Michelin Guide Nara 2026: 78 Restaurants Honored, Hoshino Earns Its First Star
The Michelin Guide unveils its 2026 edition for Nara Prefecture in Japan on Wednesday, recognizing 78 restaurants. This new selection highlights local cuisine while welcoming new establishments into its various categories of recognition.
A First Star for Hoshino, Four Restaurants Maintain Their Double Distinction
Hoshino, located in Nara and led by Chef Keisuke Hoshino from Osaka, secures its first Michelin Star. Situated in a renovated traditional townhouse, the restaurant offers cuisine centered around charcoal-grilled Uda Wagyu beef, enhanced with seasonal touches such as Japanese pepper in spring and matsutake mushrooms in autumn.
Four restaurants retain their two Michelin Stars for the fifth consecutive year: Akordu (innovative cuisine), Oryori Hanagaki (Japanese cuisine), Tsukumo (Japanese cuisine), and Nara Nikon (Japanese cuisine). Seven new establishments join the main selection of the guide, offering culinary worlds ranging from contemporary cuisine to sushi, yakitoris, and French and Italian specialties.
Green Stars and Bib Gourmand: Expanding the Selection
Seven restaurants keep the Green Star, awarded for quality cuisine from sustainable practices. This distinction includes three establishments with one Michelin Star (Da terra, SÉN, Naramachi Kuko) and four addresses recommended by the guide.
Eleven new restaurants enter the Bib Gourmand category, established in 1997 to honor establishments offering high-quality cuisine at accessible prices. Culinary diversity characterizes this addition: Indian cuisine, eel, kushikatsu, sobas, pizza, French cuisine, and yakitoris. Several of these addresses are located in Nara, while others are found in Ikagura, Ikoma, Uda, Kashiba, and Kashihara.
Seven additional restaurants are also recommended by the Michelin Guide, including Italian, sushi, and French cuisine venues that showcase local products and ingredients from the region.
