Takara, the oldest Japanese restaurant in Paris

Established in 1958, Takara can be easily called the oldest Japanese restaurant in Paris. In Japanese ‘Takara’ means ‘a treasure’ and what a treasure it is. Once you enter behind its door on a tranquil street near avenue de l’Opéra, you will feel like you travel somewhere to a village in Japan. The waiters and waitresses here are wearing traditional attire, walls are decorated with ukiyo-e prints and its dark wood furniture is simple and rustic.

Behind the sushi counter – chef Yukio Yamakoshi. Known to be quite shy, he has even installed a screen to hide behind it when working in order to avoid customers attention. Once you are a regular client though, he certainly will warm up to you – greet you with a smile, say hi or at least nod his head!

It’s easy to become a regular at Takara as its cooking quality has been consistent for years. It would be difficult to recommend only one dish or even one speciality. Here you can have anything from sushi and soba noodles to sukiyaki or shabu shabu. If there was one dish to pick though, it would be a simple green salad with avocado coupled with grilled beef, rice and vegetables presented in a piping hot skillet. Always with the sauce on the side, so you can control how well you want your beef to be cooked (which will end up cooking on your table…).