One of the world’s most trusted food authorities, the Michelin Guide recently released its 2025 edition for Kyoto and Osaka, featuring an unprecedented 469 restaurant recommendations. This includes three new two-star restaurants, ten new one-star restaurants, and nine new Bib Gourmands.
There’s a lot to take in, so we’ve summarised the key highlights from the 16th edition of the Michelin Kyoto Osaka guide.
Osaka
Total count: Three three-star restaurants, 11 two-star restaurants, 65 one-star restaurants, and 59 Bib Gourmand restaurants
Osaka’s Oimatsu Hisano is one of only three restaurants newly awarded two stars in the 2025 Michelin Kyoto Osaka guide, a much-deserved upgrade from its previous one-star rating. Chef-owner Masamitsu Hisano offers a creative take on Japan’s finest seasonal ingredients, with unconventional highlights like sashimi served with a fish-broth dip instead of the usual soy sauce, alongside dishes showcasing rare vegetables and fruit.
Of the four Osaka restaurants awarded a new Michelin star this year, Milpa stands out as the first in Japan to receive a star for Mexican cuisine. Led by chef Willy Monroy, the restaurant serves modern Mexican dishes rooted in indigenous ingredients and elevated with a touch of Japanese influence. You can of course also taste Chef Monroy’s food at the newly opened Time Out Market Osaka, where he runs Saboten Taqueria.
While at the Market, be sure to stop by Ayamuya and Kushiage001 as well. The former holds a Bib Gourmand rating, while the latter is an offshoot of the Bib Gourmand-rated Kushiage010.
Kyoto
Total count: Five three-star restaurants, 16 two-star restaurants, 72 one-star restaurants, and 49 Bib Gourmand restaurants
The two Kyoto restaurants newly awarded two stars are Kodaiji Jugyuan and Sanso Kyoyamato. The former, an elegant restaurant set in a century-old sukiya-style house, is widely acclaimed for its meat preparation. The latter, established in 1877, serves exemplary Kyoto kaiseki meals in a traditional building surrounded by a pristine garden.
As for the guide’s ten newly awarded one-star restaurants, six are located in Kyoto. These include Shiro, a restaurant where Italian flavours are executed through Japanese techniques; Kappo-style restaurants Tsujifusa and Nakamitsu; and the innovative Kikunoi Sushi Ao, sister restaurant of the three-Michelin-starred Kikunoi.
For more information on the latest Michelin guide for Kyoto-Osaka, check the website.
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