Ranking
The best places to eat in Japan
An editorial ranking of restaurants, cafés and bars: grades from A+ to F, price range, and the Tabelog score where one exists.
Places ranked: 2,446
1078
Tsumagari Daimaru Umeda: Classic Japanese Butter Pastries
Osaka · Pâtisserie
A celebrated patisserie on the B1 floor of the Daimaru department store in Osaka's Umeda district. It's a go-to for its huge selection of butter-rich cookies and cakes, sold individually and beautifully packaged for gifts.
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1080
Tatsu: Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
Hiroshima · Casual Dining
A tiny, highly-regarded okonomiyaki shop in Hiroshima, run by a husband-and-wife team. It's known for the owner's precise technique, which creates a perfect 'parifuwa' texture—crispy noodles and soft, sweet cabbage.
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1081
hectopascal: Creative Wood-Fired Pizza
Kanagawa · Pizzeria
A destination for creative, wood-fired pizza in Yokohama's Asahi Ward. hectopascal is celebrated for its exceptional dough—chewy, light, and smoky—and a wide menu of classic and inventive pies baked in a showpiece oven.
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1083
Shabushabu Kin Honten: Purebred Agu Pork Shabu-Shabu
Okinawa · Fine Dining
Experience a guided shabu-shabu meal in Naha featuring rare, purebred Agu pork. Staff demonstrate how to cook the meat and pair it with Okinawan vegetables and sea grapes for a unique taste of the island.
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1085
Ni no Kura: Creative Omakase Sushi
Hokkaido · Fine Dining
A tiny, six-seat omakase counter in Sapporo where the show starts long before the nigiri. Ni no Kura (弐ノ蔵) is celebrated for its highly creative appetisers (tsumami) and theatrical preparation, followed by a long and varied sushi course.
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1086
Kitsune: Theatrical Yamato Beef Sukiyaki
Nara · Fine Dining
Experience a theatrical, multi-course sukiyaki meal in Nara's Ganriincho district. Kitsune serves premium Yamato beef one slice at a time, cooked at your table and paired with unique dipping sauces, making for a memorable dining event.
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1087
kamoshiya Kusumoto: A World Tour in a Tasting Menu
Osaka · Fine Dining
In Osaka's Fukushima district, this intimate counter restaurant offers a unique tasting menu that changes monthly, exploring the cuisine of a different country each time. It is a destination for adventurous diners who value creative cooking and…
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1088
Gion Rohan: Creative Kappo-Izakaya Dining
Kyoto · Izakaya
In the heart of Kyoto's Gion district, Gion Rohan is a celebrated izakaya serving creative, seasonal small plates in an intimate counter setting. It's a destination for its signature dish: a pressed mackerel sandwich known as saba sando.
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1091
Shunsai Shungyo Tajima: Seasonal Izakaya Fare
Hokkaido · Izakaya
An acclaimed izakaya in a residential part of Hakodate, celebrated for its hyper-seasonal dishes. The owner personally fishes and forages for many of the ingredients, offering a true taste of Hokkaido's bounty.
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1092
Hikobae: Modern Spanish Seafood Cookery
Aichi Prefecture · Fine Dining
A modern Spanish restaurant in Nagoya's Daikancho district, Hikobae (蘖) showcases exceptional seafood with precise, wood-fired cooking. Diners come for the seasonal paellas and elaborate parfaits, served in an intimate tasting course format.
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1093
Kitashinchi Yamagata Ya: A Beef Tongue Counter Experience
Osaka · Casual Dining
An intimate, seven-seat counter in Osaka's Dojima district, dedicated to the art of beef tongue. The owner-chef serves elaborate courses showcasing the meat in various forms, from grilled cuts to rich stews.
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1094
Tori Ryori Seto: Charcoal-Grilled Chicken Course
Kyoto · Fine Dining
A unique chicken-focused restaurant in a renovated traditional house in northern Kyoto. Guests dine in private rooms where the chef grills exceptionally fresh chicken, slaughtered to order, over a charcoal hearth before serving a sukiyaki and rice…
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1097
Volta: Family-Run Teppanyaki Craft
Kyoto · Steakhouse
A family-run teppanyaki restaurant in Kyoto's Arashiyama district, celebrated for its perfectly grilled steaks and meticulous vegetable courses. The chef's decades of skill make it a destination for high-quality teppan dining.
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1098
Isshin: Seasonal Torafugu Omakase
Osaka · Fine Dining
A seasonal fugu specialist in a discreet residential corner of Toyonaka, Osaka. Isshin (一眞) is sought out by connoisseurs for its purist omakase featuring rare preparations of wild tiger pufferfish, but access is by introduction only.
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1099
PAUL: Okinawan Ingredients, Spanish Wood-Fire Cooking
Okinawa · Fine Dining
A destination restaurant in Bise, Motobu, serving an omakase-style tasting menu. Chef Paul showcases rare Okinawan ingredients prepared with modern Spanish wood-fire techniques at an intimate counter.
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1100
Toritaka: A Masterclass in Chicken Omakase
Nagano · Fine Dining
A destination for chicken omakase in Karuizawa, where chef Tsuchiya-san showcases masterful fire control over a multi-course menu of rare parts and signature dishes. Bookings are essential and difficult to secure.
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