Michelin is pleased to present today, the 2024 edition of the MICHELIN Guide Kyoto and Osaka. Recommending a total of 440 restaurants, the 15th selection, counts no less than 185 MICHELIN Starred establishments, including 1 new Two Star, and 17 new One Star establishments. Two restaurant is also newly awarded the MICHELIN Green Star, bringing the total to 11 restaurants whose eco-friendly commitments have impressed the Inspectors.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides, commented: “Over the past 15 years, our team of inspectors has been lucky enough to witness the fascinating evolution of both Kyoto and Osaka food scenes. While food excellence has continued to grow, our team has also observerd how many chefs have been putting creativity at the heart of their proposals, by proposing dishes that transcend the boundaries of culinary categories and illustrate their openmindedness. Moreover, we have noted how more and more chefs are now thinking about food and sustainability together, deepening for example their collaboration with environmentally conscious producers.”
Restaurant Yugen is Promoted to Two MICHELIN Stars
In Osaka, Yugen was promoted from One to Two MICHELIN Stars. In this counter restaurant, whose the name comes from a Japanese expression meaning “inexpressible beauty of various arts”, gourmets are invited to enjoy the cuisine of chef Keisuke Mifune. Displaying suberly crafted stewed items as well as tasty dashi soup poured with the umami of kombu kelp, the menu also pays tribute to ingreditents coming from Fukuoka - the chef’s home region – and the suburbs of Osaka.In addition to this newly awarded restaurants, the MICHELIN Guide also recommends a total of 27 Two MICHELIN Star establishments (17 in Kyoto and 10 in Osaka). 8 restaurants did also maintain the highest distinction and are recommended with Three MICHELIN Stars for their unique cuisine – of which Kikunoi Honten and Hyotei have been awarded Three MICHELIN Stars for the 15th consecutive year.
17 restaurants newly received One MICHELIN Star - 10 in Kyoto and 7 in Osaka
In Kyoto, no less than 10 restaurants were newly awarded One MICHELIN Star. At Tenjaku, the inspectors were particularly impressed by the tofu tempura when at Tokuha Motonari, charcoal fire dishes seduced them. If Doppo pursues the beauty of Japanese style in a house built in the sukiya style, Nijo Minami is a kappo restaurant based on the culinary traditions of Kyoto, while Muromachi Yui welcomes only a few guests at its counter to enjoy typical Japanese dishes. At MASHIRO, gourmets will discover a menu full of originality, as they could do at Mizuno.
Three restaurants proposing French-inspired cuisine also received One MICHELIN Star: la bûche, led by chef Sohei Mori; MOKO, run by Versailles-born chef Alexis Moko who proposes traditional flavors in an authentic Kyoto machiya; and anpeji, where chef Masashi Ampeiji offers aromatic dishes, inspired by his experience in the South of France.
In Osaka, 7 restaurants were newly acclaimed with One MICHELIN Star. Matsuzushi offers a variety of seasonal fish and sushi from Osaka Bay, prepared by the owner, who is a keen researcher. U Garando combines dishes from different regions of China with seasonal Japanese ingredients. Kashiwaya Osaka Kitashinchi is the affiliated restaurant of Three MICHELIN Star Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama. Ryoriya Inaya offers a menu that keeps a playful spirit while maintaining the framework of Japanese cuisine while Sawada focuses on the natural flavours of ingredients. Finally, lovers of French food will enjoy SINAE, which makes the most of domestic ingredients associate with traditional French techniques, or LE PONT DE CIEL, which praises french classics, but refined in a modern way.
In total, 150 restaurants – 78 in Kyoto and 72 in Osaka are awarded One MICHELIN Star in the MICHELIN Guide Kyoto Osaka 2024 selection, spotlighting high-quality cooking.
Two New Restaurant is Recognised with MICHELIN Green Stars
The MICHELIN Green Star was newly awarded, to two restaurants from Kyoto. Newly Starred French restaurant la bûche expresses the terroir of Ohara through its cuisine. It sources ingredients from neighbouring producers and hunters, and many of its creations are based around wild plants. The wine list, focusing in natural wines, has also impressed the MICHELIN Guide Inspectors. Shigetsu uses ingredients purchased at the market to create its menu on a day-to-day basis. The restaurant is also very committed to avoid food waste. For examples, vegetable scraps from the cooking process are dried and turned into compost, to ferilize local fileds. With is Shojin style, the restaurant also conveys the importance of limited ingredients.In total, 11 MICHELIN Green Stars are shining over 8 in Kyoto and 3 in Osaka.
Two MICHELIN Special Awards are Presented
In addition to its culinary distinctions, the MICHELIN Guide aims to highlight talented professionals of the restaurant industry with its special awards. People whose know-how, passion, and dedication have impressed the MICHELIN Guide inspectors, while positively impacting the restaurant industry or bringing restaurant experiences to another level.
The MICHELIN Guide Mentor Chef Awards
The Mentor Chef Award highlights one chef whose own work and career settled a proper example. The award is presented to chefs who contribute to the development of the restaurant industry through their enthusiasm and willingness to train the future generation.The 2024 MICHELIN Mentor Chef Award for the MICHELIN Guide Kyoto and Osaka went to Yoshihiro Murata from Three MICHELIN Star restaurant Kikunoi Honten. He has led the Japanese culinary world for a long time and has trained a number of excellent successors, while teaching younger chefs outside the culinary world as an educator. He has also worked for the development of Japanese and Kyoto cuisine, for example by setting up the organisation of food societies. He was at the forefront of contributing to the registration of Japanese cuisine as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Site, and has his sights set on the future of Japanese culinary culture. He is a role model for chefs thanks to his dedication to the development of Japanese cuisine.
The MICHELIN Service Award
The MICHELIN Service Award is presented to front-of-house teams who are able to make visitors feel welcome and comfortable. It is awarded to those who are professional, engaging and make the experience in the restaurant a special one, recognising a sincere passion for service.The winners of the 2024 MICHELIN Service Award are Kazuo Nishida, the fifth generation owner of Kanamean Nishitomiya, and his wife Kyoko. Together, they convey Kyoto's history and culture through their cuisine and conversation, and offer sincere hospitality experience to guests from home and abroad. Mr and Mrs Nishida have visited hotels and restaurants abroad to learn about the global standard of service. Before each meal, they guide guests into the kitchen and present the day's ingredients. New ideas are introduced to create an enjoyable dining experience. They also work together with a high level of teamwork, always thinking about the menu together with the head chef. They pay attention to every detail and work hard to make the dining experience a memorable one for our guests.
8 restaurants newly awarded a Bib Gourmand and 138 selected restaurants
Launched in 1997, the Bib Gourmand is a special distinction which hihglights, within the selection of the MICHELIN Guide, the establishment offering the best value for money proosals: a full meal at a moderate price.
Four new Bib Gourmand restaurants in Kyoto, of which Izakaya is offered by two of them: Saketosakana DNA and Muromachi Kaji. There is also one Ramen (NOODLE SHOP RENNOSUKE), and one Soba (sonoba) joined the selection bringing the total to 55. In Osaka the new figures are similar – 4 additions for a total of 62 Bib Gourmand restaurants. Among them, there is one Tonkatsu restaurant (Tonkatsu Fujii), two Italian cuisine (DELI a Casa) and (ricuperare TAKEUCHI), or Udon (Oudon Yomogi) restaurants are represented within the newcomers.
In addition to the Starred and Bib Gourmand restaurants, the MICHELIN Kyoto and Osaka also recommends 138 restaurants whose the quality of their food proposals did convinced the MICHELIN Guide Inspectors. To be found under the category of “selected restaurants” which only debuted in March 2023, these good restaurants are definitively adding culinary and restaurant concept diversity to the selection. Partly announced throughout the year on the MICHELIN Guide digital platforms, the MICHELIN Guide did added 90 newly selected restaurants to its list.
The hotel selection of the MICHELIN Guide complements the restaurant selection in Tokyo and is available free of charge on the MICHELIN Guide website and app. The selection showcases unique properties both in Japan and throughout the world. Every hotel in the selection has been chosen by the MICHELIN Guide for its extraordinary style, service, and personality, and they can all be booked directly via the MICHELIN Guide website and app. Some of the most prominent hotels in this selection in Japan include intimate design boutique hotels and unique establishments from the “Plus” collection.
The MICHELIN Guide, which is a benchmark in the world of gastronomy, is now setting a new standard for hotels. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website or download the mobile app — free of charge — to discover all the MICHELIN Guide selections and book unforgettable hotels and restaurants.
The 2024 MICHELIN Guide Kyoto and Osaka at a glance:
440 recommended restaurants, of which:-8 Three MICHELIN Stars
-27 Two MICHELIN Stars (1 new)
-150 One MICHELIN Star (17 new)
-11 MICHELIN Green Star (2 new)
-117 Bib Gourmand (8 new)
-138 selected restaurants (90 new)
The MICHELIN Guide Tokyo selection is available free of charge on both the MICHELIN Guide website www.guide.michelin.com and app (available for iOS and Android).
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8 New Bib Gourmands Announced for MICHELIN Guide Kyoto Osaka 2024
Top Image: © Kashiwaya Osaka Senriyama
