A restaurant so highly esteemed that it is selected by fellow award-winning chefs as a place they would become a passionate fan of.
How many of these have you visited?
Discover on Pearl
Tokyo, Japan
A seven-seat counter in a Shimbashi backstreet, Shimbashi Shimizu has held Tabelog Award recognition every year from 2017 through 2026, reaching Silver in 2025, and carries a 4.31 score. Dinner runs JPY 20,000–29,999 per head. The venue is listed as a Tabelog Sushi Tokyo 100 selection in 2021, 2022, and 2025, placing it firmly inside the capital's sustained counter-sushi consensus.
Tokyo, Japan
A two-Michelin-starred French restaurant on the ninth floor of Royal Crystal Ginza, ESqUISSE has held Tabelog Silver recognition consecutively from 2017 through 2025 and ranks among Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. Chef Lionel Beccat's chef's-choice-only format draws on Japanese seasonal ingredients within a French culinary framework, with dinner averaging JPY 60,000–79,999 and a 12% service charge applied.
Kyoto, Japan
Ogata in Kyoto's Shimogyo Ward holds Tabelog Gold in 2026 and two Michelin stars, placing it firmly in Kyoto's top tier of kaiseki. The 16-seat room — eight counter places plus one private room — runs two seatings nightly, with dinners averaging JPY 60,000–79,999. Tabelog's "100 Best Japanese Cuisine West" recognition and a La Liste score of 96 points confirm its standing in Japan's most competitive culinary conversation.
Tokyo, Japan
Opened in February 2017 in Minamiazabu, Sazenka sits at the intersection of Chinese technique and Japanese seasonal sensibility, earning Tabelog Gold every year since 2019 and a place on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Chef Tomoya Kawada's 28-seat house restaurant operates on the principle of wakon-kansai — Japanese spirit expressed through Chinese culinary learning — with dinner averaging JPY 50,000–59,999.
Shizuoka, Japan
Tempura Naruse holds a Tabelog score of 4.65 and consecutive Gold awards from 2023 through 2026, placing it among Japan's most decorated tempura counters outside Tokyo. The eight-seat room in Shizuoka's Aoi Ward operates by reservation only, with dinner running into the JPY 40,000–49,999 range. Chef Takeo Shimura's counter draws serious diners who make the journey specifically for it, not as an afterthought to the city.
Fukuoka, Japan
Tenzushi Kyomachi operates from a six-seat counter in Kitakyushu's Kokura district, serving Kyushu-mae sushi that draws on kaiseki-influenced technique and hyper-regional fish sourcing. Established in 1939 and holding Tabelog Gold consecutively from 2017 through 2025, it ranks among the most decorated sushi counters in western Japan, with Opinionated About Dining placing it first among all Japanese restaurants in 2023.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
Sushi Arai has held Tabelog Gold every year from 2020 through 2026, placing it among a small tier of Ginza counters recognised by both Japan's largest review platform and La Liste's international ranking. Chef Yuichi Arai opened the basement-level room in Ginza 8-chome in 2015, and the nigiri-focused format has drawn sustained critical attention across domestic and international circuits.
Tokyo, Japan
Matsukawa has held the Tabelog Gold Award every year since 2017 and carries a La Liste score of 99 points, placing it among the most consistently recognised kaiseki addresses in Tokyo. Operating from Akasaka since March 2011, the restaurant runs on a referral-only reservation system across just 22 seats. Dinner runs from JPY 80,000 to JPY 99,999, with lunch somewhat lower, and cash is the only accepted payment.
Tokyo, Japan
Nihonbashi Kakigaracho Sugita has held the Tabelog Gold Award every year from 2017 through 2026, placing it among the most consistently recognised Edo-mae sushi counters in Tokyo. The nine-seat room in Chuo Ward operates on reservation only, with pricing that sits in the JPY 40,000–49,999 range per person. Opinionated About Dining ranked it tenth among all Japanese restaurants in 2025.
Osaka, Japan
Honkogetsu Osaka elevates kaiseki cuisine to spiritual artistry in a historic Hozenji Yokocho tea house, where Chef Hideo Anami's five-decade mastery creates seasonal tasting menus around a legendary 600-year-old hinoki counter. This intimate three-story sanctuary represents the pinnacle of traditional Japanese fine dining.
Tokyo, Japan
Operating from Garden City Shinagawa Gotenyama since 2013, Quintessence holds three Michelin stars and a Tabelog score of 4.54, placing it among Tokyo's most consistently decorated French restaurants. Chef Shuzo Kishida's 13-course tasting menu is structured around three principles — ingredients, flame, and seasoning — across 30 seats running two dinner shifts nightly, Tuesday through Saturday.
Nanto, Japan
Set deep in the mountains of Toyama's Nanto district, L'évo pairs Gallic precision with foraged and farmed regional produce under chef Eiji Taniguchi. The restaurant holds a Tabelog score of 4.56, consecutive Gold Awards from 2023 to 2025, and a La Liste rating of 97 points, placing it among Japan's most closely watched destination dining addresses. Getting there is part of the proposition.
Find out on Pearl and keep score across every place in 2025 Tabelog Chef's Gold.
Overview
The 2025 Tabelog Chef's Gold is a Japanese restaurant recognition list featuring 13 venues across 6 cities. L'évo in Toyama holds the top position, followed by Honkogetsu in Osaka and Tenzushi Kyomachi in Fukuoka. The edition includes 8 returning restaurants and 5 new entrants, with Tokyo claiming 5 spots on the list.
This 2025 edition shows significant turnover from the previous year, with 27 restaurants dropping out and 5 new additions joining the 8 retained venues. The top position shifted from Tempura Naruse (now ranked eighth) to L'évo. Tokyo maintains the strongest presence with 5 restaurants (Matsukawa, Sazenka, Arai, Quintessence, and ESqUISSE), while Osaka, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Toyama, and Shizuoka each contribute between one and two venues. New entrants include Honkogetsu, Quintessence, and ESqUISSE among others. Notable departures from the previous edition include Ninshurou, Restaurant Naz, and Shinohara.
The 2025 Tabelog Chef's Gold list contracts to 13 restaurants—down from 40 in the previous edition after 27 dropped out. L'évo in Toyama takes the top ranking, displacing Tempura Naruse which falls to eighth. Five new restaurants join eight returnees, with Tokyo holding the most spots at five total. The geographic spread extends across six Japanese cities, from Fukuoka in the south to Toyama on the Sea of Japan coast. The list's dramatic reduction and reshuffling suggest either stricter selection criteria or a format change for this edition.
This edition represents a major contraction in the Tabelog Chef's Gold format, recognizing just 13 restaurants compared to 40 in the previous year. The 27 departures include former members like Ninshurou, Restaurant Naz, and Shinohara, while five newcomers gained entry: Honkogetsu, Quintessence, ESqUISSE, and two others.
The leadership change sees L'évo in Toyama claim the top position from Tempura Naruse, which remains on the list but drops to eighth place. Tokyo continues to dominate geographically with five restaurants—Matsukawa, Sazenka, Arai, Quintessence, and ESqUISSE—representing nearly 40% of the total list. The remaining spots distribute across Osaka, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Toyama, and Shizuoka.
The retention rate of just 8 restaurants from the previous edition (20% of the prior list) indicates either a fundamental restructuring of selection methodology or a deliberate shift toward a more exclusive format. The six-city geographic spread maintains representation beyond Tokyo, though the capital's concentration of five venues reinforces its position as Japan's fine dining center.
