Vinuls is exactly what Ginza needs—an inexpensive, casual place serving good food and good wine. Billed as a Catalan wine bar, Vinuls is just a few minutes’ walk from Cartier and Chanel.

The enticing smell of garlic or roasting meat draws you in. Some 30 types of tapas, small dishes carefully prepared, are available every night. Each one costs ¥500, except for the Iberico ham and other delicacies, which go for ¥1,000. 

Here is a selection: roast lamb brochettes with Spanish paprika, shrimp with garlic, Russian-style potato salad with tuna, salmon marinade, gazpacho, chorizo, Catalan-style beef tripe with white beans, Catalan curry, mushroom quiche, and bruschetta with ratatouille. Vinuls prepares its Spanish omelette in the proper Catalan style—no onions—only eggs, potatoes, and garlic. Not to be missed is the Jamon Iberico de Bellota, an outstanding ham made from hogs raised on acorns. Another delicious dish is the foie gras with dried fig, toasted pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. The hell with cholesterol; you only live once.

Vinuls offer ten wines by the glass with prices ranging from ¥500 to ¥800. One of the most popular is Basa, a Spanish white with plenty of fruit tempered by a crisp mineral finish. Other popular whites are the Terasola Sauvignon Blanc and the brut cava Perelada Riserva (both ¥600). Standouts among the reds are the Lorinon Crianza Rioja and the Cuvee des Fees from Languedoc. Your wine comes in a simple glass tumbler poured from a bottle fitted with a plastic spout. A porron, or pitcher, can be had for ¥2,200. 

Upstairs is a proper restaurant with linen on the tables. It is quieter, with a pleasant decor, and a menu offering many of the same tapas as downstairs but with bigger portions and bigger prices.