Restaurant in Düsseldorf, Germany
Michelin-recognised Japanese at a fair price.
Yabase is Düsseldorf's most accessible Michelin Plate Japanese restaurant, holding the designation in both 2024 and 2025 at the €€€ price point. With a 4.6 rating from over 1,800 Google reviews and easier booking than €€€€ rivals like Nagaya, it is the practical choice for credible Japanese cooking in the city without a special-occasion budget.
Getting a table at Yabase is not the ordeal it is at Düsseldorf's most in-demand Japanese rooms. Booking is direct by the standards of the city's Michelin-recognised Japanese scene, which means there is no reason to delay if you are weighing a reservation. The more pressing question is whether Yabase, a two-time Michelin Plate recipient (2024 and 2025), delivers enough technical precision at the €€€ price point to earn its place over the €€€€ competition nearby. The short answer: yes, particularly if you have already worked through the obvious alternatives and want something that takes the cuisine seriously without demanding a special-occasion budget.
Yabase holds a Michelin Plate for consecutive years, which signals consistent kitchen discipline rather than a one-season peak. The Plate designation, while below Star level, is the guide's marker for good cooking — it means the inspectors found the food worth noting across multiple visits and years. At the €€€ tier, that consistency is meaningful. Düsseldorf carries one of Germany's larger Japanese communities, which creates genuine demand for technically credible Japanese cooking rather than the adapted versions that populate most European cities. Yabase operates in that context, serving a dining room where the standard of reference is closer to what the local Japanese community expects than to what a tourist-facing restaurant can get away with.
For a returning guest, that translates to a kitchen that tends to hold its line. You are not booking on a reputation built by a single dish or a chef's-table moment that the room cannot consistently replicate. A 4.6 rating across 1,840 Google reviews points in the same direction: a broad cross-section of diners, not just fans of a particular niche, find the experience worth recommending. That kind of review volume at that score is harder to sustain than a five-star average from 80 reviews, and it carries more practical weight when deciding whether to return.
If you have been once and are considering a second visit, the case for returning is grounded in that consistency. The cuisine type is Japanese, but without more granular data on specific formats — omakase counter, à la carte, tasting menu , it is worth contacting the venue directly before booking to confirm what format is running and whether seasonal shifts have changed the offer. Japanese kitchens at this level often adjust their direction with the market calendar, and Düsseldorf's autumn and winter months tend to see richer, more ingredient-focused menus across the city's better kitchens.
Yabase sits a price tier below most of its credible Japanese-leaning competition in Düsseldorf. Nagaya operates at €€€€ and carries stronger Michelin credentials; Yoshi by Nagaya offers a more accessible entry into the same family's approach. If Nagaya is your benchmark, Yabase is not a like-for-like substitute , the price difference reflects a real difference in ambition and polish. But if you are looking for reliable Japanese cooking in Düsseldorf without committing to a €€€€ evening, Yabase is the more considered choice over restaurants that nominally claim Japanese influence without the track record.
For broader context within Germany's serious Japanese dining scene, venues like Myojaku in Tokyo and Azabu Kadowaki in Tokyo represent the ceiling of what Japanese technique looks like in a dedicated environment. Yabase is not competing at that level, nor is it priced as if it were. What it offers is a credible, Michelin-acknowledged version of that tradition in a German city with enough Japanese dining culture to keep the kitchen honest.
If your dinner agenda for Düsseldorf extends beyond Japanese, the city's broader fine dining circuit includes Im Schiffchen, Agata's, and 1876 Daniel Dal-Ben for creative cooking at various price points. Further afield in Germany, Schwarzwaldstube in Baiersbronn, Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach, and Aqua in Wolfsburg anchor the country's highest tier of restaurant ambition if a destination meal is on the table. For creative dessert-led dining, CODA Dessert Dining in Berlin is worth the detour if you are moving through the country.
Reservations: Booking difficulty is low relative to Düsseldorf's Michelin-tier competition , plan ahead by a week or two to be safe, but last-minute availability is more likely here than at the city's starred rooms. Budget: €€€, placing Yabase below the €€€€ tier that covers most of Düsseldorf's Japanese and fine dining alternatives. Dress: No dress code is confirmed in available data; at the €€€ level in a Michelin Plate restaurant, smart casual is a safe baseline. Location: Klosterstraße 70, 40211 Düsseldorf. Groups: Contact the venue directly to confirm capacity and group booking policy, as seat count is not publicly listed. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025. Google rating: 4.6 from 1,840 reviews.
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A week to two weeks out is enough in most cases. Yabase books more easily than Düsseldorf's starred rooms , Nagaya at €€€€ requires more lead time. If you are planning around a specific date, book as soon as you have it confirmed, but this is not a restaurant where you need to set a calendar reminder months out.
No dress code is confirmed in available data, but at a Michelin Plate restaurant in the €€€ bracket, smart casual is the practical default. Jeans are likely fine; trainers are a judgment call. If you are unsure, contact the restaurant directly before your visit.
Seat count and private dining availability are not listed publicly. For groups of four or more, contact the venue directly before booking to confirm whether the room can accommodate your party comfortably and whether group menus apply. At €€€ pricing in Düsseldorf, most Japanese restaurants at this level have some flexibility for small groups.
Yes, with realistic expectations. A Michelin Plate at €€€ makes it a credible choice for a birthday or anniversary dinner where the budget does not stretch to a full €€€€ evening at Nagaya. If the occasion demands maximum ceremony, Nagaya or Im Schiffchen will deliver more polish. Yabase is the right call when the food quality matters more than the grandeur of the room.
At €€€ with two consecutive Michelin Plates and a 4.6 Google rating from over 1,800 reviews, yes. You are getting Michelin-acknowledged Japanese cooking at a price tier below most of the serious competition in Düsseldorf. The value case is stronger here than at the city's €€€€ Japanese alternatives if your priority is the cuisine rather than the full fine-dining production.
Nagaya is the obvious step up , Japanese at €€€€ with stronger Michelin credentials. Yoshi by Nagaya offers a more accessible entry point from the same kitchen family. For non-Japanese alternatives at a similar or higher level, Agata's and 1876 Daniel Dal-Ben cover creative cooking in Düsseldorf's upper-mid tier.
Tasting menu availability and pricing are not confirmed in available data. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm current format before booking. If a tasting menu is available, the Michelin Plate recognition across two years suggests the kitchen has the discipline to make a multi-course format worthwhile at this price point , it is not awarded to kitchens that cannot sustain quality across a full meal.
Yabase is a Michelin Plate Japanese restaurant in Düsseldorf's €€€ bracket with a strong and broad review base (4.6 from 1,840 reviews). It books more easily than the city's starred Japanese alternatives, making it a practical first visit to the city's Japanese dining scene. Confirm the current format , whether à la carte, tasting, or counter-style , before you arrive, as the database does not specify. Klosterstraße 70 is the address.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yabase | €€€ | Easy | — |
| Im Schiffchen | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Jae | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Nagaya | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Zwanzig23 by Lukas Jakobi | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Setzkasten | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
A week or two in advance is typically enough. Yabase is not the booking ordeal that Düsseldorf's most pressured Michelin tables are, so you have reasonable flexibility — but don't leave it to the night before on a Friday or Saturday. Last-minute availability has been reported, though planning ahead at €€€ pricing is the sensible call.
The venue data doesn't specify a dress code, but at €€€ pricing and Michelin Plate level in Düsseldorf, neat casual to dressed-up casual is a reasonable approach. Think presentable rather than formal — this is not the black-tie formality of a multi-star room, but turning up in gym wear would be out of place.
Specific group booking policies are not documented for Yabase. For groups of four or more at a Japanese restaurant of this calibre, it's worth calling ahead or enquiring directly via their reservation channel. Smaller groups of two to three will have the easiest time securing a table given the booking difficulty is relatively low.
Yes, with the right expectations. Two consecutive Michelin Plates signal a consistent kitchen, which matters when you're spending €€€ on a celebration dinner. It's a stronger pick than a generic restaurant at this price point, though if you want a grander statement occasion, Nagaya operates at €€€€ with stronger Michelin recognition.
At €€€, Yabase sits a tier below Düsseldorf's most credentialed Japanese rooms in price, but holds Michelin Plate recognition for consecutive years — that combination makes it a credible value proposition. If you want assured kitchen discipline without committing to a €€€€ tasting menu, Yabase is the better entry point in this city.
Nagaya is the obvious step up — €€€€ pricing and a stronger Michelin track record for those who want the full commitment. Jae and Setzkasten offer different formats worth comparing if Japanese cuisine specifically isn't the priority. For Japanese dining at Yabase's price tier, the field in Düsseldorf is thinner, which is part of what makes Yabase a reasonable default.
Specific menu format and pricing are not documented in the available venue data, so a direct verdict on tasting menu value isn't possible here. What the consecutive Michelin Plates do confirm is consistent kitchen output year over year — a reasonable indicator that structured, multi-course formats are handled with discipline.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
