The selection of restaurants for The MICHELIN Guide Tokyo 2026 was announced on September 25 2025.
We asked several of our inspectors to look back on the year just passed and select, from their many dining experiences in Tokyo, the dishes they found especially memorable.
The list the Inspectors shared was as varied as the Tokyo culinary scene they observed. Some were dishes that could only be savored in a particular season, others were products of venerable tradition, while many sprang from the unique experience and sensibility of the chefs who created them.
Shellfish clear soup
Myojaku
The seasonal soup signals the arrival of spring. The dish highlights common orient and basket clams paired with gomadofu — a custard-like square made from sesame paste, kudzu starch and water. The garnishing white abalone mushroom is shaped in the likeness of a shell for a refined touch. Eschewing flavorings such as kombu and bonito flakes, the clear soup is based on seawater from Kyoto’s Miyazu Bay. Insatiable curiosity such as this is what keeps Japanese cuisine moving forward.
Roll sushi of crimson sea bream
KIBUN
With the vermilion of sea bream and the golden saffron rice, Kibun’s roll sushi dazzles with both French and Japanese culinary traditions. Crimson sea bream braced with kombu (dried kelp used to impart umami) is wrapped in red turnip slices pickled in sweet vinegar and brightly garnished with yellow yuzu. An exquisite combination as imaginative as it is beautiful.
Nigirizushi of whole salt-grilled sweetfish
Sushi Miura
This seasonal sweetfish dish is one of the year’s highlights. The chef’s Kyoto apprenticeship shaped both their sensitivity to river fish and their salt-grilling technique. This bite also carries history: in the days of the shoguns, ayusushi, sweetfish stuffed with rice, enjoyed great popularity. Eating the entire fish, wasting nothing, epitomizes the Japanese culinary aesthetic.
Blue jasmin rice salad
KHAO
Khao yam, a dish of southern Thailand, combines vegetables, citrus fruits, nuts and jasmine rice into a vibrant salad whose kaleidoscope of colors delights the eye. Lemon dressing paired with sweetfish sauce is drizzled just before serving on the very day the citrus fruits arrive.
Sea bream sashimi
Hakuun
Sashimi served on Edo kiriko glassware, its facets carved in the shape of cherry blossoms, evoke the spirit of spring. Thinly sliced sea bream sashimi paired with salt-pickled cherry blossoms and wild vegetables also capture the flavors of the season, while a mixture of soup broth and soy sauce lends balance and harmony to the dish. A harbinger of spring that delights both the eye and the palate.
Terrine of foie gras Sachertorte Style
EWIG
Sachertorte, a traditional Viennese confection, is topped with foie gras in this elegant dessert. As befits one of classical music’s most sacred cities, the dish composes a three-part harmony of foie gras, cacao and jam. Augarten porcelain, a tradition since the days of the Habsburg dynasty, sets off the pastry to striking effect.
Strawberry slice sculpture
Ensui
This jelly dessert showcases knife technique of exacting precision. Thin slices of strawberry are overlaid on milk pudding in the shape of a tree peony. The delicate technique draws out the subtle aroma, sweetness and acidity of the strawberry. The pairing of milk pudding with strawberry feels at once surprising and nostalgic, leaving a lasting impression.
Top Image: © EWIG
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