Restaurant in Milan, Italy
Milan's Michelin Japanese: broad menu, high price.
Iyo holds a Michelin star and a 4.7 Google rating across nearly 2,600 reviews, making it Milan's most credentialled Japanese restaurant. The post-renovation room is calmer and more considered than before, with an open sushi counter, Patagonian marble tables, and a wine list spanning around 500 labels. At €€€€, it earns its price for a special occasion dinner, but book well ahead: this is a hard reservation.
If you have already eaten at Iyo once, the question on a return visit is whether the post-renovation version earns its Michelin star more convincingly than the original. It does. The room is calmer, the kitchen is more visible, and the menu reads as more deliberately composed than before. For a special occasion dinner in Milan where Japanese technique meets European sourcing, Iyo is the clearest answer in the city at the €€€€ tier. Book it for a date night or a business dinner where you want to impress without resorting to a tasting-menu marathon.
The renovation replaced the previous black marble interior with softer, more contemporary tones that read as genuinely Japanese in their restraint rather than decoratively Asian. You enter through a small lounge, then face a long open kitchen staffed by multiple sushi chefs working in full view. The dining room beyond uses round Patagonian marble tables and soft colour palettes designed to reduce visual noise. The result is a room that works for conversation, which matters if you are booking for a business dinner or a celebration where the table talk is as important as the food. The open kitchen provides energy without forcing you to perform for it, and the spatial logic moves from arrival to intimacy in a way that feels considered rather than accidental.
Iyo's menu is deliberately wide. You will find sushi in its most recognised forms, sashimi, and tempura alongside fusion dishes that combine Japanese foundations with European and other ingredients. That breadth is a positioning choice: Iyo is not trying to replicate a Tokyo omakase experience in Milan. It is making the case that Japanese culinary discipline applied to European produce is a valid proposition on its own terms. The wine list runs to approximately 500 labels with options available by the glass, which is substantial for a Japanese restaurant and signals that the kitchen expects its European sourcing to pair with European wine.
For context, consider what that sourcing approach means for price justification at the €€€€ level. Venues like Iyo Kaiseki, the kaiseki-focused sibling operation, commit to a stricter Japanese format. If you want the purist path, Iyo Kaiseki is the more focused choice. Iyo itself is for diners who want the technical credibility of Japanese cooking without the constraint of a single format. Comparable Italian-Japanese hybrids in the city, such as Wicky's Innovative Japanese Cuisine, occupy a similar conceptual space but with a different execution style and at a lower price point. Among more straightforwardly Japanese options, Hazama and Osaka are worth considering if your priority is traditional form over creative range.
Iyo is closed on Mondays. Lunch runs Tuesday through Sunday with the kitchen open from 12:30 PM, and dinner service begins at 7:30 PM across all open days. Sunday lunch extends slightly to 2:30 PM versus the standard 2:00 PM close on other days. For a special occasion, dinner is the stronger choice: the pacing is less compressed, the room takes on a different register after dark, and the wine list makes more sense across two or three hours than during a working lunch. If you want Iyo without the commitment of a full dinner, a Wednesday or Thursday lunch is the most practical entry point, with fewer competing bookings than Friday or Saturday. Book well in advance regardless of the day: this is a hard reservation to secure, rated accordingly.
Iyo holds a Michelin star (2024) and was recognised by Opinionated About Dining in both their Leading Restaurants in Europe list (ranked 568th in 2025) and their Leading New Restaurants in Europe recommended list (2023). The Google rating sits at 4.7 across 2,590 reviews, which is a meaningful sample size. The OAD ranking places Iyo in a broad European competitive set that includes venues such as Osteria Francescana in Modena, Uliassi in Senigallia, and Dal Pescatore in Runate. At rank 568, Iyo is a credible but not rarefied position: it is recognised, not untouchable. That is useful calibration for a first-time visitor wondering whether the price is justified by prestige alone. The answer is that the Michelin star and the OAD placement confirm technical quality; whether the creative fusion approach suits your palate is a separate question.
| Detail | Iyo | Wicky's | Hazama |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine approach | Japanese / fusion | Italian-Japanese fusion | Traditional Japanese |
| Price tier | €€€€ | €€€ | €€€ |
| Michelin recognition | 1 Star (2024) | Not starred | Not starred |
| Booking difficulty | Hard | Moderate | Moderate |
| Closed day | Monday | Varies | Varies |
| Lunch service | Tue–Sun from 12:30 PM | Check directly | Check directly |
| Wine list depth | ~500 labels | Smaller | Focused |
For further dining options across the city, see our full Milan restaurants guide. If you are building a broader trip, our Milan hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the city. For Japanese dining benchmarks outside Italy, Myojaku and Azabu Kadowaki in Tokyo offer useful points of reference for what the format looks like at its source. For top-tier Italian dining within driving distance of Milan, Reale in Castel di Sangro and Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone are worth knowing. And if you want to explore another dimension of northern Italian excellence, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico is a different proposition entirely. Also worth bookmarking: Bentoteca Milano for a more casual Japanese option in the city, and our Milan wineries guide if the 500-label wine list at Iyo has put wine on your mind.
Smart casual is the practical standard. The room after renovation reads as international and contemporary rather than formally Italian. A jacket is not required for men, but the Patagonian marble tables and Michelin-starred context mean trainers and sportswear will feel out of place. Dress as you would for a serious dinner in a design-conscious setting, not a business-formal one.
Yes, with a caveat. The open kitchen counter setup on entry makes solo dining a genuine option, as watching the sushi chefs at work provides enough engagement that you are not simply sitting alone in a dining room. At €€€€ pricing for a solo seat, however, you are committing to a meaningful spend. If the budget is a consideration, Hazama or Bentoteca Milano are worth considering as solo alternatives in Milan's Japanese category.
The venue has not published specific private dining information, so contact the restaurant directly to confirm group configurations. The dining room layout with round Patagonian marble tables suggests flexibility for parties of four to six. For larger groups requiring a private room, confirm availability before booking, as the seating count is not publicly listed.
At €€€€ with a Michelin star and a 4.7 Google rating across nearly 2,600 reviews, the price is broadly justified for what the kitchen delivers. The value question sharpens when you compare it with Milan's Italian fine dining options at the same price tier: Iyo delivers something categorically different from Andrea Aprea or Seta. If you want Japanese technique with a 500-label European wine list in a post-renovation room, there is no cheaper way to get it at this quality level in Milan.
Dinner is the stronger choice for a special occasion. The service has more room to breathe, the wine list makes more sense across a longer meal, and the room takes on a different quality in the evening. Lunch is a practical alternative for a midweek visit when dinner reservations are harder to secure, but the experience is more compressed. Tuesday through Thursday lunches are the easiest to book.
For Japanese in Milan at a lower price point, Wicky's Innovative Japanese Cuisine covers similar Italian-Japanese territory at €€€. For a more traditional Japanese format, Hazama and Osaka are the relevant comparisons. For the kaiseki format specifically, the Iyo Kaiseki operation is a separate booking and a more structured experience. If you want to redirect your €€€€ budget toward Italian fine dining, Enrico Bartolini and Horto are the most interesting alternatives at that tier.
Yes. The combination of a post-renovation room, Michelin star credibility, open kitchen theatre, and an extensive wine list makes Iyo one of the stronger choices in Milan for a celebration dinner or a business meal where the setting needs to carry weight. The spatial design is calm rather than loud, which works better for sustained conversation than a noisier room would. Book dinner rather than lunch for a birthday or anniversary, and request the dining room rather than the lounge area on arrival.
The menu is described as extensive, covering sushi, sashimi, tempura, and creative fusion dishes, which suggests reasonable flexibility for pescatarian and gluten-aware diners. For specific allergies or strict dietary requirements, contact the restaurant directly before booking: the venue's phone number is not publicly listed in our data, so reach out via the reservation platform you use to book. Do not rely on assumptions given the complexity of Japanese preparations involving soy, sesame, and shellfish derivatives.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iyo | €€€€ | Hard | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Cracco in Galleria | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Andrea Aprea | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Seta | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Horto | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Milan for this tier.
Dress at the level of the price point: Iyo is €€€€ with a Michelin star, Patagonian marble tables, and an open kitchen visible on entry. That signals smart dress rather than a jacket requirement, but turning up in casual clothes will feel out of place. Think dinner-out-in-Milan, not business formal.
The long open kitchen counter with multiple sushi chefs at work makes solo dining a genuine option here rather than an afterthought. A seat there gives you something to watch during the meal. Call ahead to confirm counter availability, as the venue database lists no online booking details.
The dining room format and a menu wide enough to cover sushi, sashimi, tempura, and fusion plates means groups with mixed preferences can eat together without anyone compromising badly. Larger parties should check the venue's official channels to arrange seating, as the round marble tables suggest a room designed around couples and fours rather than long group tables.
At €€€€ with a Michelin star (2024) and an OAD Top Restaurants in Europe ranking, Iyo sits at a price point you need to go in with a clear reason to visit. If you want a broad Japanese menu with some fusion ambition and a serious wine list of around 500 labels, the value holds up. If you are specifically after a tight omakase experience, the wide menu format may feel less focused than the price implies.
Lunch runs Tuesday through Sunday from 12:30 PM and is the more practical booking for first-timers: shorter service window, often slightly more relaxed pacing, and Sunday lunch extends to 2:30 PM. Dinner from 7:30 PM across all open days is the fuller experience. Monday is closed.
For Italian fine dining at a comparable price level, Seta and Andrea Aprea are the direct comparisons. Horto offers a more modern, produce-focused approach. Enrico Bartolini and Cracco in Galleria carry higher name recognition in Milan and suit occasions where the room matters as much as the food. None are Japanese, so if the cuisine format is the draw, Iyo has few direct peers in the city at this tier.
Yes, with caveats on format fit. The post-renovation dining room, Patagonian marble tables, and a 500-label wine list all support a celebration booking. A Michelin star (2024) adds credibility to the occasion. If your group wants a single tasting-menu narrative rather than ordering across a broad à la carte, confirm beforehand what format Iyo is running on your date.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
