1
Long Beach, United States
Gusto Bread
Gusto Bread is a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery in Long Beach, CA.
The collection
Restaurants
Results
2
Shanghai, China
Hai Wei Guan (Jingan)
Hai Wei Guan on Kangding Road occupies a quiet position in Jing'An's mid-tier dining scene, serving Shanghainese cooking that has earned consecutive Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025 alongside a Black Pearl 1 Diamond. The price point sits at ¥¥, placing it among Shanghai's more accessible serious-cuisine options. For readers tracing the city's native culinary traditions, it represents a useful reference point on the Shanghainese restaurant continuum.
Shanghainese
3
Málaga, Spain
Hermanos Alba
Hermanos Alba has climbed the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe rankings three consecutive years, reaching #14 in 2025, and remains one of Málaga's most consistent addresses for serious seafood. Located on Avenida Salvador Allende in the Málaga-Este district, it operates Tuesday through Saturday with a format that runs from late morning into midnight, serving the kind of unadorned Andalusian fish cookery that the coast does better than almost anywhere else in Europe.
Seafood
4
Cardiff, United Kingdom
Hiræth
Opened in 2024 on Cowbridge Road East opposite Victoria Park, Hiræth earns a Michelin Plate in its debut year with monthly-changing tasting menus built around foraged and smallholding-sourced Welsh ingredients. The open kitchen, rough-hewn wood interior, and cool-beats soundtrack set a convivial tone that sits closer to neighbourhood restaurant than formal dining room — without any compromise on ingredient quality or technique.
Modern Cuisine
5
Tokyo, Japan
Hiramatsu
In Minami-Azabu, one of Tokyo's quieter diplomatic quarters, Hiramatsu has operated as a reference point for French haute cuisine in Japan since before the city's current wave of Franco-Japanese restaurants arrived. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, it ranks among Opinionated About Dining's tracked restaurants in Japan, with a 4.. The address and format position it firmly in the classical tier of Tokyo's French dining scene.
French
6
Corvara, Italy
Hotel La Perla
Hotel La Perla sits at the heart of Corvara in Badia, the Alta Badia village that has become one of the Dolomites' most serious addresses for mountain hospitality and table culture. Holding a 3-Star Accreditation from the World's Best Wine Lists Awards, the hotel operates within a culinary tradition deeply rooted in South Tyrolean alpine produce and the Val Badia's distinctive Ladin heritage. For our full Corvara hotels guide, it represents the area's benchmark property.
7
Singapore, Singapore
Hua Ting
Hua Ting at Orchard Hotel Singapore holds a 3-Star Accreditation from the World of Fine Wine & Lifestyle Awards, placing it among a select tier of Cantonese dining rooms in the city. The kitchen operates at the intersection where classical Chinese technique meets the rigorous sourcing discipline that Singapore's upper-end restaurant scene now expects. For anyone mapping the city's serious Chinese dining, it belongs on the shortlist.
8
Tokyo, Japan
Il Teatrino da Salone
A basement Italian restaurant in Minami-Aoyama that has climbed steadily through Opinionated About Dining's Japan rankings — from Highly Recommended in 2023 to #374 in 2024 and #430 in 2025 — Il Teatrino da Salone sits within Tokyo's compact but serious Italian scene under chef Takayuki Taira. Open daily from noon, it occupies a price tier and neighbourhood that rewards advance planning.
Italian
9
Sanda, Japan
Juuwari Soba Dokoro Yamadori
Juuwari Soba Dokoro Yamadori puts Sanda’s rural edge into focus through juuwari soba, meat dishes, sake and a house-restaurant setting outside the city-centre circuit. Its selection for Tabelog 100 - Soba - WEST - 2025 places it in the Kansai-west soba conversation rather than the casual noodle-stop category.
10
Kanazawa, Japan
Kabuna
Kabuna places Kanazawa’s izakaya culture in Katamachi rather than the museum-lit dining rooms visitors often associate with the city. Its Tabelog 100 Izakaya WEST 2025 selection, fish-led cooking, sake focus, counter seats, tatami rooms and private rooms make it a useful read on how serious local dining can remain social, flexible and rooted in the evening rhythm of the neighbourhood.
11
Tampere, Finland
Kajo
Kajo brings a Japanese culinary sensibility to the heart of Tampere, where chef Hitoshi Toyota works within Finland's Nordic ingredient tradition. Holding a Michelin Plate (2025) and ranked among Opinionated About Dining's top restaurants, it occupies a small but distinct position in Finland's fine dining tier — a creative restaurant that earns its price point through technique and cross-cultural precision.
Creative
12
Tokyo, Japan
Koko ni Motodaka
Koko ni Motodaka brings a young Nishigotanda izakaya into Tokyo’s serious-drinking conversation, with Tabelog 100 Izakaya EAST 2025 recognition arriving soon after its 2024 opening. The appeal is less about tavern nostalgia than about the current Tokyo mood: compact, reservation-led, smoke-free, cashless, and priced for diners treating an izakaya as a planned evening rather than a casual fallback.
13
Tokyo, Japan
Kotaro
Kotaro is a Shibuya izakaya that has ranked in Opinionated About Dining's top five casual Japan listings three consecutive years (2023–2025), peaking at number two in 2024. Operated by chef Kotaro Hayashi from a Sakuragaoka address a short walk from the station, it occupies the serious end of Tokyo's casual dining tier, where izakaya form meets the kind of precision that sits comfortably beside far more formal neighbours.
Izakaya
14
Stolpe an der Peene, Germany
Kurt
Kurt in Stolpe an der Peene brings creative cooking to Germany's northeastern coast, drawing on the agricultural and maritime produce of the Peene valley. Chef Kurt Kwiatkowski has earned recognition for creative cooking in a region better known for quiet countryside than destination dining.
German Coastal
15
Osaka, Japan
Kyosho ran Minamimori chou
Private-room yakiniku near Minamimori-machi places wagyu and tripe in a calmer Osaka register than the city’s louder grill counters. Kyosho ran Minamimori chou carries a 2025 Tabelog 100 Yakiniku WEST selection, with a mid-premium dinner spend and a format that suits small groups weighing comfort, recognition, and meat-focused cooking.
16
De Panne, Belgium
La Coupole
A Michelin Plate seafood address on the Belgian coast, La Coupole in De Panne sits close to the North Sea and has held consistent recognition since appearing in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2002. The €€ price range places it well below the region's starred dining tier, offering serious seafood cooking without the formality or cost of a tasting-menu destination.
Seafood
17
Paris, France
La Régalade Saint-Honoré
La Régalade Saint-Honoré has anchored the Rue Saint-Honoré bistro scene for years, offering traditional French cooking at a price point that sits well below the neighbourhood's prevailing luxury register. A Michelin Plate holder since at least 2024 and recommended by Opinionated About Dining in 2023, it draws a loyal crowd willing to book ahead for the kind of generous, technically grounded cooking that Paris's grand brasseries charge considerably more to replicate.
Traditional Cuisine
18
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Lastage
Chef Rogier van Dam runs a focused evening service Wednesday through Sunday, drawing a crowd that blends committed wine drinkers with diners looking for something warmer and more personal than the city's €€€€ tier. Opinionated About Dining flagged it as Recommended in 2023.
€€€ · Creative
19
São Paulo, Brazil
Leggera Pizza Napoletana
At two locations in the Perdizes and Jardins neighbourhoods, Leggera Pizza Napoletana puts Neapolitan pizza tradition through a São Paulo lens. Chef André Guidon works from AVPN-codified standards, producing a well-leavened, notably light dough that anchors both classic and creative toppings. The bill is fair relative to the neighbourhood, and the Italian-leaning menu extends beyond pizza to eggplant parmigiana, meatballs, and fried calzone.
20
Goes, Netherlands
Lilou
Lilou holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and brings French brasserie cooking to the centre of Goes, Zeeland's provincial capital. At the €€ price tier, it sits alongside De Kluizenaer and Karel V in Goes's mid-range French dining cluster, offering a format that rewards both weekday lunches and longer evening meals.
€€ · French
21
Hiroshima, Japan
LOPEZ
LOPEZ brings Hiroshima okonomiyaki into a compact counter format in Yokogawa, with teppanyaki structure and a Latin American category note that separates it from standard station-area grill rooms. Recognition on Tabelog’s Okonomiyaki 100 list in 2025, a 17-seat setup, and moderate pricing place it in the city’s serious but casual okonomiyaki tier.
22
Tokyo, Japan
Loup de Mer
Among Tokyo's yoshoku counters, Loup de Mer in Chiyoda has maintained a consistent position inside the Opinionated About Dining Casual Japan rankings across three consecutive years — reaching #21 in 2024. Chef Masayuki Suzuki runs a tight lunch-only format Tuesday through Saturday, making access a genuine planning exercise for anyone building a serious Tokyo itinerary.
Yoshoku (Western)
23
Atlanta, United States
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Lyla Lila
On Peachtree Street in Midtown, Lyla Lila brings a Southern European sensibility to Atlanta's increasingly serious dining scene. Chef Craig Richards steers a menu that reads across the Mediterranean rather than any single coast, earning consecutive Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025 alongside Opinionated About Dining rankings in North America. The price point sits a tier below Atlanta's tasting-menu flagships, making it one of the more accessible entries in the city's European-leaning category.
Southern European, European
24
Caen, France
Magma
At 24 Rue Saint-Manvieu, Magma brings a Franco-Japanese tasting menu to the heart of Caen, where chef Ryuya Ono works seasonal Norman ingredients through a Japanese sensibility. Ranked #384 in the Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe (2025), the restaurant holds a 4.. The price point sits at the accessible end of Caen's modern cuisine tier, with a crisp interior and service to match.
Modern Cuisine
25
Nanjing, China
Man Ho
Man Ho brings Huaiyang cooking to a refined dining room at People's Square, holding a Michelin Plate and consistent Opinionated About Dining recognition across three consecutive years. Under Chef Jayson Tang, the kitchen applies classical technique to a cuisine defined by delicacy and precision. At a mid-range price point for this calibre of recognition, it represents a considered choice for a celebratory meal in central Shanghai.
Huaiyang
26
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Mercado 24
In Guatemala City's Cuatro Grados Norte district, Mercado 24 builds its menu entirely around what the city's daily markets yield each morning. Chef Pablo Díaz Quiñonez leads a four-person kitchen that treats availability as the menu, making each visit structurally different from the last. Among the Zona 4 dining options, it occupies a distinct niche: casual in format, deliberate in sourcing.
27
Tokyo, Japan
Morikawa
Morikawa sits in the Hongo district of Bunkyo, a kaiseki counter that has climbed the Opinionated About Dining Japan rankings three consecutive years — #27 in 2023, #30 in 2024, and #64 in 2025. Under Chef Kenji Mori, the kitchen follows traditional multi-course sequencing with the kind of precision that places it well above the mid-tier kaiseki field in Tokyo.
Kaiseki
28
Osaka, Japan
NAKAGAWA Wazu
NAKAGAWA Wazu belongs to Osaka’s disciplined ramen counter culture: compact, quick-turning, and judged less by ceremony than by repeatable craft. Its Tabelog Ramen OSAKA 100 selections in 2023, 2024, and 2025 place it among the city’s more closely watched bowls, with a value profile that keeps the experience sharply focused rather than padded with extras.
29
Nagoya, Japan
Nakamura So
Nakamura So belongs to Nagoya’s serious, low-cost ramen culture rather than its luxury dining circuit: counter seating, tsukemen and ramen, and a place on Tabelog’s Ramen AICHI 100 for 2025. The appeal is in the compact progression of the meal, from choosing the noodle format to managing broth intensity and pace at the counter.
30
Burlingame, United States
New England Lobster Eatery
A Michelin Plate-recognised seafood spot on Burlingame's industrial edge, New England Lobster Eatery holds consecutive OAD Casual rankings (#786 in 2024, #800 in 2025) and a 4.,100 reviews. The draw is direct: whole crustaceans, counter-service informality, and sourcing that prioritises shellfish integrity over dining-room ambition. A practical benchmark for the Bay Area's no-frills seafood tier.
Seafood
31
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Number 16
The kitchen works with seasonal Scottish produce and a modern British framework, with set lunches and an evening carte priced at the accessible ££ tier.
Modern Cuisine
32
Montréal, Canada
Oncle Lee Kăo
From the team behind Oncle Lee, this Old Montréal spot doubles down on Mandarin-style grilling—lamb skewers with cumin, five-spice duck, grilled sea bream with Sichuan sauce—served under red lanterns in a format built for sharing. The kitchen glazes wok-fried vegetables with soy and maple syrup, a nod to Québec staples that quietly anchors every plate.
33
Osaka, Japan
Oodanna KITTE oosaka ten
A stand-up izakaya inside KITTE Osaka’s basement dining floor, Oodanna KITTE oosaka ten puts Osaka’s tachinomi culture into a station-complex setting rather than a backstreet bar crawl. The draw is format discipline: counter seating, a 30-seat standing-bar footprint, fish-led food, broad drinks coverage, and selection for Tabelog 100 Tachinomi 2025.
34
Phoenix, United States
Pane Bianco
On a stretch of Central Avenue that has anchored Phoenix's midtown identity for decades, Pane Bianco operates as a daytime sandwich counter under the same hand that earned a 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur. Opinionated About Dining has ranked it among North America's top cheap eats three consecutive years. Arrive early, expect a line, and plan around the limited weekday evening hours.
Sandwiches
35
Aeschiried ob Spiez, Switzerland
Panorama
Panorama holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025, positioning it among the recognised traditional cuisine addresses in the Bernese Oberland. Situated in Aeschiried ob Spiez at mid-mountain elevation above Lake Thun, the restaurant offers a wine list with particular depth in Piedmont, California, Tuscany, and France, across a moderately priced two-course format served at lunch and dinner.
Traditional Cuisine
36
New York City, United States
Paulie Gee’s
Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint, Brooklyn has ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list three consecutive years, reaching as high as #104 in 2023. The wood-fired Neapolitan-style counter operates evenings through late night, with weekend hours extending to 2 am. Creative topping combinations and a community-driven room have made it a reference point in New York's artisan pizza conversation.
Pizzeria
37
Los Angeles, United States
Perilla L.A.
Perilla L.A. operates out of a converted garage in Chinatown, serving Korean banchan as the centerpiece of the meal rather than an accompaniment. Chef Jihee Kim's daily selection draws directly from farmers market produce, prepared through variations of freshness and fermentation. Ranked #19 on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2024 list, it is one of the few lunch spots in Los Angeles that rewards both a sit-down visit and a take-home haul.
38
New York City, United States
Popina
A Michelin Plate-recognised Italian in Red Hook, Popina sits at the intersection of classical Italian technique and the neighbourhood's low-key, ingredient-led dining culture. Chef Orel Kimchi draws on rigorous culinary training to produce cooking that reads as deceptively simple.
Italian
39
Crosthwaite, United Kingdom
Punch Bowl Inn
A 17th-century inn beside a Lyth Valley church, Punch Bowl Inn holds a 2025 Michelin Plate for modern British cooking built around regional produce. The beamed bar serves local ales and homemade pork scratchings; the dining room steps up to carefully constructed plates. Overnight guests have access to luxurious bedrooms, one fitted with twin baths. Priced at ££, it represents the sharper end of the Cumbrian gastropub tier.
Modern British
40
Kawasaki, Japan
Ramen Kan 2 Ya Kawasaki ten
Kawasaki’s ramen scene rewards speed, concentration, and repeat custom rather than ceremony. Ramen Kan 2 Ya Kawasaki ten belongs in that practical, high-turnover bracket: a 15-seat ramen shop near JR Kawasaki Station, selected for Tabelog Ramen KANAGAWA 100 in 2025, with the format and pricing of a serious everyday counter rather than a destination tasting room.
41
Morioka, Japan
Restaurant Chez mura bleu Lis
Restaurant Chez mura bleu Lis occupies an address in Morioka's Shinmeicho district, placing it within a city that has earned quiet national attention for the depth of its dining culture. The French-influenced name sits at an interesting angle to Tohoku's predominantly washoku identity, making it a point of curiosity for visitors working through the city's restaurant scene. Full details on cuisine style and booking are best confirmed directly with the venue.
42
Ryde, United Kingdom
RT Café Grill
Housed in a handsome period building overlooking the Solent, RT Café Grill brings the technical rigour of the Isle of Wight's leading fine dining figure to an accessible, all-day bistro format. The menu moves from prawn cocktail and salt-baked beetroot bruschetta to grilled lobster and tandoori lamb burgers, all executed with a precision that the ££ price point doesn't prepare you for. A 2025 Michelin Plate confirms the kitchen's standing.
Traditional British
43
Kyoto, Japan
RUFF
RUFF places Kyoto’s café-bakery culture in a contemporary register: bread, Western-style sweets, wine, and cocktails rather than the tea-room script visitors often expect. Its 2025 selection for Tabelog Cafe WEST “Tabelog 100” gives it a clear quality signal in a city where casual daytime addresses can be as competitive as formal counters.
44
Iwate, Japan
Ryuen
Ryuen places Oshu’s yakiniku culture in a rural northern register: beef, tripe and Korean cold noodles rather than city tasting-menu theatre. Its repeated Tabelog 100 Yakiniku EAST selections from 2018 through 2025 give it a concrete national signal, while the format remains grounded in a family-friendly, smoke-free room with counter, table and tatami seating.
45
Los Angeles, United States
Scopa Italian Roots
On Washington Boulevard in Venice, Scopa Italian Roots has built a reputation as one of Southern California's most consistently ranked Italian tables, placing #258 on Opinionated About Dining's 2025 North America list. Chef Antonia Lofaso leads a kitchen rooted in Italian-American tradition, with evening service running Tuesday through Sunday and Sunday brunch rounding out the week.
Italian
46
New York City, United States
Sempre Oggi
Unlike most Italian restaurants in New York that trade on intimacy and tight quarters, Sempre Oggi occupies a deliberately grand space on the Upper West Side, pairing a cavernous, gold-accented room with a menu that takes familiar Italian templates and sharpens them with precise sourcing. A wine list of 145 selections and 2,420 bottles deep, with Italian strengths, signals the kitchen's commitment to provenance over novelty.
Italian
47
Shanghai, China
Shanghai Club
Shanghai Club sits at the serious end of Jiangzhe dining in Jing'An, holding both a Michelin Plate and Black Pearl 1 Diamond recognition in 2025. The kitchen works within the restrained, technique-driven tradition of Jiangsu-Zhejiang cooking, making it a natural address for milestone meals that call for something beyond crowd-pleasing Shanghainese. Located on Yan'an Road West, it reads as considered rather than showy.
Jiangzhe
48
Osaka, Japan
Shimanouchi Fujimaru Jozosho
Shimanouchi Fujimaru Jozosho brings Osaka’s urban-winery idea into an Italian, wine-bar format, with fish-led cooking, sommelier service, counter seating, and recognition in Tabelog’s Italian WEST 100 for 2021, 2023, and 2025. It suits diners who want wine to set the tempo rather than sit beside the meal as an afterthought.
49
Macerata, Italy
Signore te ne ringrazi
In Macerata's historic centre, Signore te ne ringrazi holds a Michelin Plate for chef Michele Biagiola's cooking rooted in the rural traditions of the Marche. Foraged herbs from surrounding fields and mountains shape a menu that leans heavily vegetable-forward, with a split format: gourmet preparations at lunch, more relaxed and traditional plates in the evening. Priced at €€, it represents one of the more considered addresses in this undervisited hill town.
Cuisine from the Marches
50
San José, Costa Rica
Sikwa
Sikwa in San José's Los Yoses district operates as both restaurant and research center, dedicated to Costa Rica's Indigenous culinary heritage under chef Pablo Bonilla. The kitchen draws on ancestral techniques and locally sourced ingredients to document and reinterpret traditions that have been largely absent from the country's fine-dining conversation. For anyone serious about Costa Rican food culture, this is a reference point.
51
London, United Kingdom
Silva
The kitchen works a short, seasonal menu built around ingredient clarity, drawing on Mediterranean technique without fixing to any single tradition. Bruton Place's most versatile address, and one that reads equally well for a weekday lunch or an unhurried dinner.
Modern Cuisine
52
London, United Kingdom
Six Portland Road
A seasonal European bistro on a quiet residential street in Holland Park, Six Portland Road earns its place among London's most reliable neighbourhood restaurants through precise sourcing and a menu that shifts with available produce. The £££ pricing sits well below the district's more formal dining rooms, with a weekday prix-fixe and Sunday roast format that keeps regulars cycling back throughout the week.
European
53
Tokyo, Japan
SOMBREUIL TOKYO
Tokyo French dining has split between counter intimacy and formal dining-room ceremony; SOMBREUIL TOKYO belongs to the latter camp. Its Tabelog French TOKYO 100 selection for 2025, all-table format, sommelier service, and Iidabashi house-restaurant setting place it in the polished celebration-and-business tier rather than the casual neighborhood bracket.
54
Budapest, Hungary
Spago by Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Puck's Budapest outpost on Váci utca brings American-accented international cooking to the heart of the Inner City, earning a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025. A wine list exceeding 2,750 selections — with particular depth in France, California, and Italy — anchors a dining room that draws a loyal crowd back for its consistency and scale. For visitors cross-referencing Budapest's fine-dining tier, Spago sits at the €€€ mark with lunch and dinner service.
€€€ · International
55
Carmel-by-the-Sea, United States
Stationæry
A Michelin Plate-recognized American casual on San Carlos Street, Stationæry sits comfortably in Carmel-by-the-Sea's mid-tier dining bracket — less formal than the town's tasting-menu rooms, more considered than its deli counters. Opinionated About Dining listed it among the leading casual venues in North America in 2025, and a 4..
American
56
Osaka, Japan
Steak Iguchi
Steak Iguchi belongs to Osaka’s compact counter-steak tradition, where teppanyaki, Western technique and wagyu culture meet in rooms built for close attention rather than scale. Its Tabelog 100 Steak / Teppanyaki WEST selections in 2022, 2024 and 2025 place it in a serious local bracket for travellers weighing a small-format Kitashinchi dinner against flashier Osaka reservations.
57
Amman, Jordan
Sufra
On Rainbow Street, Amman's most culturally layered address, Sufra translates traditional Levantine hospitality into a structured dining format that earned it the #20 position in the World's 50 Best Restaurants MENA 2024 list. Under chef Hassan Mezal, the kitchen builds its menu around the architecture of a shared Jordanian table, where cold and hot mezze, grills, and slow-cooked dishes arrive in a sequence that mirrors how the region has always eaten.
58
Gorey, United Kingdom
Sumas
Poised within a whitewashed coastal house, Sumas distills the romance of harbour life into a poised, modern European dining experience. From the smart, heated terrace, sailboats drift across your gaze as plates celebrate Jersey’s rich bounty—day-boat seafood, market vegetables, and dairy of rare character—handled with a restrained, confident touch. The kitchen’s monthly changing lunch and midweek dinner menus deliver notable value without compromise, while the à la carte extends the pleasure with deeper exploration. Service is subtle and practiced, the mood unhurried, and the cadence of the meal guided by the rhythms of tide and twilight. Whether for a sunlit rendezvous or an evening of candlelit conversation, Sumas offers a discreet sanctuary where provenance, precision, and coastal elegance converge.
Modern Cuisine
59
Fukushima, Japan
Sumibi Yakitori Torio
A compact Shin-Fukushima yakitori address with counter seating, table space, and a course-led format built around charcoal-grilled chicken. Sumibi Yakitori Torio sits in Osaka’s higher-priced yakitori bracket, backed by Tabelog 100 Yakitori WEST selections in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with sake, shochu, and wine treated as part of the meal rather than an afterthought.
60
Sapporo, Japan
Sumire Sapporo susukino ten
Sumire Sapporo susukino ten sits in the city’s central ramen circuit, where late-night eating, counter seating, and miso ramen culture overlap. Its selection for Tabelog Ramen HOKKAIDO “Tabelog 100” in 2024 and 2025 places it within Hokkaido’s closely watched ramen tier, with a practical format that suits travelers who plan around timing rather than ceremony.
61
Ishikawa, Japan
Sushi Shinosuke
Ranked #379 in Japan by Opinionated About Dining in 2024 and climbing to #429 in 2025, Sushi Shinosuke operates from Kanazawa's Irie district under chef Kenji Maeda. The counter sits within a sushi scene shaped by Kanazawa's proximity to the Sea of Japan, where regional fish — not Tokyo's Tsukiji supply lines — define what appears on the rice. A serious option for anyone tracing Hokuriku sushi beyond the capital.
Sushi
62
Tokyo, Japan
Sushi Takahashi
Sushi Takahashi in Ginza has tracked a clear upward trajectory on Opinionated About Dining's Japan rankings, moving from Highly Recommended in 2023 to #336 in 2024 and #392 in 2025, placing it firmly within the tier of counters serious diners seek out.
Sushi
63
Tokyo, Japan
Sushi Tsu
Sushi Tsu in Nishiazabu sits in the mid-to-upper tier of Tokyo's omakase scene, earning consecutive Opinionated About Dining recognition from 2023 through 2025. Under chef Nobutoshi Takahashi, the counter operates with the focused discipline characteristic of Tokyo's serious edomae houses — making it a considered choice for occasion dining away from the city's most publicised addresses.
Sushi
64
Osaka, Japan
Taishu Shokudo Kawaramachi Blanc
Taishu Shokudo Kawaramachi Blanc reads Osaka yoshoku through a bistro-and-baru lens, a useful counterpoint to the city’s louder comfort-food clichés. Its 2025 Tabelog 100 selection for Yoshoku in western Japan, sommelier service, and wine-forward positioning place it in a sharper dining tier than the phrase taishu shokudo might suggest.
65
Sapporo, Japan
Takuzushi
Takuzushi occupies the sixth floor of 2GDINING Sapporo in Chuo Ward, where chef Masaya Miyashita runs an evening-only omakase counter drawing consistent recognition from Opinionated About Dining — ranked among Japan's top 350 sushi counters in 2024 and 2025.
Sushi
66
Tokyo, Japan
Tapas Molecular Bar
At the molecular counter inside Tokyo's Nihonbashi, Tapas Molecular Bar occupies a niche that few restaurants anywhere attempt: high-precision, inventive cuisine delivered in an intimate, theatre-forward format. Recognised by Opinionated About Dining in both 2024 and 2025, it draws a serious dining audience to one of central Tokyo's quieter yet historically dense neighbourhoods. Reservations and an evening window of 6–10:30 pm apply Wednesday through Sunday.
Inventive
67
Tokyo, Japan
Tempura Aratamikawa
In Toranomon's Nishishinbashi district, Tempura Aratamikawa operates from a second-floor room dressed in Taisho Romanticist interior detail, its aesthetic as considered as its technique. The kitchen draws on lineage from a leading tempura practitioner, producing Edomae standards — shrimp, sillago, conger eel — that read closer to grilled than fried. A 2025 Michelin Plate recognises the precision behind that distinction.
Tempura
68
Tokyo, Japan
Teuchi Soba Kikutani Sugamo honten
Sugamo’s soba culture rewards restraint: buckwheat provenance, milling, blending, and texture matter more than ceremony. Teuchi Soba Kikutani Sugamo honten belongs in that serious neighbourhood register, with Tabelog 100 Soba EAST recognition in 2025 and a compact 24-seat house-restaurant format that keeps attention on handmade noodles rather than spectacle.
69
Rattlesden, United Kingdom
The Brewers
A Michelin Plate-recognised village inn in Rattlesden, Suffolk, The Brewers pairs a genuinely pubby atmosphere — dogs by the fire, regulars at the bar — with a produce-led menu that shifts with the seasons.
Modern Cuisine
70
Maidenhead, United Kingdom
The Crown at Burchetts Green
A Michelin Plate-recognised pub in the Berkshire village of Burchetts Green, The Crown serves seasonal Modern British cooking that reads as honest and grounded rather than fashionable. The fixed-price village menu offers strong value against the broader Thames Valley pub dining scene. A 4., ingredient-led destination within reach of Maidenhead.
Modern British
71
South Newington, United Kingdom
The Duck on the Pond
A 16th-century roadside inn in the Oxfordshire village of South Newington, The Duck on the Pond holds a 2025 Michelin Plate for cooking that draws directly from the owners' smallholding and named local producers. The kitchen keeps things honest: bright, ingredient-led dishes without unnecessary complexity, at a price point that sits comfortably within the ££ bracket.
Traditional British
72
Glasgow, United Kingdom
The Gannet
A Michelin Plate-recognised stalwart of Finnieston's dining scene, The Gannet has built its reputation on seasonally driven Modern British cooking, Scottish regional sourcing, and a commitment to zero waste. The à la carte and fixed-price lunch formats sit inside a modish, informal room on Argyle Street. Note that the restaurant is closing permanently at the end of service on 31 December 2025.
Modern British
73
London, United Kingdom
The Golden Ball
A cream-washed former pub in the rural Oxfordshire village of Lower Assendon, The Golden Ball holds a Michelin Plate (2025) for modern British cooking that draws on Indian culinary heritage — think cod with potato chaat, spiced cauliflower, and tamarind sauce. Local sourcing anchors the menu, with chicken and beef from the surrounding area, delivered with warmth and confidence in an unhurried village setting.
Modern British
74
Chicago, United States
The Greggory
A wood-fired American restaurant in South Barrington, The Greggory anchors its menu around prime beef cuts, fresh seafood, and homemade pastas prepared in an open kitchen. Positioned at the refined end of Chicago's northwestern suburbs, it draws occasion diners looking for a serious meal outside the city loop. The open-kitchen format and hospitality-forward approach make it a practical choice for milestone gatherings in the region.
75
Vancouver, Canada
The Lobby Lounge & RawBar
A Michelin Plate-recognised Japanese and European raw bar set inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim's lobby at Canada Place, The Lobby Lounge & RawBar pairs an architecturally considered waterfront room with a wine program spanning 1,520 selections and 2,150 bottles in inventory. Two-course meals price at the $40–$65 tier, with Champagne and Italian labels among the cellar's noted strengths.
Japanese
76
Guangzhou, China
The Penthouse
A Michelin Plate and Black Pearl 1 Diamond recipient for 2025, The Penthouse occupies a mid-tier Cantonese position in Guangzhou's Yuexiu District, where Cantonese technique meets considered presentation. Priced at ¥¥¥, it competes directly with peers like Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in a city that sets the standard for the cuisine nationally.
Cantonese
77
North Marston, United Kingdom
The Pilgrim
A Michelin Plate-recognised community pub in Buckinghamshire's Vale of Aylesbury, The Pilgrim pairs heavy timber interiors and a wood-burning stove with modern sharing plates built around produce from its own kitchen garden.
Modern Cuisine
78
Belgrade, Serbia
The Square
Housed in the Square Nine Hotel steps from Knez Mihailova, The Square pairs Contemporary French technique with modern Serbian sensibility under Michelin Plate recognition. Chef Clément Leroy's à la carte menu sits at the mid-range price point for Belgrade's hotel dining tier, while the wine list and lobby cocktail programme rank among the capital's more serious offerings. The garden piazzetta makes it a reliable year-round address.
Contemporary French, Modern Cuisine
79
Tokyo, Japan
Toranomon Yakitori Kuniyoshi
Toranomon Yakitori Kuniyoshi sits in Tokyo’s polished office-belt yakitori tier, where counter cooking, wine service, and private-room discretion pull the genre away from casual after-work skewers. Its Tabelog Yakitori EAST 100 selections in 2024 and 2025 place it among the city’s closely watched chicken specialists, with a price band that aligns it with serious dinner-only yakitori rather than neighborhood drinking food.
80
Saitama, Japan
Toyo Zushi
Toyo Zushi places Omiya’s sushi culture in a serious regional register, with Tabelog Sushi EAST 100 selections in 2021 and 2025 and a 3.76 score. The appeal is not Tokyo-style theater but a Saitama counter-and-room format where sushi, seafood, nabe, sake, shochu, and wine sit inside a broader local dining rhythm.