Oxomoco Opens in Roppongi
The Brooklyn original earned its Michelin star in five months, the Roppongi relaunch brings a bigger menu and a bigger room
Oxomoco earned a Michelin star five months after opening in Brooklyn in 2018. And it did it by cooking Mexican food out of a wood-fired oven in Greenpoint, which at the time felt like an unlikely formula. Owner Justin Bazdarich, who spent nine years opening restaurants around the world under Jean-Georges Vongerichten before going independent, had previously run Speedy Romeo, a wood-fired pizza spot in Clinton Hill. The concept at Oxomoco was the same idea applied to Mexico: build everything around the fire.
The Tokyo connection goes back further than the Roppongi opening. When Oxomoco first arrived in Japan at its Hiroo location, Bazdarich brought in Japanese chef Fumio Yonezawa, a former colleague from the Jean-Georges kitchen, to run it. The Roppongi move expands on that foundation with a significantly larger space inside West Walk at Roppongi Hills, a full cocktail bar and a menu that has grown to include tacos, tostadas, mole and a five-course dinner set (¥6,500).
Start with a frozen margarita (¥1,500) and the guacamole (¥2,400). The guac comes with ricotta and dried tomato in place of fresh—more concentrated, slightly richer. The signature dish is the soy-marinated tuna tostada (¥2,000): bluefin tuna on a blue corn tortilla, macha salsa of nuts, chilies and soy, finished with black sesame.
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The maitake mushroom taco is the standout vegan option, slow-cooked and charred, with fresh herbs and lime. Other highlights include Spanish mackerel and scallop aguachile with burnt eggplant (¥1,800), beef tartare with grasshopper mayonnaise (¥1,650) and half roasted chicken with spiced red rice and black beans (¥4,200).
Other menu highlights include a Spanish mackerel and scallop aguachile with burnt eggplant (¥1,800), beef tartare with grasshopper mayonnaise (¥1,650), and a half roasted chicken with spiced red rice and black beans (¥4,200). The menu reads Mexican but the ingredient choices are a quiet nod to Japan—bluefin, black sesame, maitake and mackerel aren’t accidental.
It’s the kind of menu that works best when ordered widely. Go with a group.
Reservations: OXOMOCO Official Site
Address: West Walk 1F, 6-10 Roppongi, Minato-ku
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 11am – 11pm | Friday & Saturday: 11am – 2am
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