Nine new restaurants make the list in west Japan’s biggest foodie town.

We’ve still got a few months to go until the full release of the 2025 Michelin Kyoto/Osaka restaurant guide, but the fine-dining organization has given us something to whet our appetites with ahead of time by revealing the names of 18 restaurants, nine in each of the cities, which will be making their first appearance in the guide’s 2025 edition, as recipients of either Michelin stars or the organization’s Bib Gourmand Award.

We recently took a look at the Kyoto list, so today let’s move on to the next course: Osaka!

1. Sushi Enishi (Michelin Guide webpage)

There’s more than one sushi restaurant on the Osaka list, but the first we’re looking at is Sushi Enishi, which has won rave reviews for the quality of its seasonal seafood, the temperature at which the sushi is served, and the pleasant tartness of the citrus accent flavors it employs.

2. Sushidokoro Shin (webpage)

Speaking of sushi restaurant accent flavors, Sushidokoro Shin has a very unique approach in that it uses different batches of sushi rice, with different amounts of vinegar mixed into the grains, for different types of fish. The restaurant also serves a selection of small plates to accompany its nigiri-style sushi.

3. Sugimachi (webpage)

Sugimachi prides itself on its relaxed atmosphere and its comprehensive search across Japan for the highest-quality ingredients. Their specialties are hot pot and takikomigohan, in which rice is cooked in a pot with various other ingredients and seasonings.

4. Kitashinchi Gyosai Masashi (webpage)

Kitashinchi Gyosai Masashi’s extensive à la carte menu features a mix of traditional Japanese and Western-fusion dishes, such as grilled celery with nuta (miso vinegar), bite-sized pork cutlet, and crab cream croquettes, with something to please a wide range of palates.

5. Kyomachibori Nakamura (webpage)

Kyomachibori Nakamura serves multi-course meals centered on tonkatsu, or deep-fried pork cutlet. Meals consists of filet, shoulder, thigh, and pork loin cuts, featuring a variety of famous breeds of Japanese pork.

6. Rooots Nakanoshima (webpage)

This originally minded restaurant combines Italian, French, and Japanese culinary concepts to make one-of-a-kind dishes, but their simpler offerings, like the potato gnocchi, are not to be missed either.

7. Kirari (webpage)

If the seared sashimi and other grilled foods at this counter-seating restaurant seem especially mouthwatering, it’s probably because they use Kishu Binchotan, the Wakayama Prefecture-sourced charcoal that many chefs feel is the highest-quality charcoal in the entire world.

8. Nishitemma Ichigaya (webpage)

Nishitemma Ichigaya (whose fare is also pictured at the very start of this article) is proud of carrying on traditions, with its kombu kelp soups and classic vegetable dishes, but it’s also not afraid of mixing things up by adding a French twist to some of its recipes.

9. Atelier Hanada by Morimoto (webpage)

And finally, we come to Atelier Hanada by Morimoto, which is neither a French nor a Japanese restaurant, but a Chinese one. As you might guess from their name, though, Atelier Hanada by Morimoto has an artistic take on things, leading to dishes such as foie gras marinated in Shaoxing wine with takuan pickles or shrimp in chili sauce with lime leaf.

With their gourmet cuisine and elegant atmospheres, it should go without saying that these aren’t going to be particularly budget-friendly options, but if you’re looking to splurge on a special meal while you’re in Osaka, these nine all sound like viable candidates. And if you’re looking for a taste of Michelin-recommended dining in Osaka that won’t cost you very much, well, we know a place for that too.

Source, images: PR Times
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