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Is Osaka overtaking Tokyo as the best city in Japan for food and drink? Current trends seem to point that way. Earlier this year, Osaka coffee shop and roastery Ult was ranked No. 24 on the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026 list, several spots above Tokyo’s Koffee Mameya Kakeru at No. 28.
Just yesterday, at the prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 awards ceremony, La Cime in Osaka was crowned the best restaurant in Japan, beating seven Tokyo restaurants also featured on the list.
Opened in 2010 and helmed by chef-owner Yusuke Takada, La Cime is a two-Michelin-starred modern French restaurant informed by Japan’s seasonality. The menu celebrates premium seafood and produce from Western Japan, alongside select ingredients from the chef’s hometown of Amami Oshima, a small subtropical island between Kagoshima and Okinawa.
Chef Takada’s dishes have been described as innovative and masterful, leading La Cime to secure the No. 13 spot on this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list – the highest ranking among all the restaurants in Japan featured on the list.
La Cime is followed by seven Tokyo stalwarts: modern French-Japanese restaurant Sézanne at No. 16, Sazenka at No. 21, Maz at No. 28, Florilège at No. 31, Myoujyaku at No. 33, Crony at No. 34 and Narisawa at No. 37.
The annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is compiled from votes by a 350-member panel made up of food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and culinary experts. The 2026 ranking covers 17 cities including Bangkok, Shanghai and Seoul, with The Chairman in Hong Kong clinching the No. 1 spot. Two Japanese cities made the list: Osaka and Tokyo.
For the full 2026 list, see the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants website.
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