Hienadz Vardanyan 
Tokyo has a reputation for having the best sushi restaurants in the world. But how do you choose where to go when there are thousands of sushi restaurants to choose from?
Well, many people like to let the food critics at Michelin guide their dining experience. These critics have awarded a total of 28 sushi restaurants across Tokyo with at least 1 Michelin star.
There are a lot of Michelin star restaurants in Tokyo worth the money – let us narrow your choice down for you.
Today, we are going to be looking at the best one Michelin star restaurants in Tokyo for sushi.
Sushi Murayama(鮨 むらやま)
If you want to try out sushi in Tokyo, but don’t want to have the intense experience of sitting at a sushi bar, then you should visit Sushi Murayama.
This is one of the most interesting one Michelin star restaurants in Tokyo for sushi.
If you recognize the name Murayama, then you know your sushi. Sushi Murayama of Tokyo is the second restaurant to be worked by Chef Mr. Murayama.
He got his start in sushi at the three-star restaurant Sushi Yoshitake.
Having apprenticed at Yoshitake, there are some elements of this restaurant at Sushi Murayama. But, it is in no way a carbon copy – and has a lot of uniqueness to offer.
If you can, we do recommend you visit both places while you are in Tokyo. Both serve Edomae sushi.
The Omakase course is perhaps the most interesting thing that Chef Murayama has to offer. It is something you must order during your visit.
What really sets Sushi Murayama apart from other fancy and well-reviewed restaurants is its atmosphere.
If you were to go to another Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo, you might feel a lot of pressure to order the right thing and to pretend to know what you are talking about.
You might even receive some snooty service. It is likely that you will end up feeling like you don’t belong there.
You will never be made to feel like this in Sushi Murayama.
They have possibly the nicest staff in the whole of Tokyo. They will make you feel like a treasured friend, even though they are considered one of the best 20 sushi restaurants in the city.
Store Information
- Tel: +813-6263-8295
- Business Hours: 18:00〜、20:30〜
- Regular Holiday: Sunday and national holiday
- Access: 5 minutes walk from Ginza station
- Address: 5F, 7-6-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Sushi Shin(鮨 真)
There are many one Michelin star restaurants in Tokyo, but Sushi Shin serves some of the best sushi in Tokyo.
Sushi Shin Tokyo is one of two Shin restaurants in Japan. They were both founded by Shintaro Suzuki, a self-taught sushi chef.
This restaurant has clearly been designed to look as traditional as possible, which might lead you to believe that you are going to be served traditional Edomae sushi. However, this isn’t the case.
Shintaro Suzuki is a young sushi chef that experiments with the form and serves up one of the most exciting menus in Tokyo.
Like most sushi restaurants, Sushi Shin works seasonally and the menu can change depending on what is coming into the city’s fish markets.
Chefs at Sushi Shin cook on the griddle in front of customers and make everything to order. This can be an intense experience but it is the best way to gain an understanding of sushi as an art form.
You should eat in at least one restaurant like this while in Tokyo.
The chef is known to add chopped kinome to kobashira and ume-flavored soy sauce to sardines. Some of his dishes could almost seem traditional, while others veer drastically from the path.
You never know what you are going to get with Sushi Shin.
This is a big part of what makes this restaurant so exciting and why it is worth making the time to visit.
Store Information
- Tel: +813-5485-0031
- Business Hours:
- [Tuesday / Thursday] 18: 00-23: 00 (last entry 21:30)
- [Wednesday / Friday] 12: 00-14: 00
- [Saturday / Sunday] 12: 00-14: 30, 18: 00-23: 00 (last entry 21:30)
- Regular Holiday: Monday
- Access: 15 minutes walk from Hiroo Station
- Address: Nishi-Azabu CO-HOUSE 1F, 4-18-20 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Nishiazabu Taku(西麻布 拓)
Our final one Michelin star restaurant in Tokyo for sushi is Nishiazabu Taku.
What is Nishiabu Taku most famous for? Sushi and champagne! But the restaurant has so much more than bubbly to offer.
This is one of the most traditional restaurants on Michelin’s sushi list.
You are served nigiri and sashimi alternatively as the meal goes on and not much else. This is the traditional Edomae way to serve sushi.
Each fish is served with a slightly different form of sushi rice, that is seasoned to bring out the unique flavors of the fish.
This is done in such a gentle way, that you might not notice this until the chef points it out to you.
If you are looking for a traditional sushi experience and to understand more about the fish that is central to the cuisine – make time to visit Nishiazabu.
The inside of the restaurant is almost as traditional as the menu. Guests are sat around a sushi bar complete with griddle.
They can choose from a very wide selection of drinks while they watch the chef make their food.
Each piece of sushi is served with a minimalist but perfectly selected collection of side dishes. One side dish may consist of seaweed, one might just be shaved ginger. It depends on the dish.
What really sets Nishiazabu apart from other sushi restaurants in Tokyo is the wide range of drinks that it serves – champagne is one of the most popular drinks on its menu. This restaurant also stays open until 1 am.
These late open hours give this restaurant a different atmosphere from many other sushi bars in the area.
Store Information
- Tel: +813-5774-4372
- Business Hours: 6 PM- 1 AM
- Regular Holiday: Sunday and national holiday
- Access: 5 minutes walk from Nogizaka Station
- Address: Kapalua Nishi-Azabu 1F, 2-11-5 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
