The Best Japanese Restaurants in Paris

Take a seat at the counter to be in the front row facing the teppanyaki grill, or sit in the small private lounge at this fabulous restaurant. On the agenda here: delicate and specialised cooking, weaving beautiful links between Japan and France – think sashimi, lobster from Brittany, chateaubriand or sweetbreads, all accompanied by good burgundy wines. This is a must-visit.

This small Japanese restaurant cultivates a unique culinary speciality from the city of Osaka: kushikatsu – breaded and fried mini skewers à la minute. The succession of bites reveals finesse and flavour, nicely representing the Land of the Rising Sun. Likewise, the décor is chic and typically Japanese.

What do our taste buds do when they cross paths with a Tokyo chef, based in Paris? They quiver with excitement. Here, the udon have a delicious and authentic flavour, to be enjoyed in a small, uncluttered room decorated in the spirit of Japanese noodle stalls. This is healthy, tasty, with no additives and represents very good value for money.

This restaurant feels like it belong in an alley in old Tokyo; the atmosphere is lively and the dining room is narrow. The ramen, made on site and served in a delicious Landes poultry broth, attracts gourmets of all stripes. The house speciality: Kurogowa ramen, made with secret sauce and Basque farm pork chashu.

Take a sushi master, produce of remarkable quality (like ikejime fish from the Atlantic) and the creative touch of Yannick Alléno, and you get an enticing proposition. The uncluttered dining room gives pride of place to contemporary artists – from the installation of thousands of wooden sticks by Japanese street artist Tadashi Kawamata, to the sections of ceramic walls imagined by American William Coggin. Add to that impeccable service, a sumptuous cellar full of sought-after sakes and twelve seats at the blond wooden counter, and you'll find yourself desperate for a table.

Eel (aka unagi) is the speciality of this restaurant. Filleted, grilled and then steamed, it is immersed in a bath of soy sauce, sake and sugar, before being grilled again and coated with sauce. The vast majority of the clientele here is Japanese, which tells you everything you need to know about the quality of the dishes.

Ogata is a bit like the second Japanese embassy in Paris. It's a temple dedicated to the Japanese art of living, installed in a private mansion in the Marais, designed by Shinichiro Ogata. You can taste refined and seasonal Japanese cuisine here prepared with top-quality ingredients, as evidenced in a dish of sautéed brill with butter and soy sauce. The best seats are at the counter. Continue the journey through the shop or art gallery.

You'll have to mind your head as you pass through the door which leads to this 17th century cellar. Surrounded by minimalist décor, you can discover authentic and well-mastered Japanese cuisine, where the quality of the iungredients is highlighted by the kushiage, sushi and sashimi.

This pocket-sized restaurant has a stripped-down look and zen atmosphere. As an excellent craftsman, the Chef only works with quality ingredients and prepares them surgical precision. His sushi and maki are memorable, the flavours flourishing without the need for soy or wasabi.

This restaurant leaves nothing to chance: ceramics are designed by a Japanese artist, rosewood chopsticks arranged on a small cedar tray, fish comes from the Breton coast presented in whole fillets at the start of the meal... and only diners are welcomed into the softly lit dining room. Chef Tomoyuki Yoshinaga (ex-Okuda) works with fish of remarkable quality, including some perfectly matured fatty tuna, expertly cut and seasoned no less impressively.

This restaurant's stripped-down décor is perfect for lovers of zen minimalism. Here, you can enjoy exquisite Japanese cuisine, from sushi and tempura to soba, sea urchins and tofu with soy jelly – not to mention the octopus cooked with red beans. These are authentic dishes, delivered with meticulous service.

It's worth moving a little out of Paris to reach Neuilly-sur-Seine, where you will discover this traditional Japanese restaurant which serves different menus: sushi, bento and omakase, as well as a tasting menu. Prepared with Japanese care, the beautiful fish is in the spotlight, without forgetting the exquisitely presented traditional Japanese desserts. The setting, as you can imagine, makes the most of pure light wood and white walls. The tea service takes place in front of you, and the customer is greeted and escorted in the street upon arrival and departure.