Guide won’t be released in full until later this year, but here are nine Kyoto spots to add to your to-eat itinerary right now.

Kyoto and Osaka are two of Japan’s most popular travel destinations, and both cities are filled with amazing places to see, fun activities to do, and delicious things to eat. That third category is sounding even more appealing now that the 2025 Michelin Guide Kyoto/Osaka, which won’t be published in full until this spring, has revealed 18 new entries for the two cities, all restaurants which will be receiving either Michelin stars or Bib Gourmand Awards. So without further ado, let’s take an appetizer-sized sneak peek at the nine restaurants of the Kyoto set.

1. Chiso Aida (Michelin Guide webpage)

This is a restaurant where you can enjoy old-fashioned but elegant Kyoto cuisine, such as simmered bamboo shoots in spring, fresh eggplant in summer, conger eel with matsutake mushrooms in autumn, and steamed whitefish with turnip in winter. The refined flavors will show how these came to be representative dishes of Kyoto.

2. Nakamitsu (webpage)

With a focus on locally sourced ingredients, Nakamitsu draws out the flavors of each season through authentic recipes that its chefs breathe new life into.

3. Sokkon Fujimoto (webpage)

At Sokkon Fujimoto you can induge all five of your senses with kaiseki multi-course meals. Even the revolving menu incorporates aspects of traditional culture with nods to events that took place during the era of the Kyoto imperial court.

4. Saryo Tesshin (webpage)

At this inventive soba restaurant, you can dine on unique buckwheat noodles while gazing upon a beautiful eight-meter (26-foot) wide gold-leaf painting. The house specialty Daigo Soba, with a broth made with both bonito stock and Parmigiano Reggiano, is something you won’t find anywhere else.

5, Kiyamachi Ran (webpage)

A sushi restaurant with an old-school atmopshere, Kiyamachi is now in its third generation of ownership. Don’t forget to try their tsukemono nigiri, nigiri-style hand-pressed sushi where the rice is topped by pickles.

6. Zucchero (webpage)

The only non-Japanese restaurant in the Kyoto group, Zucchero is an Italian restaurant with a seafood focus, and in fact the owners also run a fresh fish wholesale business. The recipes, for things like carpaccio, fried fish, and tomato stew, may not be ornate, but the quality of the ingredients and the joy of the flavors have earned it a spot in the guide.

7. Miyagawacho Tensho (webpage)

Shifting back to Japanese food, Miyagawacho Tensho is a tempura specialist, with both traditional offerings such as tempura shrimp and whitefish as well as scallops and caviar.

8. Takehisa (webpage)

Takehisa wants to let the natural charms of its ingredients shine, so it utilizes cooking methods to unleash their latent deliciousness. This also means a lot of care is given in selecting seasonally appropriate ingredients, leading to dishes such as honey-simmered green plum and stewed herring.

9. Tokuo (webpage)

Tokuo’s aim is to cook up creative Japanese dishes that its customers will never tire of. Counterbalancing novelty and deliciousness isn’t always easy, but the restaurant has done a fine enough job of it to earn the Michelin guide’s recommendation.

With that, let’s take a break to pause and digest, and we’ll be back soon for a look at the nine new Osaka entries!

Source: PR Times
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: PR Times
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