2025 Tabelog Gold Award Winners: Complete List

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.

A nine-seat French counter in Kobe's Kitanozaka district, Kinoshita holds a Tabelog Gold Award (4.57, 2026) and sits among the Kansai region's most closely watched French tables. The prix fixe format centres on a fish-focused approach with a wine program led by an in-house sommelier. Dinner runs JPY 20,000–29,999; lunch offers comparable depth at a lower entry point.

An eight-seat counter in Gion's Minamigawa district, Sottaku Tsukamoto has held Tabelog Gold status consecutively since 2024 and carries a score of 4.56 from Japan's most widely consulted restaurant platform. Dinner runs JPY 30,000–39,999, reservations are accepted by phone only, and the waiting list is effectively closed to first-time guests without a personal introduction. Cash payment is required.

A Kyobashi institution for classic French cuisine, Chez Inno holds a Tabelog 4.43 score and has earned consecutive Tabelog Awards since 2017, peaking with Gold in 2025. Across 68 seats in a stained-glass dining room, the kitchen under chef Noboru Inoue pursues sauce-driven French technique with a noted focus on fish and quality sourcing. Dinner runs JPY 30,000–39,999; lunch offers comparable cooking from JPY 15,000.

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.

A Tabelog Gold Award winner since 2024 and Michelin one-star recipient, Sushi Sanshin operates an eight-seat counter in Osaka's Chuo Ward, serving lunch only across two sessions. Chef Yoshitaka Ishibuchi works within classic Edomae tradition while introducing considered departures — herb-wrapped norimaki, tiger prawn dressed with prawn miso — that have earned the counter a 4.61 Tabelog score and a place in the Tabelog Sushi WEST Top 100 for three consecutive years.

A 12-seat Spanish kaiseki counter in Nihonbashi that has held Tabelog Gold every year since 2022, scoring 4.67 in 2026 and ranking among Japan's top 26 restaurants on Opinionated About Dining. The format fuses Spanish culinary technique with Japanese seasonal discipline in a reservation-only room that prices dinner between JPY 60,000 and JPY 79,999.

An eight-seat Cantonese counter in Kyoto's Kita Ward, Ninshurou has earned Tabelog Gold consecutively from 2024 to 2026, with a score of 4.62 and a La Liste rating of 95 points in 2026. Operated by chef Makoto Ueoka and open since November 2019, it operates on a reservation-only basis with dinner priced between JPY 30,000 and JPY 49,999 per person based on reviews.

Sushi Saitou occupies the upper tier of Tokyo's omakase scene, holding a Tabelog score of 4.62 and consecutive Gold Awards since 2017. Located in Roppongi's Ark Hills South Tower, the nine-seat counter operates on reservations only at JPY 50,000–59,999 per head. It ranks #2 in Japan and #33 in Asia on Opinionated About Dining's 2025 lists, placing it among the most peer-validated sushi counters in the country.

Sushi Sakai holds a Tabelog Silver Award for 2026 and a Tabelog score of 4.56, placing it among western Japan's most recognised omakase counters. Ranked #18 in Japan by Opinionated About Dining in 2025, the 12-seat counter in Nishinakasu operates on reservation-only two-hour sessions with multilingual reservations available. The drink program is sommelier-led, with a noted focus on sake and wine.

AO Tokyo elevates ingredient-driven fine dining through Chef Koji Minemura's French-Japanese fusion, where daily-changing omakase menus showcase personally-sourced seasonal ingredients from across Japan. This intimate Nishiazabu destination combines rooftop garden freshness with zero-waste philosophy, creating Tokyo's most authentic producer-to-plate experience since 2020.

A kaiseki counter in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward that has climbed from rank 60 to rank 19 on Opinionated About Dining's Japan list in two years, while scoring 83 points on La Liste 2026. Doujin operates evenings only, seven days a week, placing it in the tier of serious destination dining without the institutional weight of the city's older houses.

Chakaiseki Onjaku holds Tabelog Gold consecutively from 2023 through 2026 and a score of 4.58, placing it among Japan's top-ranked Japanese cuisine restaurants despite operating from a quiet residential address in Yaizu, Shizuoka. The format is tea kaiseki only, served across 12 seats, with a menu built around the port city's exceptional fish supply. Reservations are required and made in advance through the venue website.

Ginza Shinohara holds two Michelin stars and a La Liste score of 93 points, placing it in the upper tier of Tokyo's kaiseki circuit. Chef Takemasa Shinohara draws on Kyoto training and a Shiga upbringing to produce a menu that moves between classical Japanese structure and the wilder registers of satoyama country cooking — bear, boar, and earthenware-cooked rice alongside seasonal hassun platters.

Shumoku-cho Shimizu holds consecutive Tabelog Gold Awards (2025 and 2026) and a 4.59 score, placing it among Nagoya's most recognised kaiseki counters. The 12-seat room in Higashi Ward serves dinner-only kaiseki rooted in Gifu seasonal produce, with an average spend of JPY 40,000–59,000. Reservations are accepted online only, and the room operates Monday through Saturday from 18:00.

Yakitori Kasahara operates from a 10-seat counter in Kagurazaka, holding Tabelog Gold awards consecutively from 2024 through 2026 and a 4.57 score that positions it among Japan's most decorated yakitori counters. Opened in December 2021, it runs two sittings nightly, Monday through Saturday, at a dinner spend of JPY 30,000–39,999. Reservations are essential and cancellation terms are strict.

Uran is a Tabelog Gold Award-winning unagi specialist in Hamaotsu, Otsu, scoring 4.54 from Japan's most-used restaurant review platform. An 18-seat tatami-room house restaurant two minutes from Miidera Station, it operates lunch-only hours with a strict no-reservations policy for new customers and cash-only payment. The award record — Bronze through Gold across five consecutive years — places it among the most decorated eel restaurants in the Kansai region.

Yukimoto holds Tabelog Gold for three consecutive years and ranks 46th among Japan's restaurants on Opinionated About Dining (2025), yet operates from a quiet residential address in Iida, a city most travelers pass through rather than stop for. Chef Takayuki Hagiwara's kaiseki draws on the seasonal produce of the Southern Alps, served across 20 seats in a tatami-room setting at JPY 30,000–39,999 per person.

Shimbashi Hoshino holds Tabelog Gold recognition every year from 2017 through 2026 and ranks 7th on Opinionated About Dining's Japan list for 2025, placing it among the most consistently decorated kaiseki tables in Tokyo. Dinner runs JPY 60,000–79,999 and operates Tuesday through Saturday from 18:00. Access is by referral only, making early planning essential.

Opened in June 2025 in the Oiwake district of Karuizawa, Restaurant Naz earned a Tabelog Gold Award within its first year of operation and holds a 4.46 score on Japan's most rigorous review platform. Chef Natsuki Suzuki leads an innovative tasting format priced at JPY 60,000–79,999 per dinner, positioning the restaurant firmly among Japan's serious destination tables outside the major cities.

Eight counter seats in Higashiazabu, open since June 2016, with Tabelog Gold recognition every year from 2018 through 2026 and a Tabelog score of 4.64. Amamoto sits in Tokyo's most competitive Edomae sushi tier, where the course starts at 52,800 yen plus a ten-percent service charge, and review-based spending typically reaches the 80,000–99,999 yen band.

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.

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.

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.

A seven-seat counter in residential Sakura, Chiba, PRESENTE Sugi applies Italian technique and culinary science to local Japanese ingredients across a format that reads closer to kaiseki than trattoria. Tabelog Gold winner in 2024 and 2025, with a 4.51 score and La Liste recognition at 94 points in 2026, it prices at JPY 40,000–49,999 per person and operates Wednesday through Sunday only.

A nine-seat counter in Fukuoka's Yakuin district, Chikamatsu has held Tabelog Gold since 2021 and ranks among Japan's top sushi counters on Opinionated About Dining. Chef Nobuhiro Sakanishi runs a reservation-only omakase at JPY 30,000–39,999, accessible only through personal introduction. New reservations are not currently being accepted.

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.

Open since March 2009, Pellegrino is a six-seat Italian counter in Ebisu that has held Tabelog Gold for eight of the past ten years and carries a 4.51 score in 2026. Reservations run exclusively through the omakase platform, dinner pricing sits at JPY 100,000 or above, and the kitchen places particular emphasis on fish. La Liste rates it 85.5 points, and Opinionated About Dining ranked it 40th in Japan in 2023.

An eight-seat counter in a residential quarter of Yaizu, Chiso Nishikenichi has earned Tabelog Gold in 2025 and 2026 and a Tabelog score of 4.56, placing it among Japan's top-ranked French restaurants. Chef Kenichi Nishi builds course menus around fresh fish from nearby Suruga Bay, priced between JPY 15,000 and JPY 19,999 for both lunch and dinner. Reservations are available and the restaurant operates from a converted house.

Sushi Ikkou Sapporo achieves two-Michelin-starred perfection through Chef Junya Kudo's obsessive Edomae craftsmanship, where just seven cypress counter seats witness the artful transformation of Hokkaido's finest seafood into transcendent omakase experiences.

Open since June 2011, Seizan holds two Michelin stars and a Tabelog score of 4.42, placing Chef Haruhiko Yamamoto's kaiseki counter among Tokyo's most consistently decorated Japanese restaurants. Tabelog Gold Award winner in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and ranked in the Opinionated About Dining top 100 in Japan across three consecutive years, the 26-seat Mita basement operates on a reservation-only basis at JPY 40,000–49,999 per head.

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.

Iida holds a Tabelog Gold Award every year from 2018 through 2026 and a 4.60 score on Japan's most demanding review platform, placing it among Nakagyo's most consistently recognised kaiseki counters. The ten-seat room — six counter seats and a four-person tatami private room — operates evenings only, with dinner averaging JPY 50,000–59,999. Reservations are essential and credit cards are not accepted.

An eight-seat kaiseki counter in Kanazawa's Namikimachi district, Kataori has held Tabelog Gold every year from 2021 through 2026, scored 4.72, and ranked first in Japan on Opinionated About Dining in 2025. The counter format, a particular focus on fish, and a deep commitment to Ishikawa's seasonal calendar place it among the most closely watched kaiseki addresses outside Kyoto and Tokyo.