The Michelin restaurant-guide has been extremely generous towards Tokyo. In the Tokyo-guide – Michelin’s first guide outside Europe and the United States – nothing less than 191 Michelin-stars are awarded to 150 Tokyo-restaurants. No city has ever been awarded this many Michelin stars, and Tokyo totally outbattles Paris on the gastronomical battlefield. Previously, Paris had the most stars, at 97.
"Tokyo is a shining star in the world of cuisine," Michelin Guides Director Jean-Luc Naret said at a news conference in the Japanese capital. He declared Tokyo "the world leader in gourmet dining."
Eight restaurants in Tokyo, including two sushi eateries, received Michelin’s highest three-star rating. About 60 percent of the restaurants in the Michelin guide serve Japanese food, while a majority of the other restaurants are French.
It has been hard work doing the research for the Tokyo-guide. Five Michelin inspectors (three European and two Japanese) went undercover in Tokyo for a year and a half and eat their way through 1,500 of the city's estimated 160,000 restaurants to decide on the ratings. Bad job!
Tokyo’s 3-star restaurants are:
Joel Robuchon, French
Sushi Mizutani, sushi
Kanda, Japanese
Hamadaya, classic Japanese
L'Osier, French
Koju, Japanese
Quintessence, French
Sukiyabashi Jiro, sushi
See all the Michelin rankings in Tokyo here [PDF].
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Paris hits back on the gastronomical battlefield
Author David Rich Momondo