There’s a fairy tale-like quality to the Tokyo outpost of Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, which opened — after a nearly year-long, pandemic-induced delay — on Oct. 28 in Ginza.
As in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” a grinning cat leads the way. The entrance to the restaurant — located on the fourth floor of the fashion brand’s second Tokyo flagship — is adorned with an eye-catching mural of a cat in a red frock and white knee socks wandering through a lush garden while carrying a yellow handbag.
Beyond, a splendid corridor, painted a vibrant shade of olive green and decorated with antique mirrors, conjures the foyer of a magical palace. The elevator opens onto a light-filled space, with a trellised, open-air terrace preceding the main dining area. Tall banquettes upholstered in peacock-colored velvet complement the hand-painted flooring and floral-patterned teacups. The atmosphere is redolent of a high-Renaissance Florentine fantasy, complete with marble tabletops and boiserie paneling embellished with lines of poetry penned by Lorenzo de’ Medici.
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