- 5 restaurants with three stars
- 14 restaurants with two stars
- 57 restaurants with one star
New York Michelin Guide 2020: See the full list
Michelin Starred Restaurants in Tokyo
Tokyo has eleven restaurants with three Michelin stars (the most of any city in the world), plus dozens of other top-notch eateries to choose from.
The Michelin Guide Tokyo 2020 also features more restaurants led by women than in previous years, with 25 restaurants across both categories having female chefs, three of which hold star status.
Tokyo is known as a culinary hub of some of the most dynamic and innovative dining experiences on offer, from refined French dining at Joël Robuchon ,to high-end Japanese dining at the legendary Ryugin run by chef Seiji Yamamoto.
Of the eleven three-star restaurants, there are a trio of French restaurants, L'Osier, Quintessence and Joël Robuchon, one sushi restaurant, Sushi Yoshitake, and the majority are Japanese in style: Kagurazaka, Ishikawa, Kadowaki, Kanda, Kohaku, Makimura, Azabu Yukimura and Ryugin.
In big news in this year's Tokyo Michelin Guide was also the omission of Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten, of Jiro Dreams of Sushi fame. The restaurant, where the chef's selection starts at 40,000 yen ($360), closed to public reservations so is therefore not eligible for inclusion.
See the total number of three, two and one-star restaurants in the top five cities in the world below.
What are Michelin stars?
For many chefs and restaurateurs, obtaining Michelin stars are both personal and professional aim and ambition and a stamp of their entry into an elite world of cooking as well as a powerful marketing tool driving diners from around the world to their address.
Here Gwendal Poullennec the director of the Michelin guide explains how to get that elusive Michelin star.
What is the Michelin star classification system?
Michelin inspectors visit each assess each address on five criteria; quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in his cuisine, value for money and consistency between visits.
Restaurants can be ranked from zero to three stars, classified as follows;
One star: A good place to stop on your journey, indicating a very good restaurant in its category, offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard.
Two stars: A restaurant worth a detour, indicating excellent cuisine and skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality.
Three stars: A restaurant worth a special journey, indicating exceptional cuisine where diners eat extremely well, often superbly. Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients.
In addition to the Michelin star ranking system, other restaurants offering good value for money can be listed as “Bib Gourmands”.