Reikasai Ginza: A Birthday Dinner with Qing Court Heritage
A birthday dinner gives me a reason to choose a restaurant with a story of its own. At Reikasai Ginza (厲家菜 銀座), that story reaches from modern Tokyo back to the cooking traditions of China’s Qing imperial court. Champagne, a table of fifteen little appetizers and a final plate of fruit and flowers made this an evening built around both celebration and culinary heritage.
The family connection was part of the experience from the beginning. Before looking closely at the dishes, I found myself looking through the restaurant’s history booklet. The photographs and the names on the menu gave the dinner another dimension: these were recipes presented as an inheritance, with a family behind them.
The Li family, Cixi and a culinary inheritance
According to Reikasai’s account of its family history, its forebear Li Zijia (厲子嘉) was a senior official in the Imperial Household Department during the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns. His responsibilities included supervising menus for the emperor and Empress Dowager Cixi, in consultation with court physicians. The family traces its cooking to the palace recipes and knowledge he helped preserve.
Cixi was the mother of the Tongzhi Emperor and the aunt of his successor, Guangxu, and a powerful figure in the late Qing dynasty, as the Smithsonian explains. The Li family opened its Beijing restaurant in 1985. Reikasai identifies fourth-generation descendant Li Aiyin (厲愛茵) as a custodian of the cooking tradition. That is the connection at the heart of this dinner: a family carrying its interpretation of imperial cuisine into the present.
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Fifteen appetizers: the art is in the details
The opening spread was the photograph I most wanted to keep. Fifteen small white plates filled the table between our champagne glasses. Some held carefully shaped rolls or bundles; others offered neat blocks of tofu, sliced meat or finely cut vegetables. The arrangement made it natural to pause and look before moving from one dish to the next.
The printed menu connects many of these small dishes to a person, place or image. It describes the jade tofu as a Reikasai signature, the stir-fried carrots as a vegetarian dish associated with Cixi, and the spiced beef as a creation of Li Zijia. A cucumber garnish takes the form of a dragon; golden shrimp rolls refer to Beijing opera drums; shrimp bundles echo the pouches carried by Qing officials. Those details make the craft visible on a very small scale.
There were also spiced fried cod, smoked pork belly, stuffed fried lotus root and venison with bamboo shoots among the fifteen appetizers. Reading the menu alongside the plates was a useful way to follow the meal. The photographs below include the menu from this visit, so you can open it and look more closely at the full sequence.
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Lobster, lamb and a change of scale
After that collection of miniature dishes, the lobster arrived with a much larger presence. Its red shell framed the cooked pieces on the platter, turning the presentation into a centrepiece. The menu calls it imperial-style sweet-and-sour lobster. It was a striking change from the small individual plates that opened the dinner.
The next photographs record imperial-style grilled lamb with carrot sauce and hashima soup. The lamb was presented as a single chop with greens and lemon, while the soup arrived in a white handled cup. The setting stayed restrained—white linen and pale porcelain—so the forms and colours of the food stood out.
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The ingredient and the finished rice course
One particularly distinctive part of the presentation was seeing the dried shark fin at the table before the finished dish. Its pale, broad shape looked very different from the strands in the bowl that followed. The menu lists this course as shark-fin rice. I have kept both photographs together because they record that connection between the ingredient shown to us and the completed course.
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A birthday ending in fruit and flowers
Dessert brought another small collection: the Li family’s yogurt, an imperial-style yellow pea sweet and the chef’s recommended dim sum. Then came the most personal plate of the evening. “Happy Birthday” filled the centre, surrounded by orange halves, grapes, kiwi and colourful flowers. After a menu so full of references to family and history, that simple birthday message brought the focus back to our own occasion.
Swipe or scroll sideways to explore the photographs. Select a photo to view it in full.
Build a Ginza afternoon around the dinner
For this kind of celebration, I would make the dinner the main appointment and let the afternoon stay flexible. Ginza works well for an easy walk, a little shopping or a gallery stop before getting ready for the evening. Keep lunch light if you plan to book a substantial course, and leave time to reach the building without rushing. The restaurant is on the ninth floor of the POLA Ginza Building, close to Ginza-itchome Station.
For another celebration in Ginza, my Ginza Seikoan kaiseki dinner review focuses on Niigata ingredients, snow-aged Wagyu and nodoguro, with the craft of counter dining. My L’Odorante Ginza review explores Chef Minoru Nakijin’s French cooking, cheese and wine. Together, these dinners offer three different directions for a special occasion: the Li family’s imperial Chinese cuisine here, regional Japanese cooking at Seikoan, or French cuisine at L’Odorante.
For more options, browse my Ginza dining stories or use my Tokyo dining guide to compare Ginza, Yurakucho and Ueno. My Japan dining guide also covers how I plan a day around a meal, make reservations and check language or dietary requirements. For a broader itinerary, start with the destination guide and choose your dining stop before filling the rest of the day.
Booking a celebration as an international visitor
The restaurant’s official website links to an English TableCheck reservation page. Some venue notices remain in Japanese, so read the course conditions carefully and ask the restaurant to clarify anything essential. Mention the birthday while booking and request a message plate in advance; the available additions and charges may differ from the plate photographed here.
The photographed menu included pork, shellfish, lamb, dairy and other animal ingredients, and we had champagne. Anyone with allergies or religious or other dietary requirements should discuss the whole course with the restaurant before confirming. Extensive substitutions may not be possible. Dress neatly for the occasion and check the current dress policy, total price, service charge and cancellation terms on the booking page.
Ken’s Verdict
What gives this Reikasai Ginza birthday dinner its character is the relationship between the occasion and the food’s story. The fifteen appetizers invite a close look, the larger courses create their own moments, and the birthday plate gives the evening a personal finish. I would keep it in mind for someone who enjoys learning the background of a meal as much as photographing it—and who wants the dinner itself to be the centre of the celebration.
Before you book
What is Reikasai Ginza’s connection to Cixi?
The restaurant traces its cuisine to the family of Li Zijia, a senior Qing Imperial Household Department official whose responsibilities included supervising menus for the imperial household. Its official history identifies fourth-generation descendant Li Aiyin with the continuing tradition.
Can I arrange a birthday plate?
Ask when making the reservation. The official booking page offers birthday arrangements, but options, charges and notice periods depend on the request. The fruit-and-flower plate pictured here records this visit.
Can I book in English?
The official TableCheck page has an English interface, although some restaurant notices remain in Japanese. Contact the restaurant if you need confirmation about a course, dietary requirement or celebration request.
Will my course be the same as the photographs?
Check the current menu before booking. These photographs and dish descriptions record one birthday dinner; courses, ingredients and presentation can change.
KEN’S DINING ADDRESS BOOK
REIKASAI GINZA · 厲家菜 銀座
Li family imperial Chinese cuisine in Ginza
- Address
- POLA Ginza Building 9F
1-7-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061 - Access
- About one minute from Ginza-itchome Station, Exit 7
- Dinner
- 17:00–22:00
Last entry 20:00 · Last order 21:30 - Telephone
- +81 3 6228 6218
- Reservations
- Book a course in advance. Request birthday arrangements and discuss dietary needs before confirming.
- Price and service
- Check the selected course’s current price. The booking page lists a 10% service charge.
Official restaurant website · Details checked 8 September 2026. Hours, menus and celebration options may change.
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