Nara, Japan
akordu
Chef Hiroshi Kawashima's menu is rooted in Nara's ingredients and history, with a wine program weighted toward the Iberian peninsula. Dinner runs JPY 20,000–29,999; lunch is a more accessible entry point at JPY 10,000–14,999.
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Nara
Explore our curated restaurants, hotels, bars, and wineries in Nara.
Accolades in Nara
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Our guide counts 22 Michelin-starred restaurants in Nara and 26 Michelin stars in total, both citywide. akordu, Tsukumo, NARA NIKON, and Oryori Hanagaki, all in the Nara neighborhood, hold two Michelin stars in the latest guide. Kaiseki and kappo counters form the core of the starred rooms, and Spanish, French, Italian, and Chinese kitchens sit in the same citywide set. Sake programs run through most of the starred restaurants, and most of those wine programs are curated.
Our guide counts four exceptional wine programs citywide. The Nara neighborhood holds 106 of the venues we publish, the largest share in our guide. Traditional Kaiseki is the cuisine we publish most often. Starred rooms also sit in Kashihara, Sakurai, Asuka, Gose, Katsuragi, and Tenkawa Village. Lamp Bar, in the Nara neighborhood, and The Sailing Bar, in Sakurai, appear on Asia's 50 Best Bars.
Two-star restaurants in the Nara neighborhood
akordu, Tsukumo, NARA NIKON, and Oryori Hanagaki each hold two Michelin stars in the 2026 guide. Each sits in the Nara neighborhood, and each runs a sake program.
akordu
akordu, in the Nara neighborhood, applies modern Spanish technique to local seasonal ingredients. Chef Hiroshi Kawashima builds the menu from Nara ingredients and history, and the menu cards evoke memory. The wine program is curated and weighted toward the Iberian peninsula, with an extensive wine list and a sake program. Formats are a set menu and a prix fixe. Michelin gives the restaurant two stars in the 2026 guide.
Tsukumo
Tsukumo, in the Nara neighborhood, is modern kaiseki from chef Masato Nishihara, using local seasonal ingredients and a philosophy of beauty in incompleteness. The house serves a tasting menu, omakase, and a set menu at a counter and in private rooms. The kitchen is fish-focused. Sake and wine receive equal attention, and the wine program is curated. Michelin gives the restaurant two stars in the 2026 guide.
NARA NIKON
NARA NIKON, in the Nara neighborhood, is a kaiseki counter working with seasonal ingredients and traditional technique, framed by a Zen emphasis on the present moment. Seats cover the counter, tables, and tatami, and the menu is fish-focused. The wine program is curated, with a sake program. Michelin gives the restaurant two stars in the 2026 guide.
Oryori Hanagaki
Oryori Hanagaki, in the Nara neighborhood, is kaiseki for one party per service, in a bamboo-surrounded house designed by the proprietor. Seasonal ingredients are presented, and sometimes prepared, in front of guests. Chefs Cho Eun-hee and Park Sung-bae run the kitchen. Formats are a tasting menu, omakase, and counter dining, with a sake program. Michelin gives the restaurant two stars in the 2026 guide.
Exceptional and extensive wine lists
VILLA COMMUNICO and la forme d'éternité, both in the Nara neighborhood, carry exceptional wine programs. Lega', in Katsuragi, and A VOTRE SANTE, in Ikoma, pour extensive wine lists.
VILLA COMMUNICO
VILLA COMMUNICO, in the Nara neighborhood, serves a Riviera-inspired tasting menu of seasonal wood-fired dishes in a minimalist auberge. The wine program is exceptional, with rare European wines, an extensive wine list, and a sake program. Michelin gives the restaurant one star in the 2026 guide.
la forme d'éternité
la forme d'éternité, in the Nara neighborhood, is a modern French restaurant using Nara ingredients, with sauces and rare wine pairings. The wine program is exceptional and the list is extensive. The format is a tasting menu. Michelin gives the restaurant a Plate in the 2026 guide.
Lega'
Lega', in Katsuragi, cooks an Italian and Nara fusion, including kakinoha sushi topped with dry-cured ham and Yamato beef with black truffle. Chefs Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips run the kitchen. The format is a la carte. The wine program is curated, with an extensive wine list. Michelin gives the restaurant one star in the 2026 guide.
A VOTRE SANTE
A VOTRE SANTE, in Ikoma, is classic French cooking from chef Yaoki Tsujimura, a sensory reading of 1990s Provence and the Riviera, with butter-rich sauces and in-house baked goods. Formats are a prix fixe and a tasting menu. The wine program is curated, with an extensive list and sommelier-led service. Michelin gives the restaurant a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide.
Tasting menus and omakase counters
Wa Yamamura in the Nara neighborhood, Da terra in Asuka, Sushi Kawashima in Kashihara, and SÉN in Tenkawa Village each serve a tasting menu or omakase. Each holds a Michelin star.
Wa Yamamura
Wa Yamamura, in the Nara neighborhood, is family-run traditional kaiseki and was Nara's first three-Michelin-star kaiseki restaurant. It now holds one star in the 2026 guide. Chef Nobuharu Yamamura cooks in the Kansai tradition, with custom ceramics, seasonal restraint, and attention to ingredient provenance. The format is a tasting menu. The wine program is curated, with a sake program.
Da terra
Da terra, in Asuka, is Italian omakase built on a family farm producing over 100 vegetable varieties, served in a century-old Japanese townhouse. The format is omakase-only and seasonal. The kitchen crosses Italian technique with produce from its own garden. The wine program is curated. Michelin gives the restaurant a star in the 2026 guide.
Sushi Kawashima
Sushi Kawashima, in Kashihara, is Nara-style omakase sushi that blends Nara's ancient food culture with nigiri crafted without wasabi to highlight natural flavors. Formats are omakase and counter dining. The wine program is curated, with a sake program. Michelin gives the restaurant a star in the 2026 guide.
SÉN
SÉN, in Tenkawa Village, cooks watershed cuisine from Kumano River valley ingredients over firewood, in a renovated ryokan with river views. Formats are a prix fixe and a tasting menu. The wine program is curated, with a sake program. Michelin gives the restaurant a star in the 2025 guide. The Japan Times Destination Restaurants selection placed it ninth in 2026.
French kitchens with Nara ingredients
LA TRACE and LE UN, both in the Nara neighborhood, and à plus, in Gose, cook French food with Nara ingredients. LA TRACE and à plus each hold a Michelin star in the 2026 guide, and LE UN holds a Michelin Plate in that same guide.
LA TRACE
LA TRACE, in the Nara neighborhood, is modern French cooking with Nara seasonal ingredients, and the kitchen traces each ingredient back to local producers. Formats are a tasting menu and counter dining. The wine program is curated and sommelier-led. Michelin gives the restaurant a star in the 2026 guide.
à plus
à plus, in Gose, cooks French food with Nara terroir: Yamato beef, pickled vegetables, and rice dishes in the manner of a sake brewery, including paella and risotto, paired with sake from the historic site. The format is a prix fixe. The wine program is curated, with a sake program. Michelin gives the restaurant a star in the 2026 guide.
LE UN
LE UN, in the Nara neighborhood, serves French cuisine with Nara ingredients in a restored 130-year-old sake brewery, with sake pairings from Toyosawa Sake Brewery. Formats are a tasting menu and a prix fixe. The wine program is curated and sommelier-led, with a sake program. Michelin gives the restaurant a Plate in the 2026 guide.
Cocktail bars and brewery dining
Lamp Bar, in the Nara neighborhood, and The Sailing Bar, in Sakurai, appear on Asia's 50 Best Bars. Kuramoto Ryori Maruto Shoyu, in Tawaramoto, serves a soy-forward tasting menu with a sake program and sommelier-led wine.
Lamp Bar
Lamp Bar, in the Nara neighborhood, is a cocktail bar from bartender Michito Kaneko, working without a menu and building drinks to the guest, with local Nara ingredients. The drinks cover craft cocktails and classic cocktails. World's 50 Best Asia's Best Bars ranked it 94th in 2026.
The Sailing Bar
The Sailing Bar, in Sakurai, pours craft cocktails, an extensive whiskey selection, and sake. The wine program is curated. The room has a nautical theme and was once members-only. World's 50 Best Asia's Best Bars ranked the bar 85th in the 2024 list.
Kuramoto Ryori Maruto Shoyu
Kuramoto Ryori Maruto Shoyu, in Tawaramoto, serves a soy-forward tasting menu in Japan's oldest soy brewery, established in 1689, with 90 percent of the vegetables home-grown and organic and with zero-waste production. Formats are a tasting menu, a prix fixe, and counter dining. The wine program is curated and sommelier-led, with a sake program. Michelin gives the restaurant a Plate in the 2026 guide.
Planning FAQ
Which Nara neighborhood has the exceptional wine programs?
The Nara neighborhood holds VILLA COMMUNICO and la forme d'éternité, both with exceptional wine programs. VILLA COMMUNICO serves a wood-fired tasting menu with rare European wines, an extensive wine list, and a sake program, and it holds a Michelin star in the 2026 guide. la forme d'éternité cooks modern French food with Nara influences and pours rare wine pairings on an extensive list, with a Michelin Plate in the 2026 guide. Our guide counts four exceptional wine programs citywide.
How many Michelin-starred restaurants are in your Nara guide?
Our guide counts 22 Michelin-starred restaurants in Nara and 26 Michelin stars in total, citywide. akordu, Tsukumo, NARA NIKON, and Oryori Hanagaki hold two Michelin stars in the latest guide, and each sits in the Nara neighborhood. Other starred restaurants in the guide hold a single star in the latest guide. Kaiseki is the main style in that set, alongside French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and sushi.
Where can I find tasting menus in Nara?
Tasting menus and omakase sit in the Nara neighborhood and in several other neighborhoods in our guide. Tsukumo, Oryori Hanagaki, and Wa Yamamura, all in the Nara neighborhood, serve a tasting menu or omakase. Da terra in Asuka, Sushi Kawashima in Kashihara, and SÉN in Tenkawa Village serve omakase or a tasting menu as well. VILLA COMMUNICO, in the Nara neighborhood, serves a wood-fired tasting menu.
What wine and sake styles show up most in the guide?
Sake programs sit on most starred restaurants, and most wine programs in that set are curated. Our guide counts four exceptional wine programs citywide. akordu, in the Nara neighborhood, weights its curated list toward the Iberian peninsula and also pours sake. VILLA COMMUNICO pours rare European wines. la forme d'éternité offers rare wine pairings. Sommelier-led lists include LA TRACE and LE UN, both in the Nara neighborhood, and A VOTRE SANTE in Ikoma.
Which bars appear on World's 50 Best Asia's Best Bars?
Lamp Bar, in the Nara neighborhood, and The Sailing Bar, in Sakurai, are the bars in our guide on World's 50 Best Asia's Best Bars. Lamp Bar's latest ranking is 94th in the 2026 list. Bartender Michito Kaneko works without a menu and uses local Nara ingredients for craft and classic cocktails. The Sailing Bar pours craft cocktails, whiskey, and sake, and its wine program is curated.
By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Nara
Restaurants
Selected entries from the current guide for Nara.
Nara, Japan
Nara, Japan
Tsukumo
Tsukumo holds two Michelin stars and consecutive Tabelog Bronze Awards from 2023 through 2026, placing it among the more decorated Japanese restaurants in the Kansai region outside Kyoto. Operating from a house-restaurant format in Nara's Kideracho district, the counter-and-private-room setup serves a reservation-only format at JPY 20,000–29,999 per person. Sake and wine programs receive equal attention alongside the fish-focused kitchen.
Nara, Japan
NARA NIKON
A two-Michelin-star kaiseki counter in central Nara, NARA NIKON has earned consecutive Tabelog Bronze Awards every year from 2020 through 2026 and a score of 4.30, placing it among western Japan's most consistent fine-dining addresses. Nineteen seats across counter, table, and tatami formats serve a fish-focused menu, with an evening spend in the JPY 20,000–29,999 range. Phone-only reservations make advance planning essential.
Nara, Japan
Oryori Hanagaki
Oryori Hanagaki holds two Michelin stars in both 2024 and 2025, positioning it among Nara's most formally recognised dining addresses. Located in the Gakuenminami district, the restaurant operates under chefs Cho Eun-hee and Park Sung-bae, bringing a cross-cultural sensibility to Japanese cuisine. For serious diners exploring the Kansai region beyond Kyoto and Osaka, it represents a compelling case for Nara's emerging fine dining credentials.
Nara, Japan
Wa Yamamura
Wa Yamamura holds a Michelin star and a ranked position in Opinionated About Dining's Top Restaurants in Japan, making it one of the more credentialed kaiseki addresses in Nara. Chef Nobuharu Yamamura works within the Kansai tradition, where seasonal restraint and ingredient provenance carry more weight than technique display. Lunch and dinner service run most days of the week, with Monday reserved for closure.
Nara, Japan
Da terra
Set among the ancient fields of Asuka in Nara Prefecture, Da terra holds a Michelin star and back-to-back recognition in the Opinionated About Dining European rankings — an unusual credential for a restaurant rooted in southern Japan. The kitchen works from its own garden, crossing Italian technique with the leading local produce in a format that reads more like a philosophical argument than a tasting menu.
Nara, Japan
Araki
Araki in Nara's Gakuenkita district holds a Michelin Plate and an Opinionated About Dining Top 25 Asia ranking (2023), placing it among the prefecture's most closely watched sushi counters. The format is omakase, the seating intimate, and the service window narrow — evenings only, Tuesday through Saturday, with two seatings per night.
Nara, Japan
à plus
A Michelin-starred French restaurant in Gose, Nara's quieter southern reach, à plus earned its star in the 2025 guide while operating well outside the tourist circuit. The ¥¥¥ price tier and a 4.. For anyone tracing Kansai's French dining thread beyond Osaka and Kyoto, this is a meaningful stop.
Nara, Japan
Ajinokaze Nishimura
A consecutive Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant in Sakurai, Nara, Ajinokaze Nishimura holds one star for both 2024 and 2025 under chef Jon McGregor. Positioned in the quieter reaches of Yamato, it operates at a price point comparable to Nara's most serious dining addresses, drawing visitors willing to travel beyond the city centre for cooking that reflects the region's agricultural depth.
Nara, Japan
Ajinotabibito Roman
A Michelin-starred counter in central Nara where the monthly menu operates as a seasonal record rather than a fixed programme. Tomio Onda's self-taught approach pulls from old cookbooks and regional tradition, producing a calendar that runs from chargrilled ayu in June to cold miso soup in August.
Nara, Japan
Chugokusai Naramachi Kuko
A Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant operating inside Nara's historic Naramachi district, Chugokusai Naramachi Kuko holds consecutive one-star recognition for 2024 and 2025. It occupies a distinctive position in the city's fine-dining tier, where Chinese cuisine at this level is rare, and the surrounding neighbourhood deepens the contrast between classical East Asian cooking and ancient Japanese urban fabric.
Nara, Japan
GOKAN UOGIN
Nara's Michelin-starred GOKAN UOGIN, in the Omiyacho district, represents one of Japan's more intriguing cross-cultural dining propositions: a Japanese kitchen helmed by Czech-born chef Marcel Kazda, sustained by consecutive Michelin stars in 2024 and 2025. The restaurant holds a 4., positioning it firmly among the city's tightest, most deliberate dining experiences.
Nara, Japan
Inada
Inada holds a Michelin star (2024) and Michelin Plate (2025) in Ikoma, Nara, placing it among a small group of destination-worthy Japanese restaurants operating outside the city's tourist centre. The kitchen works at the intersection of local Nara ingredients and refined technique, delivering a serious dining proposition at the ¥¥¥ price tier with a 4..
Nara, Japan
Kaiseki Morimoto
Kaiseki Morimoto holds consecutive Michelin stars (2024 and 2025) in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, placing it among the few kaiseki addresses outside Japan's major urban centres to sustain that recognition. Under Chef Yasunari Okazaki, the kitchen works within the formal kaiseki sequence while drawing on ingredients native to the Yamato region. For milestone dining away from Kyoto's crowded kaiseki circuit, it represents a considered alternative.
Nara, Japan
Koikiryori Aji Manso
Koikiryori Aji Manso showcases Chef Koji Nagata's personalized omakase artistry in Nara's most sophisticated dining room, where seasonal specialties like well-known pike conger sukiyaki meet generous kaiseki portions. This gallery-like restaurant combines notable Japanese cuisine with curated artwork, creating an intimate fine dining experience tailored to each guest's preferences.
Nara, Japan
La Terrasse irisée
Historical profile: La Terrasse irisée at Japan, 〒631-0032 Nara, Ayameikekita, 1-chōme−34−７ HANA１F is listed as closed or replaced after a June 21, 2026 audit. Active booking, hours, and contact details have been removed.
Nara, Japan
LA TRACE
A two-time Michelin-starred French restaurant in Nara's Omiyacho district, LA TRACE pairs European technique with the agricultural depth that surrounds one of Japan's oldest cities. Chef Roberto Torre holds a consecutive star from 2024 and 2025, placing this address among the Kansai region's most closely watched French tables. The ¥¥¥ pricing tier reflects a serious kitchen operating well inside the Michelin conversation.
Nara, Japan
Lega'
A Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in Katsuragi, Nara, Lega' has held a star in both 2024 and 2025 under chefs Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips. The ¥¥ price point sits notably below the premium tier typical of starred dining in the Kansai region, positioning it as one of the more accessible critical endorsements in the prefecture. Rated 4.3 on Google across 27 reviews, it draws visitors from Osaka and Kyoto as well as local Nara diners.
Nara, Japan
Matsuki
A consecutive Michelin-starred address in Nara's old city, Matsuki holds one star for both 2024 and 2025, placing it among a small tier of sustained critical recognition in a prefecture better known for temple visits than destination dining.
Nara, Japan
Musoan
Michelin-starred since 2024, Musoan brings serious Japanese cooking to Nara's Suimoncho quarter at a mid-to-upper price point that sits comfortably within the city's small cohort of destination restaurants. A 4.. For a city that sees most visitors in transit, Musoan offers a reason to stay at the table.
Nara, Japan
Naramachi Kuko
Naramachi Kuko belongs to the quieter side of Nara dining, where old merchant-house streets and ingredient-led Japanese cooking carry more weight than spectacle. The name refers to the goji berry, tied in East Asian tradition to longevity, which frames the restaurant’s appeal around seasonality, restraint, and the medicinal edge that has long sat inside Japanese food culture.
Nara, Japan
Okada
A Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant in Nara's Imamikadocho district, Okada holds consecutive one-star recognition for 2024 and 2025 under the direction of chef Alexis Voisenet. The address places it among a small cluster of serious dining destinations in a city better known for temples than tables, making it the kind of find that rewards those who look past Nara's day-tripper reputation.
Nara, Japan
Oryori Hirooka
Oryori Hirooka holds a Michelin star in both 2024 and 2025, placing it among the small tier of recognised Japanese restaurants operating outside Nara's tourist core in the Gakuenminami residential district. The kitchen works within the oryori tradition, where seasonal kaiseki principles govern a multi-course format calibrated to the ingredients and aesthetic tempo of the moment.
Nara, Japan
SÉN
SÉN gives Nara’s mountain dining a serious contemporary marker: an innovative restaurant in Tenkawa where regional ingredients, rural setting, and award recognition carry equal weight. Its Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze status, 3.88 score, and Michelin one-star recognition place it beyond casual countryside dining and into the small Japanese category where destination restaurants ask diners to travel for place-specific cooking.
Nara
Hotels
Selected entries from the current guide for Nara.
Nara, Japan
JW Marriott Hotel Nara
Japan's first JW Marriott sits in Nara, the country's ancient pre-Kyoto capital, where 1,200-year-old temples and free-roaming deer share ground with this 158-room modernist property. Awarded a Michelin Key (2024) and ranked 93.5 points in La Liste's 2026 Top Hotels, it carries a dining programme spanning teppanyaki, sushi, kaiseki, pub fare, and afternoon tea under one roof.
Nara, Japan
Fufu Nara
Positioned at the edge of Nara Park where the city meets ancient woodland, Fufu Nara is a 30-room ryokan awarded a Michelin Key in 2024. Azekura-style architecture, private open-air onsen in every room, and traditional herbal treatments place it in the quieter, more contemplative end of Japan's premium inn market.
Nara, Japan
Shisui, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nara
Shisui, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nara occupies a historic address at 62 Noboriojicho, placing guests within reach of the city's UNESCO-listed temples and deer parks. The property holds a MICHELIN Selected designation for 2025, positioning it among a small cohort of internationally recognised hotels in one of Japan's most culturally layered cities. For travellers combining Kyoto and Nara, Shisui offers a grounded base with the credentials to match.
Nara, Japan
Ando Hotel Nara Wakakusayama
Selected by the Michelin Guide Hotels 2025, Ando Hotel Nara Wakakusayama sits at 728 Kawakamicho, positioned against the wooded slopes of Mount Wakakusa in one of Japan's oldest capitals. The property belongs to a tier of Nara accommodation defined by architectural restraint and proximity to the city's UNESCO-listed deer parks and temple precincts. For travelers who read Nara as a design destination as much as a heritage one, this is the address to consider.
Nara, Japan
Miroku Nara by THE SHARE HOTELS
Miroku Nara by THE SHARE HOTELS occupies a quiet address in Takabatakecho, within reach of the deer park and Kasuga Grand Shrine, and holds a 2025 Michelin Selected distinction. The property sits within THE SHARE HOTELS group's model of design-conscious, locally rooted accommodation. It offers a considered alternative to Nara's international chain options for travellers who want character alongside reliability.
Nara, Japan
Noborioji Hotel Nara
Positioned at the boundary of Nara's ancient temple district, Noborioji Hotel Nara pairs contemporary design with a setting where wild deer pass the gates at dusk. Rates from US$733 per night place it among Nara's more considered accommodation options.
Nara, Japan
Villa Communico
A MICHELIN Selected property in Nara's Zoshicho district, Villa Communico sits closer to the ancient temples and forested deer parks than most of the city's larger hotel options. Modest in scale and international in tone, it positions itself as an address-led stay rather than a facilities-heavy resort, offering direct access to a UNESCO World Heritage corridor that few cities in Japan can match.
Nara, Japan
Hoshinoya Nara Prison
Hoshinoya Nara Prison is one of Nara’s more architecturally charged hotel propositions, set by name and address against the city’s older civic fabric rather than the standard resort template. With limited public operational detail in the available record, the draw is the idea of staying at 18 Hannyajicho as part of Nara’s wider shift toward design-led hospitality.
Nara
Bars
Selected entries from the current guide for Nara.
Nara, Japan
Lamp Bar
Six appearances on Asia's 50 Best Bars list place Lamp Bar among the more consistently recognised cocktail programmes in Japan, operating not from Tokyo or Osaka but from Nara — a city better known for its deer and ancient temples than its bar scene.
Nara, Japan
The Sailing Bar
Ranked #85 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024, The Sailing Bar operates in Sakurai, a district of Nara that sees only a fraction of the visitor traffic drawn to the city's temples and deer parks. With a 4., it represents the growing argument that Japan's serious bar culture now extends well beyond Tokyo and Osaka. The back bar is the main event.
Nara
Wineries
Selected entries from the current guide for Nara.
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Venue lists for Nara
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