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In tasty news for quality-conscious foodies in Osaka, four new restaurants in the city have been ‘selected’ by Michelin inspectors for addition to the world-famous food guide.
A step below Bib Gourmand, the Selected (formerly ‘The Plate’) category is for restaurants considered quality and recommendation-worthy, having been visited and vetted by Michelin’s team of anonymous experts, but not yet star-rated. This year’s star ratings and Bib Gourmands won't be confirmed until the Kyoto & Osaka ceremony on April 23.
The additions follow a record-setting 2025, when 231 Osaka restaurants earned a place in the guide, and come in a showing fitting of the city’s culinary diversity. The new foursome includes an innovative French prix fixe, a refined Italian small plates spot, a hidden gem of a Thai kitchen, and a Japanese restaurant where the chef is forging his own direction after years of training in the area.
Nelu in Koraibashi, just south of Osaka’s art island Nakanoshima, takes its name from the Japanese word neru (to knead or temper) and the first character for ‘brickwork’. The moniker plays on the restaurant’s home in a red-brick Meiji-era (1868–1912) building designed by Kingo Tatsuno, the architect behind Tokyo Station and Osaka’s Bank of Japan building. The restaurant serves innovative French prix fixe menus at lunch and dinner, with wine pairings and afternoon tea also available.
Just across the Okawa River, Pebble is an Italian restaurant that won inspectors over with how the carefully chosen ingredients are left to do the talking. Housed on the fifth floor of a building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando, the restaurant is run by an owner-sommelier who oversees modern cuisine rooted in Italian flavours, available à la carte or as lunch and dinner set menus and with wine pairings.
Over in Nakazakicho, the lively neighbourhood just north of Umeda, Pitak Gohan is a Thai kitchen run by Bangkok-born chef Pitak, whose menu brings the everyday flavours of his home country to a backstreet table. Generous à la carte portions – ground pork and glass noodle salad, gai yang grilled chicken with coriander, seafood curry stir-fry and more – are designed for sharing.
Also in Nakazakicho, Ukitacho Ima is a six-seat counter joint that the chef, having spent 27 years honing his craft at the renowned Honkotsuki in Hozenji Yokocho, has finally opened on his own terms. Inspectors noted the grounded precision of his cooking, paired with a sommelier-curated wine list – a quietly confident debut and a highly recommended intimate Japanese dinner.
Looking for more great places to eat in Osaka? Check out our 100 must-go restaurants guide.
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