The best "Japanese Cuisine"-Restaurants

Sweden’s only three-star restaurant, awarded 100 points by Falstaff. An intimate fine-dining experience, refining Swedish traditions through global influences and exceptional precision.

Christian Bau has not only set the tone with his cuisine, but also new standards. The basis is French cuisine, which Bau perfectly complements with the flavors of the Asian world.

The restaurant name means "What's worth getting up for in the morning" - and this definitely includes the menus by head chef Christoph Rainer with components such as Hiramasa Kingfish or Yasai Curry.

The name stands for the lake, the water around the estate. The fact that you can eat very good Japanese food here is thanks to sushi masters, but also to the creativity of the owners. Far Eastern, delicious and good.

Ever since Joji Hattori, a violinist, conductor, and gourmet of Japanese descent, opened his “Shiki” in 2015, the restaurant has offered two concepts: brasserie-style cuisine with a sushi bar in the front and fine dining with a set menu in the quiet back rooms. The restaurant was once awarded a Michelin star, which it later lost. Perhaps this was partly because—as Hattori put it—“European food crept in too often.” In addition, due to bureaucratic red tape, Hattori was never allowed to hire a chef from Japan. Following the departure of longtime co-head chef Alois Traint, the time had come to revamp the main restaurant—the excellent “Shiki Omakase” was added in late 2025. Together with Executive Chef Gerhard Bernhauer, Hattori developed a new, much “more Japanese” menu and did away with the old zoning system—everything is available everywhere. Some of the innovations: Tuna toro sashimi—top quality—with summer truffles in a tsukuri soy emulsion, or, for vegetarians, a truly harmonious carpaccio of zucchini and kohlrabi with akazu vinegar, soy, dashi, and soybean oil. The main courses take a purely minimalist approach, focusing on the pure flavors: Sea bream fillet steamed with sake, served with homemade ponzu sauce and daikon radish; or French free-range chicken marinated in miso for 24 hours, grilled, and served with Saikyo miso sauce. The most original new creation: Since—pardon the expression—the extremely expensive Wagyu beef used for steaks always leaves offcuts, the chefs invented highly aromatic panko-fried balls made from a ground mixture of Japanese and Australian Wagyu, with jalapeño and teriyaki cream. We must also mention Mr. René’s expertise in wine.

The third Shiki line alongside Brasserie and Fine Dining. Behind the sakethek (fantastic sake selection!), eight guests are seated around the kitchen. A multi-course omakase menu is served, including ingenious nigiri.

Hoze is an intimate omakase sushi counter where Nordic seafood meets Japanese precision, served seat by seat in a calm, minimalist setting. With no alcohol on offer, the focus remains firmly on flavor.

Craftsmanship in the best sense of the word: guests can watch as Benjamin Peifer cooks for them. Many small and medium-sized courses characterize his menu. Much of it is homemade, including the ham and soy sauce.

Guided by Sayan Isaksson, Nour delivers a highly refined dining experience in which meticulous technique meets Japanese influence, shaping dishes defined by precision, balance and aesthetic clarity.

Within the restored, 100-year-old Customs House in Nordhavn, Mads Battefeld’s intimate 14-seat sushi counter delivers a tasting menu of sublime Edomae-style sushi, crafted with sustainably sourced Nordic seafood.

Sushi Sho is led by Carl Ishizaki and his team, serving sushi and small dishes marked by precision and restraint, using Nordic fish and seafood, counter-style, with a notably strong selection of sake.

1 room, 5 tables, 23 courses - and Bernhard Zimmerl at the center of the action. Cooked live, staged course by course. An intense, personal dining experience that pushes culinary boundaries.

Tsutomu Kugota is a sushi master and one of the best chefs for omakase cuisine in Switzerland. His creations enrich the gastronomic tradition of Japan with surprising combinations that will remain unforgettable after a visit. The sake selection is superb.

The intimacy of the location - only eight guests can be accommodated here - and the craftsmanship of sushi master Atsushi Hiraoka make a visit to the Omakase suite an exclusive experience. Omakase is based on the chef's intuition and dialogue with the guests.

Gourmets with a good memory remember the 1990s, when people made a pilgrimage to Mondsee - to "La Farandole" or to the legend Karl E. Eschlböck. Most recently, talented chefs regularly worked at the "Iris Porsche" Hotel, which also closed in January. And now this - a high-class Japanese restaurant was probably the last thing you would have expected in this community of 4000 people. German Jürgen van der Smissen, who runs a medical products company in Wals and lives in Mondsee, and his managing director have invested in converting a pizzeria into an extremely chic double restaurant - on the left is "Izakaya", or Japanese pub cuisine with maki, tempura and the like. And at the Chef's Table, you can watch chef Kentaro Fujita from Kyūshū finalize the "Omakase" menu. Whereby - omakase in the strict sense does not exist at first. Fujita does not decide spontaneously, the courses are fixed on the menu. The products are of exceptional quality: hamachi and scallops come from the Japanese gourmet hub in Düsseldorf, bluefin from top Spanish breeder Belfegó. Sashimi is artfully arranged as "otsukuri", the master coats nigiri with a hint of mild soy sauce and advises against further moistening. The main courses are more Western-style dishes: eagle fish or, as an upgrade, black cod are served on cauliflower puree with deep-fried eggplant, carrot and salsify chips. The wine list is well stocked in all categories right from the start, including nine types of sake. And the operators are also opening the aforementioned "Iris Porsche" hotel and Mediterranean restaurant in May.

Soyokaze offers an intimate omakase for a small number of guests, where classic sushi and sashimi meet creative, seafood-led courses, paired with expertly chosen sake and clear craftsmanship.

An acclaimed 16-seat gem, where an osusume tasting menu blends Japanese technique with Nordic produce. Take a seat at the counter, watch each dish unfold and savour excellent sake pairings.

Koyo Omakase presents Japanese food culture in an authentic way. Head chef Hokari Kazuto offers personal hospitality, treating raw ingredients with deep respect and meticulous attention to detail.

Nordic Sushi Cup champion Sergey Pak opened this ten-seat counter in 2024. The 14- and 20-course omakase menus pair Norwegian ingredients with Japanese technique—expect reindeer sashimi!

After training under Roger A. Joya, chef Airis Zapašnikas now leads this ten-seat counter through a three-hour omakase experience. Nordic seafood meets Edomae technique, as well as sake and wine pairings.