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With the recent boom in fine dining and with the release of the 2024 edition of the World's 50 Best Restaurants list and the Michelin Guide to Lithuania, Chef's Pencil has tallied the concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants in cities around the globe with more than 500,000 inhabitants.
Kyoto topped the list by including 100 Michelin-starred restaurants with 1.46 million residents. It has 5 Michelin three stars, 17 two stars, and 78 one stars.
📝 The new Michelin restaurants in Kyoto this year are listed today:
List
呑小路 やま岸／Nominokoji Yamagishi（izakaya (Japanese style of Japanese pub)）小松 クッチーナ イタリアーナ／Komatsu Cucina Italiana（イタリアart of cooking)大國屋鰻兵衞／Okuniya Mambei（うなぎ）ミドル／middle（Modern Cuisine）先斗町 鮨 いし屋／Pontocho Sushi Ishiya（sashimi）鮨 かわの／Sushi Kawano（sashimi）天若／Tenjaku（天ぷら）アンペイジ／anpeiji（フランスart of cooking）ルカ／Luca（フランスart of cooking）カドー／Le cadeau（フランスart of cooking）ジャン-ジョルジュ アット ザ シンモンゼン／Jean-Georges at The Shinmonzen（フランスart of cooking）ブノワ／Benoit（フランスart of cooking）ラパルテ／L’aparté（フランスart of cooking）ストリーム／Stream（Japanese food）せん田／Senda（Japanese food）ひがしやま 司／Higashiyama Tsukasa（Japanese food）わか杦／Wakasugi（Japanese food）割烹 しなとみ／Kappo Shinatomi（Japanese food）観山／Kanzan（Japanese food）宮脇／Miyawaki（Japanese food）京 味和／Kyo Ajiwa（Japanese food）室町 唯／Muromachi Yui（Japanese food）白山／Hakuzan（Japanese food）料 かわしま／Ryo Kawashima（Japanese food）焼鳥 京都橘／Yakitori Kyoto Tachibana（焼鳥）真白／MASHIRO（Modern Cuisine）都季／TOKI（Modern Cuisine）モコ／MOKO（フランスart of cooking）二條 みなみ／Nijo Minami（Japanese food）ラ ブッシュ／la bûche（フランスart of cooking）水の／Mizuno（Japanese food）獨歩／Doppo（Japanese food）廣澤／Hirosawa（Chinese cuisine）祇園 やま岸／Gion Yamagishi（Japanese food）鴨art of cooking 田ぶち／Kamoryori Tabuchi（鴨art of cooking）そのば／sonoba（蕎麦）酒と魚 DNA／Saketosakana DNA（izakaya (Japanese style of Japanese pub)）よこい／YOKOI（Japanese food）ライース／Raiz（Modern Cuisine）仁王門 無為／Niomon MUI（Japanese food）
Kyoto's traditional and elegant cuisine, represented by tofu, kaiseki and Kyoto cuisine, focuses not only on the sense of seasonality and the original flavor of the ingredients, but also on exquisite presentation and a deep sense of Zen.
In most restaurants in Kyoto, you can find the spirit of professionalism, and the dining environment is full of ancient Japanese flavor.
This time, we have selected 8 unique Michelin restaurants in Kyoto, each with its own local flavor, and recommend them to you~!
🤗 01 菊乃井 - Traditional Kaiseki and Mizuno Cuisine
The only chef on earth with 7 Michelin stars?
It's Yoshihiro Murata, the head chef of Kikunai Honten and the third generation of a century-old family of super chefs in Kyoto.
Kikunai has been voted three Michelin stars for 15 consecutive years and was founded in 1912, making it arguably one of the most famous kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto.
The kaiseki cuisine here strikes a delicate balance between delicious luxury and traditional Japanese wabi-sabi, with a great variety of colors and flavors that make for a great experience for the diner.
Kikunai's cuisine is characterized by “water cuisine,” which emphasizes harmony with seasonal ingredients to create both traditional and innovative dishes.
There are 10 private rooms in total, and no lobby. Kikunoi's service is tailored to give diners a comfortable dining experience.
Kikunai is located near Yasaka Shrine and surrounded by the greenery of Takadaiji Temple, making for a quiet and elegant dining environment.
The restaurant is decorated with a certain sense of age, and sitting in a private room with the sound of gurgling water in your ears, you get a sense of the atmosphere of the old capital.
🤗 02 祇园 佐佐木 - Japanese cuisine with a perfect blend of traditional and new elements
Recognized by countless gourmets, “Sasaki Theater” features daily stories based on Chef Hiroshi Sasaki's culinary skills and featuring seasonal ingredients from all over Japan.
Chef Hiroshi Sasaki is acclaimed for his modern interpretation of traditional Kyoto cuisine and his careful selection of ingredients, with a cooking style that emphasizes the natural flavors of seasonal ingredients and a simple yet profound aesthetic.
Gion Sasaki's kaiseki cuisine is also served on traditional utensils, as opposed to the long-established Kyoto cuisine;
But if you look closely, you can see elements of Western cuisine, and the combination of the two gives diners an all-around sensory impact.
This restaurant is especially famous for its brick kiln grill that creates creative dishes that go beyond traditional Japanese food, with sashimi, wasabi crab meat, and more being grilled in the brick kiln from time to time.
Since last year's renovation, Gion Sasaki has less bar seating but more space, and the fully open kitchen allows diners to watch the chefs prepare their food up close.
🤗 03 瓢亭 - The only Michelin three-star breakfast in the world
In addition to Kikunai Honten, another restaurant in Kyoto that has been selected for three Michelin stars for 15 consecutive years is Ladybird Pavilion, a famous kaiseki restaurant with a history of over 450 years.
Located in the neighborhood of Nanzenji Temple, Lady's Pavilion was once a tea store for worshippers, and is one of the “oldest” of Kyoto's many kaiseki restaurants.
The main building is connected to a separate building, and the dining room is decorated in the same style as the name of the restaurant, with a small bridge and water flowing in the courtyard, which is full of Zen atmosphere. The room is also a Japanese-style room, and the glass windows are so clean that you can almost feel the outside environment at your fingertips.
At Ladybird Pavilion, even the utensils for serving food are quite elaborate. The tableware is handmade by craftsmen, giving diners a taste of the old capital.
Not only that, but it is also a place where you can experience the highest level of Japanese cuisine, where you can create a picture in your mind through cooking. Ladybird's meals are delicately plated, seasonal ingredients are fresh and delicious, and the visual tastebuds are at their peak of enjoyment.
Of course, one of the most famous dishes is the Ladybird Asahi.
Ladybird Tamago is especially popular, with a light, tender egg white and a moist, honey-like yolk, which is true to the saying that the simplest dish is often the most difficult.
The marinated grilled eel and white congee are equally memorable to diners, and the 450-year old fire power is so good that it explodes in your mouth with freshness and a lingering aftertaste.
🤗 04 未在 - Rituals pulled together, excited and moved by deliciousness
If there's one Michelin restaurant in Kyoto that's recognized as the hardest to get a date with, it's Muji, isn't it?
Located in Maruyama Park, Muji is a secluded restaurant designed in the spirit of the ancient Japanese tea master Chirikyu's concept of “one house construction”.
It's a quiet, traditional Japanese dining experience that many old-timers have come to appreciate.
Although the store is small, it offers the advantages of “Itamae Kaiseki”. The timing of the meal is particularly precise, as the restaurant has a total of 14 seats and serves only dinner every day.
One of MUJI's philosophies is to bring together diners who are excited by the same delicious food.
The emphasis is on ritual, with chef Hitoshi Ishihara bowing to everyone before the meal begins, and pouring sake one by one to honor the heavens and the gods.
Each dish is presented in great detail, and the matcha is served right up until the end.
Hitoshi Ishihara studied under the masters Sadakazu Yuki and Hideji Tokuoka, and was the head chef of Arashiyama Kichijo.
He is a hands-on chef who is meticulous in his work. The flowers and plants in the restaurant are all picked by him at the river before he arrives at the restaurant every day.
🤗 05 京怀石 吉泉 - Traditional Kyoto cuisine, world-renowned for its culinary excellence
How can you stroll around Kyoto without experiencing authentic Kyo-Kaiseki! We recommend Yoshizumi next to Shimodaka Shrine!
Yoshizumi's cuisine, represented by Cha Kaiseki, focuses on a sense of seasonality and makes maximum use of the color, aroma and flavor of the ingredients.
Each dish is made to order to ensure freshness and optimal flavor of the ingredients.
There are several set menus to choose from for both lunch and dinner, and the dining environment is very elegant, offering private booths and group rooms, as well as a tea room where you can experience the elegant hospitality of a tea tasting.
The service is excellent, from welcoming guests to sending them off, all of the traditional Japanese etiquette is displayed to the fullest.
And Yoshizumi is one of the few Kaiseki Michelin restaurants that can accommodate children, so it's OK to bring your kids to this restaurant!
🤗 06 祇园 丸山 - Artistic rituals are pulled full circle, and a visual feast for the palate opens up
This 300-year-old restaurant is conveniently located on the south side of Gion-cho, near Gion Shijo Station.
The head chef, Kasakura Maruyama, has accumulated a wealth of experience by studying and working in Kyoto's renowned food pavilions.
Maruyama Cuisine pays attention to a sense of detail, and the menu not only identifies the main ingredients, but also has a clerk to introduce them, making every diner feel right at home.
The utensils and presentation of each dish are very well thought out, and as the dishes come up one by one, the sense of value pulls through, with even the teacups changing styles during the meal.
Kaiseki cuisine is not a large dish, but focuses on the seasonality and original flavor of the ingredients, and the freshness needs no introduction.
Gion Maruyama accepts reservations only, and each room is a private room with a very private dining environment.
For foreigners, a detailed English menu is also available~
🤗 07 草喰なかひがし - Feedback Gratitude for Nature
When it comes to Kyoto and food, no one should know Mr. Middle East and his store Kusakuru なかひがし it!
Michelin three-star in the un in the difficulty of making a reservation Hirsch, Michelin two-star reservation difficulty also belongs to the top of the grass BAKURU NAKA HIGASHI.
The word “kusakuro” in “kusakuro nakahigashi” means “to eat grass” and refers specifically to “grass-picking cuisine” with mountain vegetables as the main ingredient. The word “kusakubu” means “eating grass” and refers specifically to “grass-picking cuisine” that uses mountain vegetables as the main ingredient.
The word “なかひがし” in katakana can also be written as the kanji for “Middle East”, which is the last name of the owner and chef, Hisao Middle East.
Facing the Philosophy Road and close to Ginkakuji Temple, this two-story wooden house is a traditional Kyoto building style with an unassuming appearance that contrasts with its reputation.
The mountain vegetables used at Kusakuru Nakahigashi are freshly picked daily by Hisao Nakahigashi himself from the Ohara region outside of Kyoto.
The restaurant's offerings are therefore adjusted accordingly with the seasons, ensuring that each month brings different seasonal flavors to diners.
Each dish conveys the subtle beauty hidden in nature, and savoring the dishes is like admiring a Japanese painting.
Mr. Middle East's creations are inspired by nature, so feel his witty humor as you dine and learn about the preparation and craftsmanship of each dish.
🤗 08 祇园 又吉 - Taste the specialties of Kyoto, creative cuisine without stepping on the toes.
Chef Kazutomo Matabeyoshi's Gion Matabeyoshi is known for the freedom and lightness of traditional kaiseki cuisine, but with a twist of Okinawan cuisine, offering a one-stage fine-dining experience.
With the simple and elegant décor of Matabeiyoshi, diners are able to savor their food while enjoying the atmosphere of the changing seasons.
The chef is a native of Okinawa, so he specializes in seafood cuisine.
The ingredients used emphasize the concept of “ten days”, i.e., the use of seasonal ingredients, and the seafood is delicious and fully expresses the characteristics of the season.
Gion Matabeyoshi's cuisine not only has outstanding flavor, but is also very well presented. Each dish is like a work of art, so listen to the story of the dish and enjoy the feast for your tastebuds~!
Can't wait to enjoy Michelin restaurants in Kyoto?
Make sure to make a reservation in advance!
- Author:japan guides
- URL:https://japan-guides.com/article/diet-64
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