sabadete has been serving tortilla to homesick Spanish and local residents since 1991. It's closed on Sundays and open for dinner only.

Luxor

5-4-7 Shiroganedai, Minato-ku

This modern Italian restaurant is a paean to regional cuisine, with the emphasis on Lombardy, from where Luxor's chef-owner, Mario Frittoli, hails. Padded orange leather panels and chandeliers fashioned from forks are a few of the contemporary, eccentric interior styling details. Cooks will love the three chefs' tables at the front of house - ideal for watching them prepare pasta from scratch and whisk delicate sauces for the seafood. Another highlight is the Tuscan wild boar at 3,500 yen, a dish prepared in chianti before being grilled on an open fire. Remember to take your credit card: it's difficult to escape without paying less than 15,000 yen a head for dinner with wine.

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