What started sometime around 1900 as a guide for French motorists on the best places to eat, the Michelin Guide has grown to become a global standard of culinary excellence. In its recently released guide for 2020, Tokyo is again the most decorated city in the world for Michelin accolades, with 226 restaurants awarded between one and three stars. To put it in perspective, in 2020, Spain has 214 starred restaurants, Thailand has 29 and Portugal has 27.
In a nutshell, here’s what happened on this year’s list.
1. There’s one new three-star, three new two-star and 19 new one-star restaurants. The new three-star addition is Kaiseki Kadowaki (Azabu-Juban), where Toshiya Kadowaki brings his personal creative touch to kaiseki dining, with dishes like shirako tofu topped with awabi liver, as well as Western twists like freshly shaved truffles over traditional claypot rice.
2. At the one- and two-star levels, a diverse range of cuisines beyond sushi, tempura, kaiseki and other traditional Japanese food are given the Michelin nod. Seven of the twenty newly starred restaurants are in the categories of foreign (ie, not Japanese) and innovative cuisines.
3. Inua, produced by the famed Noma in Denmark, made a debut on the two-star list after only opening its doors in June last year. Under the guidance of chef Thomas Frebel, the restaurant has made a name for its inquisitive, artfully composed dishes that explore Japanese ingredients and techniques with a sense of borderlessness. Dishes like aged grouper with oyster and kelp salt cream, and steamed king crab on a miso-habanero crisp grace the menu.
4. Italian restaurant Prisma (Minami-Aoyama) is the first Italian restaurant to make the two-star list since 2011. Its traditional Italian food has a delicate touch, like tagliolini with caviar and red wine sauce.
5. The third new two-star entry is kaiseki restaurant Ginza Shinohara, which moved from Shiga in Western Japan to Tokyo in 2016. The seasonal hassun platter is particularly exquisite, arranged to resemble a rural scene, complete with seasonal bites on a backdrop of leaves and flowers.
6. New on the one-star list are four French and one Italian restaurants. The French restaurants include Asahina Gastronome, whose chef Satoru Asahina trained under Joël Robuchon; Simplicité, which focuses on seafood from places like the Goto Islands and Akashi; the refine L'Affinage in Ginza; and Sio, which, although grounded in French cuisine, is not restrained by borders. Italian restaurant Alter Ego opened in 2019 under the guidance of Yoji Tokuyoshi, who trained at Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana in Milan.
7. Here’s a surprising twist: three-starred veterans Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten and Sushi Saito are no longer on the list. As they no longer accept general public reservations, they’ve been ousted, with the Michelin panel upholding a rule of only including restaurants where ‘anyone can eat’ – budgetary restraints aside.
8. If you’re looking for Michelin-approved dining at a more budget-friendly level in Tokyo, browse the brand’s Bib Gourmand list. There are 238 restaurants over 32 categories for you to choose from, including this stellar soba restaurant Kyorakutei.
For the full Michelin Guide Tokyo 2020 selection, check the official site here.