As of January 2022, Tokyo held more Michelin stars than any other city in the world. That's right: The city with the most Michelin stars isn't Paris, New York, Hong Kong, or Singapore; it's Tokyo! 12 restaurants in Tokyo were awarded three Michelin stars, 41 were awarded two stars, and a whopping 150 eateries were given at least one Michelin star.
Safe to say, there's plenty of fine food to eat in Tokyo's best restaurants for those who have a taste for it. Some restaurants require reservations months in advance and can cost a pretty penny, whereas others are cheaper than most expect. Regardless of the restaurant, visitors will never go hungry because these restaurants are some of the Japanese capital's finest.
Of course, the best izakayas in Tokyo are more than enough to feed the soul and enjoy an authentic dining experience. But for those feeling a little bit fancier, here are some of the best Michelin Star restaurants Tokyo has in store for hungry tourists.
There Are Now 14 Michelin-Star Restaurants In Tokyo To Consider!
This article has been refreshed with four new Tokyo Michelin Star restaurants to tempt diners in the capital of Japan. Whether someone wants to explore Italian, French, Japanese, or blended cuisine, Tokyo has it all. Have fun, and don't forget to make a reservation at one of these delicious establishments!
Related: Did You Ever Wonder What It Takes For A Restaurant To Get A Michelin Star?
One of the more popular Italian restaurants in Tokyo, Japan, is ALTER EGO. Being Michelin-Star-rated, this eatery offers guests an upscale, intimate dining experience, as well as 'Japanese food with Italian ingredients.' The theme of the restaurant combines Japanese and Italian culture, blending it into a delicious final dinner for patrons.
The next Michelin-Star restaurant in Tokyo is the ever-loved SANT PAU. Here, guests can indulge in a Spanish fusion meal alongside some of the city's best chefs. This restaurant is notable for its beautiful mean presentations and adaptations of some of Spain's classic dishes.
For those staying in Tokyo's Palace Hotel, eating at ESTERRE is certainly worth it. This is one of the best restaurants in Tokyo. Here, visitors can explore a French menu thoughtfully prepared by some of Japan's best chefs. Notably, this restaurant offers people views of the verdant Kokyo Gaien National Garden and Wadakura Moat.
Another top-rated restaurant in Tokyo is Kioicho Fukudaya. Here, visitors to the city can experience traditional Japanese food with a twist made by some of the area's best chefs. It's an embodiment of Rosanjin's statement that "Cooking is not something to taste with just your tongue, but to enjoy the harmony between beauty and flavor," according to Michelin's website.
Pufferfish is a notoriously dangerous thing to eat. When its toxin-filled organs aren't properly cleaned and prepared, pufferfish, or fugu as it is called in Japan, can be highly poisonous. Luckily, the Tokyo branch of Usuki Fugu Yamadaya, whose main restaurant is located in Usuki, Oita, has a reputation for being one of the safest places to eat pufferfish.
The two Michelin-star restaurant serves fugu prepared in all kinds of ways: grilled, sashimi, stewed, fried, or cooked into porridge.
Visitors are often surprised when they find French food at the center of restaurant menus all over Tokyo, but French cuisine enjoys quite the popularity in Japan. Le Bourguignon is among the best Michelin restaurants Tokyo has waiting for hungry visitors.
It blends the best of French food with Japanese ingredients, dishes, and culinary traditions, except at this one Michelin-star restaurant, head chef-owner Yoshinaru Kikuchi often uses food as a memoir of his time in Lyon and Montpellier.
Yakitori are skewers of grilled chicken that are generally a bar snack served at izakayas with a cold glass of beer or sake. Asagaya Birdland, however, makes yakitori that is a far cry from a mere izakaya snack and which currently holds a Bib Gourmand award.
Asagaya is the only approved branch of Bird Land - a one-Michelin star eatery in Tokyo - and gives diners a taste of Bird Land-style yakitori for a much cheaper price.
There is no Japanese restaurant more iconic than Sukiyabashi Jiro, a small sushi bar owned and operated by Jiro Ono that was featured in the 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
Although Sukiyabashi Jiro was recently removed from the Michelin guide because it no longer accepts reservations from the general public, it remains the first sushi restaurant in the world to ever be awarded three Michelin stars and so, among the finest sushi restaurants in the world -- that alone warrants a trip to the restaurant. All bookings must now be made via the concierge at luxury hotels.
A French name in Japan? That's precisely what L'Effervescence is: a three-Michelin-star restaurant that fuses the culinary traditions of France and Japan. More importantly, L'Effervescence also holds a green Michelin star for sustainability and happens to be on the list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.
Meals at L'Effervescence are always a surprise for diners considering the fact that its signature dish is a take on the McDonald's apple pie made with wild boar and mushrooms and served in a red takeaway box.
Eating sushi in Tokyo can be an awfully uptight and stressful experience. Add to that a Michelin star or two, and tourists are often flustered with dress codes, hard-to-make reservations, and strict sushi-eating etiquette for a price that could cover the cost of the entire trip twice over.
The one-Michelin star Sushidokoro Kiraku, however, offers a refreshingly laid-back atmosphere, reasonably priced menus, and easy reservations (minus the long wait times) while serving top-notch sushi.
Related: It's Tough To Get A Reservation At These 10 Restaurants Around The World
To put it simply, Tamawarai is an ode to buckwheat (soba). Located in the quiet streets of Harajuku, Tamawarai is run by owner-chef Masahiro Urakawa who uses buckwheat grown in his own fields in Tochigi. Tamawarai carefully monitors each step of the buckwheat as it grows from a seed and transforms into the final noodle on the plate.
The one Michelin-star restaurant draws diners to its 14-seater space for hot or cold chewy soba noodles from all across the city.
At present, there are only three ramen restaurants that hold a Michelin star, and one of them is the Sobahouse Konjiki Hototogisu. Located in the tourist-busy area of Shinjuku, Sobahouse Konjiki Hototogisu is an excellent pitstop for a bowl of the city's finest ramen after a long day of wandering, especially since it happens to be one of the cheaper Michelin-star restaurants too.
The only thing that hungry diners must brace themselves for is long queues: there are only seven counter seats and a handful of small tables to accommodate all those waiting for their turn at the vending machine to place an order.
Related: Around The World and Back: History of Japanese Ramen Noodles
Shokunins -- a word that roughly translates to Japanese artisans but has a far deeper cultural meaning -- spend years mastering the art of perfectly light and airy tempura. Fumio Kondo, the chief chef of Tempura Kondo for one, has been working on mastering tempura since he was 18.
Over fifty years later, Kondo's two Michelin-star Tempura Kondo in Ginza remains one of the best places in Tokyo for exquisitely delicate sweet potato and shredded carrot tempura.
Ginza Kojyu is a two-Michelin star spot and is one of the many restaurants in Japan that serves the best kaiseki cuisine - a multicourse meal of several small, intricate, and artfully presented portions that highlight the fresh produce that's in season.
Chef and owner Toru Okuda places great emphasis on honmono or authenticity in his food, and his kaiseki menu brings together the four seasons and their flavors from all across Japan. Because of the focus on seasonality, no two meals are ever the same at Ginza Kojyu, but previous guests have been served slow-grilled lobsters encased in sea urchins, charcoal-cooked wagyu beef covered in harusame glass noodles, and kuruma shrimps over grilled vegetables.