Picking Elio is sort of like picking Tavern on the Green as the best restaurant in New York - you went there, you enjoyed it - I get it.

The last time I was at Elio, the staff gathered around a table to sing Happy Birthday at top volume. Not once, not twice, but four times over the course of the evening.

Generally the food wasn't too bad - very simply prepared, made from good ingredients, and way, way overpriced for what you get. But it's been around forever, from back in the day when Tokyo didn't have so many choices in Italian, so a lot of foreigners know about it.

No, I'm not going to try to figure out the best Italian restaurant in the world. But just off the top of my head I can think of any number of Italian restaurants in Tokyo in Elio's general price range with better food and more serious cooking, and much better value for money.