How many Michelin-starred restaurants does this list include?

This list includes the 22 Michelin-starred restaurants in our Nara guide, which hold 26 Michelin stars in total, citywide. akordu, Tsukumo, NARA NIKON, and Oryori Hanagaki hold two Michelin stars in the latest guide, and each is in the Nara neighborhood. The other restaurants on the list hold a single star in the latest guide. Kaiseki is the main style, with French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and sushi rooms on the list as well.

Which neighborhood has the two-star restaurants on this list?

The Nara neighborhood has every two-star restaurant on this list: akordu, Tsukumo, NARA NIKON, and Oryori Hanagaki. Each holds that award in the latest Michelin guide. akordu cooks modern Spanish food with a wine list weighted toward the Iberian peninsula and a sake program. Tsukumo and NARA NIKON cook kaiseki with curated wine and sake. Oryori Hanagaki cooks kaiseki for one party per service, with a sake program.

Which restaurants on this list have the strongest wine programs?

VILLA COMMUNICO, in the Nara neighborhood, has the exceptional wine program on this list, with rare European wines, an extensive list, and a sake program beside a wood-fired tasting menu. akordu, in the Nara neighborhood, has a curated list weighted toward the Iberian peninsula, plus an extensive list and a sake program. Naramachi Kuko, in Naramachi, and Lega', in Katsuragi, pour extensive wine lists. LA TRACE, in the Nara neighborhood, is sommelier-led.

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Best Michelin-Starred Restaurants in Nara

This list covers the 22 Michelin-starred restaurants in our Nara guide, holding 26 Michelin stars in total, citywide. akordu, Tsukumo, NARA NIKON, and Oryori Hanagaki, all in the Nara neighborhood, hold two Michelin stars in the latest guide. Kaiseki and kappo account for much of the list. Spanish cooking at akordu, plus French, Italian, Chinese, and sushi rooms, hold stars as well.

Many restaurants on this list sit in the Nara neighborhood. Others sit in Kashihara, Naramachi, Sakurai, Asuka, Gose, Katsuragi, and Tenkawa Village. VILLA COMMUNICO, in the Nara neighborhood, has the exceptional wine program on this list, with rare European wines, an extensive list, and a sake program. akordu's curated list is weighted toward the Iberian peninsula. Sake programs appear on most rooms here.

How this list is chosen: Restaurants holding Michelin stars, listed alphabetically. Updated October 8, 2026.

à plus
1 Michelin star
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.
Ajinokaze Nishimura
1 Michelin star
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.
Ajinotabibito Roman
1 Michelin star
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.
akordu
2 Michelin stars
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.
Chugokusai Naramachi Kuko
1 Michelin star
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.
Da terra
1 Michelin star
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.
GOKAN UOGIN
1 Michelin star
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.
Inada
1 Michelin star
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..
Kaiseki Morimoto
1 Michelin star
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.
Koikiryori Aji Manso
1 Michelin star
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.
LA TRACE
1 Michelin star
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.
Lega'
1 Michelin star
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.
Matsuki
1 Michelin star
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.
Musoan
1 Michelin star
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 NIKON
2 Michelin stars
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.
Naramachi Kuko
1 Michelin star
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.
Okada
1 Michelin star
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.
Oryori Hanagaki
2 Michelin stars
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.
Oryori Hirooka
1 Michelin star
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.
SÉN
1 Michelin star
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.
Sushi Kawashima
1 Michelin star
Sushi Kawashima holds a Michelin star for 2024 and 2025, placing it among the few destination-grade counters operating outside Japan's major urban corridors. Located in Kashihara, on Nara's southern edge, it positions itself within a small but serious local fine-dining tier where omakase sushi meets the quieter rhythms of an ancient prefecture. A 4..
Tsukumo
2 Michelin stars
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.
VILLA COMMUNICO
1 Michelin star · Deep wine list
VILLA COMMUNICO earned a Michelin star in 2025, placing it among Nara's most considered innovative dining addresses at the ¥¥¥¥ tier. Located in Zoshicho, it operates in a city better known for its temples than its restaurant scene, making the recognition all the more pointed. A 4..
Wa Yamamura
1 Michelin star
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.

Planning Michelin-starred restaurants in Nara

How many Michelin-starred restaurants does this list include?: This list includes the 22 Michelin-starred restaurants in our Nara guide, which hold 26 Michelin stars in total, citywide. akordu, Tsukumo, NARA NIKON, and Oryori Hanagaki hold two Michelin stars in the latest guide, and each is in the Nara neighborhood. The other restaurants on the list hold a single star in the latest guide. Kaiseki is the main style, with French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and sushi rooms on the list as well.
Which neighborhood has the two-star restaurants on this list?: The Nara neighborhood has every two-star restaurant on this list: akordu, Tsukumo, NARA NIKON, and Oryori Hanagaki. Each holds that award in the latest Michelin guide. akordu cooks modern Spanish food with a wine list weighted toward the Iberian peninsula and a sake program. Tsukumo and NARA NIKON cook kaiseki with curated wine and sake. Oryori Hanagaki cooks kaiseki for one party per service, with a sake program.
Which restaurants on this list have the strongest wine programs?: VILLA COMMUNICO, in the Nara neighborhood, has the exceptional wine program on this list, with rare European wines, an extensive list, and a sake program beside a wood-fired tasting menu. akordu, in the Nara neighborhood, has a curated list weighted toward the Iberian peninsula, plus an extensive list and a sake program. Naramachi Kuko, in Naramachi, and Lega', in Katsuragi, pour extensive wine lists. LA TRACE, in the Nara neighborhood, is sommelier-led.