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Destination Restaurants 2021 | Destination Restaurants

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DESTINATION RESTAURANTS

  1. Elezo Esprit
    The Destination Restaurant of the year 2024
  2. Ventinove
  3. Ca’enne
  4. Chisou Nishi Kenichi
  5. Shintaku
  6. Ebitei-Bekkan
  7. Ipponsugi Kawashima
  8. Shibousai Kitagawa
  9. Enowa
  10. Mauvaise herbe
  1. Casa del cibo
  2. Restaurant Pas Mal
  3. Hagi
    The Destination Restaurant of the year 2023
  4. Otowa Restaurant
  5. Terroir Aitoibukuro
  6. Restaurant Naz
  7. Tokiwasushi
  8. Oryouri Fujii
  9. Tsukumo
  10. 6six

The restaurant scene in Japan has entered a new era, with diners
seeking unique experiences and cuisine that cannot be found elsewhere.
At the forefront of this trend are restaurateurs linked closely to
the sources of their ingredients, turning the natural blessings of
their surroundings into innovative, delectable fare.
Each year, the members of our expert panel recommend 10 establishments,
with the aim of introducing readers to authentic cuisine prepared with
great care and imagination.
The Japan Times Destination Restaurant of the Year 2021 is
Cuisine regionale L’evo.

About “Destination Restaurants”

Regional dining redefined at newly opened gastronomic auberge in the Toyama mountains

Cuisine regionale L’evo
The Destination Restaurant of the year 2021

If you are among those who believe that anticipation is half the enjoyment, then you will love the journey to L’evo. Chef Eiji Taniguchi’s remarkable new restaurant lies high in the mountains, a two-hour-plus drive from the city of Toyama through forests, past lakes and up narrow winding roads.

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  • Michelin-starred modern French cuisine deep in the mountains of Hokkaido

    Chimikepp Hotel

    Surrounded by thick forest, Chimikepp Hotel lies deep in the mountains of eastern Hokkaido overlooking the unspoiled waters of Lake Chimikeppu.

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  • Edo-style dining in Akita on the Sea of Japan coast

    Nihonryori Takamura

    Hidden away in the residential backstreets of Akita, Nihonryori Takamura sets itself well apart from the brash dining and drinking establishments in the center of the city.

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  • Reinvigorating rustic traditions with finesse and flair

    Tonoya-Yo

    Tonoya-Yo, chef Yotaro Sasaki’s atmospheric inn and restaurant in the rural heartland of Iwate Prefecture, is unlike any other in Japan.

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  • Creative, sophisticated, local: Regional bounty on the plate

    Restaurant Uozen

    When chef Kazuhiro Inoue and his wife, Mariko, decided that they’d had enough of running a restaurant in metropolitan Tokyo, they decamped to rural Niigata.

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  • Hyperseasonal regional cuisine for the ultimate in destination dining

    Kataori

    When it comes to depth of flavor and intense regional focus, there are few dining destinations that can rival Kataori.

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  • Master sushi chef sets rigorous standards all his own

    Mekumi

    Thanks to its proximity to the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa is famous for its fresh seafood.

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  • Kaiseki cuisine with confidence from the mountain and river

    Nihonryori Yukimoto

    When Takayuki Hagiwara opened his new restaurant right across the road from where his father made his name as a chef, he was determined to stick with tradition.

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  • A young chef makes waves with his creative hometown cuisine

    Pesceco

    Perched on the waterfront of the Shimabara Peninsula, looking out across the placid waters of the Ariake Sea toward the coast of the Kyushu mainland, Pesceco boasts a view that is little short of idyllic.

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  • Innovative, modern Okinawan cuisine rooted in local foods and flavors

    Etat d'esprit

    Dinner at Restaurant Etat d’esprit opens not in chef Yasuhiro Tomari’s sleek, discreetly lit dining room but rather in guests’ private villas.

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CHECK THE LOCATION

Why regional restaurants topped Destination list

At Pocket Concierge, we provide access to top restaurants in Japan from exclusive reservations, foodie favorites, to undiscovered gems. Users have access to curated selections, and the pre-payment process allows for an optimal dining experience. With Pocket Concierge, you can be sure to find your next favorite spot and feel like an insider in the world of dining.
Discover, book, and pay all in one place.

Left: Kei Tokado, Right: Yoshiki Tsuji

Destination Restaurants 2021 is a list of the best restaurants in Japan, published by The Japan Times in April 2021. To commemorate the announcement, a special talk session on the charm of Japanese food culture was held at The Japan Times' headquarters in December. The speakers were Yoshiki Tsuji, principal of the Tsuji Culinary Institute and a member of the Destination Restaurants selection committee, and Kei Tokado, representative director of Pocket Concierge, one of American Express’ dining businesses and a sponsor of the Destination Restaurants list. The facilitator was the chair of The Japan Times, Minako Suematsu.

Left: Kei Tokado, Right: Yoshiki Tsuji

Over the years, the Japanese have cultivated distinctive and rich food cultures suited to their particular local climates. They have also actively incorporated dishes from overseas and developed them into original dishes through the use of local ingredients and cooking methods. And yet, when it came to evaluating Japan’s foods and restaurants, there was always a tendency for foreign criteria to be applied. The new list was born from a desire to demonstrate to the world how the Japanese evaluate and appraise their own food.

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  • Yoshiki Tsuji

    Tsuji Group representative. Chair of ?校法人?料理?館 and school headmaster of Tsuji Culinary Institute. Director of the All Japan Food Association. Selection committee member for Destination Restaurants.

  • Kei Tokado

    CEO of Pocket Concierge, which was founded in 2011 and joined the American Express Group in January 2019. Pocket Concierge is a restaurant reservation service for carefully selected restaurants, offering services such as vacant seat notifications for hard-to-book restaurants and waiting lists for restaurants that are usually open only to regular customers.

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