Restaurant in Milan, Italy
Milan's most accessible serious Japanese restaurant.
Osaka holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and a 4.5 Google rating across 1,613 reviews, making it Milan's most consistent mid-range Japanese address. At €€€, it is well below the city's starred tasting-menu tier but delivers chef-level technique on fish and an authentic Japanese menu that includes Sukiyaki and Makimoto rolls. Booking is easy, and the bar counter makes it a strong solo option.
Osaka is one of Milan's most established Japanese restaurants, holding a Michelin Plate (2025) and a 4.5 Google rating across 1,613 reviews — a combination that signals consistent quality rather than a one-off fluke. It sits in the €€€ tier, making it noticeably more accessible than Milan's top-tier Italian tasting-menu rooms. If you want serious, authentic Japanese cooking in central Milan without committing to a €€€€ omakase or a months-long wait, Osaka is the answer. Book it.
The restaurant recently moved to a new address on Via Anfiteatro, 6, a short arcade on the old road from Milan to Como — easy to miss, which partly explains why it rewards those who seek it out. The new space leans into a minimalist, full-on oriental aesthetic: clean lines, restrained materials, and a bar counter where guests can watch chefs slicing and preparing fish. That counter detail matters more than it sounds. At many Japanese restaurants in Italy, the kitchen is entirely hidden and the connection to the craft disappears. Here, you can observe the precision behind each plate, which sharpens your appreciation of what arrives in front of you.
The move to the new premises is recent, and it represents a meaningful reset for the restaurant , a chance to align the physical space with a cooking philosophy that has always been more serious than its price tier suggests. The interiors now serve the food rather than competing with it, and the atmosphere is calmer for it. For food and travel enthusiasts who care about context and craft, that shift is worth noting.
Structurally, Osaka divides its offer clearly by time of day. Lunch runs on set menus, which keeps service efficient and delivers good value for the price tier. Dinner opens to à la carte, giving you more room to explore. The Michelin inspector's own notes single out two dishes: the Makimoto rolls of amberjack with shiso leaves, sesame seeds and freshly marinated wasabi, and the Sukiyaki, described as a Japanese take on a bourguignon where meat and vegetables are cooked in a simmering broth at the table and shared among guests. The Sukiyaki in particular suits groups and special occasions , it is a celebratory dish in Japan, interactive, warm, and designed for sharing. The broader menu is extensive, covering a wide range of Japanese preparations from the à la carte dinner list.
Given the minimalist counter setup and the restaurant's Japanese identity, the drinks programme here is worth considering as a standalone reason to visit. Traditional Japanese restaurants at this level typically anchor their bar offer around sake, Japanese whisky, and clean, low-intervention cocktails that complement rather than overpower delicate fish preparations. While the specific list at Osaka is not published in the available data, the bar counter format , where chefs work in view , creates a natural environment for counter seating with drinks before or after a meal. If you are in Milan looking for a bar experience that connects to Japanese drinking culture rather than the Milanese aperitivo circuit, this is the more interesting option. For comparison, our full Milan bars guide covers the broader scene if you want to cross-reference.
It is also worth considering Osaka against the other serious Japanese addresses in Milan. Iyo holds a full Michelin star and operates at a higher price point, making it the right call if technical Japanese cuisine at the very leading of the city's range is the goal. Iyo Kaiseki is the place to go for the full kaiseki multi-course format. Wicky's Innovative Japanese Cuisine occupies a similar exploratory position to Osaka but with a stronger fusion emphasis. Hazama and Bentoteca Milano are useful lower-pressure alternatives if you want Japanese food in Milan at a more casual register. For the explorer who wants authentic Japanese at a mid-range price with Michelin recognition behind it, Osaka sits in the most logical position in that hierarchy.
For international benchmarks, Myojaku and Azabu Kadowaki in Tokyo show you what the category looks like at its global apex , useful context if you are travelling between the two cities and want to calibrate expectations.
Milan's broader dining scene, covered in our full Milan restaurants guide, runs from Italy-focused tasting menus at Osteria Francescana in Modena and Dal Pescatore in Runate to regional destinations like Uliassi in Senigallia, Reale in Castel di Sangro, Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico. Osaka is the Japanese counterpoint to all of that , a restaurant that fills a specific gap in Milan's offer and fills it well. If you are planning the wider trip, our Milan hotels guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide are the logical next steps.
Booking difficulty at Osaka is rated Easy. Unlike Milan's starred Italian tasting-menu rooms, where lead times can stretch weeks, Osaka is accessible with reasonable advance planning. Lunch set menus are the most structured entry point; dinner à la carte gives you more flexibility to explore the menu at your own pace. The restaurant is located in the Brera-adjacent area of central Milan, well-positioned for pre- or post-dinner movement around the city. No specific dress code is listed in available data, but the minimalist interior and €€€ price tier suggest smart casual is appropriate.
Quick reference: Via Anfiteatro, 6, Milan , €€€ , Michelin Plate 2025 , 4.5/5 (1,613 reviews) , Booking: Easy , Lunch set menu / Dinner à la carte.
Go at dinner on your first visit. The à la carte format lets you build the meal around the dishes the Michelin inspectors called out specifically: the amberjack Makimoto rolls and, if you are with company, the Sukiyaki hot-pot. Lunch set menus are good value but more constrained. The bar counter seating gives you a direct view of fish preparation , worth requesting if available. At €€€, this is mid-range by Milan standards, so the financial risk of a first visit is low.
Yes, at the €€€ tier it is. A Michelin Plate and a 4.5 Google average across over 1,600 reviews is an unusually consistent signal of quality for this price range. You are not paying for a full star-level tasting menu experience, but you are getting chef-level technique on the fish and a proper Japanese kitchen operating in a city where that is harder to find than it looks. For the price, it competes well against anything comparable in Milan's Japanese category.
The Sukiyaki format, where meat and vegetables are cooked in a simmering broth at the table and shared among guests, is specifically well-suited to groups and is described as a celebratory dish. The restaurant's minimalist interior suggests moderate capacity rather than a large dining room, so for groups of six or more, contact the restaurant directly in advance. No private dining room is listed in available data.
The set menu runs at lunch, not as a formal evening tasting format. If a multi-course structured experience is what you want, Iyo Kaiseki is the more appropriate address in Milan , it is built around that format specifically. Osaka's lunch set is solid value but designed for efficiency rather than a full tasting progression. Come for dinner à la carte if depth and choice matter more to you than a fixed sequence.
Iyo is the answer if you want a Michelin star and are prepared to pay €€€€ for it. Iyo Kaiseki is the right call for a formal multi-course Japanese experience. Wicky's is the fusion-forward alternative. Bentoteca Milano and Hazama work if you want something more casual. Osaka sits between the premium tier and the casual tier , the clearest choice if authentic Japanese at a reasonable price in central Milan is the brief.
Yes. The restaurant has a bar counter specifically positioned so guests can watch chefs slicing and preparing fish , bar seating is part of the designed experience here, not an overflow option. It is a good choice for solo diners or couples who want engagement with the kitchen rather than a conventional table.
Yes, particularly if the occasion involves a group. The Sukiyaki is described as a celebratory dish in Japan , a shared hot-pot cooked at the table , and it gives a dinner here a genuinely festive texture that many Japanese restaurants in Italy do not offer. For a two-person special occasion where you want the full high-end Japanese experience, Iyo Kaiseki may be the higher-impact choice. For a group celebration at a price that does not require corporate-account logic, Osaka is the practical answer.
Yes. The bar counter, where you can watch the chefs work, is the natural seat for a solo diner and gives the meal a clear focal point. At €€€, the per-head spend is manageable without a full table to share dishes across. The lunch set menu is a sensible solo option for keeping the bill predictable; dinner à la carte gives you full flexibility to order as much or as little as you want.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka | Japanese | €€€ | A new home for this historic restaurant, with minimalist interiors that embrace a full‑on oriental aesthetic to showcase authentic Japanese cuisine. A set menu at lunch and à la carte at dinner from which we recommend the Makimoto rolls of amberjack with shiso leaves, sesame seeds and freshly marinated wasabi. Or the festive Sukiyaki, a Japanese take on a bourguignon where meat and vegetables are cooked in a simmering broth at the table and shared among guests. The menu is extensive and rich with other succulent offerings from the Land of the Rising Sun.; Michelin Plate (2025); Tucked away in a short arcade on the old road from Milan to Como, this restaurant has a simple, minimalist style with a bar where diners can watch the skilful chefs slicing and preparing the fish. Set menus dominate at lunchtime, while in the evening the à la carte options include sukiyaki, a celebratory dish in Japan. | Easy | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Cracco in Galleria | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Andrea Aprea | Modern Italian, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Seta | Modern Italian | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Horto | Modern Italian, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Osaka measures up.
The restaurant sits in a short arcade on Via Anfiteatro, 6 — easy to walk past, so allow a minute to find it. Lunch runs as a set menu; dinner opens to à la carte. The minimalist counter lets you watch the chefs work, which shapes the experience. A Michelin Plate (2025) confirms the cooking is taken seriously, and booking is rated Easy, so you won't need to plan weeks ahead.
At €€€ pricing with a Michelin Plate (2025) and over 1,600 Google reviews averaging 4.5, Osaka sits at a point where the quality-to-cost ratio holds up. For context, comparable Japanese quality in Milan tends to come either cheaper with less craft or pricier at starred rooms. If you want credentialled Japanese cooking without a tasting-menu commitment, Osaka justifies the spend.
The minimalist counter-focused layout suits smaller parties more naturally. The à la carte dinner format and the table-side sukiyaki — a shared broth dish cooked at the table — make groups of four to six a workable fit for the evening sitting. Larger groups should check directly given the compact space on Via Anfiteatro.
The set menu runs at lunch, not as a full tasting format in the evening. If you want a curated sequence, go for lunch. Dinner à la carte gives you more control, and the sukiyaki is called out explicitly as a highlight — a shared, celebratory dish that works well as a centrepiece for the meal rather than one course in a long sequence.
For Japanese specifically in Milan, Osaka is among the more established options with a verifiable Michelin Plate (2025). If you want Italian fine dining at a similar or higher price point, Seta and Enrico Bartolini operate at Michelin-starred level with longer lead times and higher spend. Horto offers a contemporary tasting format for a different register entirely.
Yes — the restaurant has a bar counter where you can watch the chefs slice and prepare fish, and this is a deliberate part of the setup. It's a practical option for solo diners or pairs who want a front-row view of the kitchen work without committing to a full table booking.
The sukiyaki — meat and vegetables cooked in a simmering broth at the table — is described as a festive dish in Japanese culture, which makes it a natural anchor for a celebratory dinner. The Michelin Plate (2025) adds credibility for guests who want to feel the occasion is backed by independent recognition. Booking is Easy, so you won't be fighting for a table weeks out.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
