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: 2,446
Nara · Casual Dining
A celebrated soba restaurant in Koryo, Nara, known for its unique three-soba tasting set. It offers a deep dive into the craft of noodle-making, showcasing different buckwheat milling and cutting styles for dedicated enthusiasts.
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Tokyo · Fine Dining
An intimate eight-seat counter in Higashiyama serving a seafood-focused omakase. It's known for precise charcoal grilling and signature finishers like seasonal donabe rice and a rich soft-shell turtle ramen.
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Tokyo · Izakaya
A highly regarded izakaya in Kitasenzoku, known for its inventive dishes and technical skill. Visitors come for its two famous signatures: a complex salad of over 20 vegetables and a remarkably thick pork katsu sandwich.
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Fukuoka · Fine Dining
An intimate 8-seat counter in Fukuoka's Baikoen district, run by a husband-and-wife team. It's known for a multi-course soba tasting that explores different noodle textures, served with live-cooked tempura or grilled duck.
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Kyoto · Fine Dining
Tempura Kawatatsu (天ぷら 川辰) serves a chef's-choice tempura course in a century-old family house by the Katsura River in Kuzekawaharacho, southern Kyoto. Locally sourced and notably good value.
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Nara · Casual Dining
A family-run shop in Nara serving authentic Izumo-style soba, made in-house from 100% buckwheat flour. By day, it's a soba and tempura spot; by night, a seasonal omakase with influences from Shimane prefecture.
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Ishikawa · Fine Dining
Dine in Kanazawa's oldest ryōtei (founded 1752), a living house-museum in the Teramachi district. Tsuba Jin is celebrated for its highly staged kani-gayu (crab porridge) breakfast and kaiseki dinners served in historic private rooms.
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Okinawa · Fine Dining
In a converted residence in the Shuri district of Naha, Akata Fuu offers a rare taste of authentic Ryukyu court cuisine. Run by a husband-and-wife team, it serves meticulous course-only meals based on traditional recipes.
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Nara · Fine Dining
A modern European restaurant and auberge in Nara, set at the foot of Wakakusa Hill. Visitors come for the precise wood-fire cookery and tasting menus that showcase local ingredients, served with views of Nara Park's deer.
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Fukuoka · Casual Dining
A celebrated ramen shop in Fukuoka's Hakata district, famous for its intensely rich and foamy tonkotsu broth, often called a 'pork bone cappuccino'. It's a prime destination for a definitive Hakata ramen experience, but be prepared to queue.
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Hyōgo · Casual Dining
In the basement of a Sannomiya shopping plaza in Kobe, SAVOY is a legendary counter that has perfected a single dish: a rich, fruit-sweet Japanese beef curry. Go for a quick, deeply satisfying, and affordable meal that's a local institution.
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Kyoto · Casual Dining
In Kyoto's Nakagyo ward, Menya Takakura Nijou serves one of the city's most distinctive bowls of ramen. It draws crowds for its dense, creamy fish-and-pork broth, lifted by a smoky char and often paired with bright yuzu-infused noodles.
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Fukuoka · Fine Dining
Famous for its live squid, served straight from a central tank in the dining room. Located in Fukuoka's Nakasu district, it's a spectacle where you see your transparent sashimi prepared, then enjoy the rest as tempura.
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Tokyo · Café
The Tokyo outpost of a famed Oslo café, Fuglen brings Scandinavian vintage design and specialty coffee to a quiet corner of Tomigaya. By day it's a world-class coffee shop; by night, it transforms into a sophisticated cocktail bar.
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Kyoto · Casual Dining
A celebrated Kyoto ramen shop known for its clear, dashi-forward broth made with freshly shaved katsuobushi. Located in the Shimogyo ward, it offers a refined alternative to heavier styles, but be prepared for its popular ticketed queueing system.
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Fukuoka · Bakery
A celebrated artisan bakery in Fukuoka's Hakozaki district, famous for its unique mentaiko (spicy cod roe) French-style baguette. Visitors line up for its wide variety of high-hydration, slow-fermented breads that are known for their crackly crusts…
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