Ranking
An editorial ranking of restaurants, cafés and bars: grades from A+ to F, price range, and the Tabelog score where one exists.
Places ranked: 1,522
Tokyo · Fine Dining
Experience inventive French tasting menus with a focus on seasonal Japanese vegetables. Located in Toranomon's Azabudai Hills, Florilege offers a theatrical meal at a large communal counter overlooking the open kitchen.
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Tokyo · Fine Dining
A high-end kaiseki restaurant in Hiroo, Sasa showcases exceptional seafood from Awaji and Akashi. Diners come for the chef's 'gen-nari' philosophy, which uses dashi to highlight the natural umami of the ingredients.
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Tokyo · Fine Dining
Experience Edomae tempura elevated to an art form by master chef Tetsuya Saotome. Located in a quiet house in Fukuzumi, this counter-focused restaurant is a pilgrimage for tempura purists who book well in advance.
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Kyoto · Fine Dining
A century-old ryōtei in Kyoto, Kikuno I Honten (菊乃井 本店) serves elaborate seasonal kaiseki in private tatami rooms overlooking a tranquil garden. It's a destination for a formal, theatrical Japanese dining experience.
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Tokyo · Fine Dining
An intimate sushi counter in Shintomi, prized for its exceptionally large nigiri and masterful handling of shellfish. While its lunch omakase is considered great value, securing a reservation is notoriously difficult and often limited to regulars.
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Tokyo · Fine Dining
In Nihonbashi Ningyocho, Edo Mae Shinsaku offers a singular take on tempura, using a unique low-temperature frying method for an ultra-light crust. It's a destination for tempura connoisseurs, though visitors should note reports of last-minute…
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Osaka · Wine Bar
A paella-focused Spanish restaurant in Osaka's Tennoji district, celebrated for its many seasonal variations and an exceptional wine list. It's a destination for diners seeking creative, ingredient-driven paellas served in small pans.
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Tokyo · Fine Dining
An intimate kaiseki counter in Shintomi focused on rare seasonal ingredients. Chef Nakashima Kôtarô, formerly of Kanda, builds his menus around prized items like white bamboo shoots and steamed abalone.
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Tokyo · Fine Dining
A high-end kaiseki restaurant in Azabujuban, famed for its dramatic finale: a rich rice dish showered with freshly shaved truffles at your table. It's a destination for special occasions, built around rare ingredients and precise counter-side…
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Kyoto · Fine Dining
A unique single-group Chinese restaurant on a farm in the mountains of Ayabe, Kyoto. Guests experience a meal from field to plate, often beginning with the on-site slaughter of a chicken, for a profound taste of whole-animal cookery.
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Tokyo · Bar
Experience chef Jérôme Quilbeuf's inventive Spanish-Japanese tasting menu at this stylish counter restaurant in Chiyoda's Rokubancho district. Known for its theatrical open kitchen, 36-month Iberico ham, and creative seafood.
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Kyoto · Fine Dining
In Kyoto's Gion district, Gibier Miyama offers a unique game-focused tasting menu. After four set dishes, guests can order unlimited small plates of bear, deer, and boar, all prepared before them at an intimate counter.
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Kyoto · Casual Dining
Famed for its uniquely thick and chewy udon noodles, Yamamoto Menzou in Kyoto's Okazaki district is a destination for noodle lovers. Expect generous portions and signature burdock tempura, but be sure to book ahead to dine in the main restaurant.
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Osaka · Casual Dining
One of Japan's most acclaimed tonkatsu restaurants, located in Yao, Osaka. It's famous for its selection of high-end pork breeds like TOKYO-X, fried with precision to remain juicy inside a coarse, crunchy crust.
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