As of the 2025 Michelin Guide, there are 172 restaurants in Kyoto and Osaka with a Michelin star rating.
The Michelin Guides have been published by the French tire company Michelin since 1900. They were designed as a guide to tell drivers about eateries they recommended to visit and to subtly sponsor their tires, by encouraging drivers to use their cars more and therefore need to replace the tires as they wore out. Over time, the stars that were given out started to become more valuable.
The Michelin Guide first entered the Japanese market with a list covering Tokyo, debuting in November 2007. Michelin would expand its coverage in Japan by issuing standalone guides for other regions in the country, including starting to review restaurants in Kyoto and Osaka beginning in 2010. Initially, the list covered additional cities in the Kansai Region, being titled Michelin Guide Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Nara. In 2022, Nara spun off into its own standalone guide, while Michelin suspended reviewing restaurants in the city of Kobe as of 2016. Other regions outside of Kansai have also occasionally been paired with the list before removal, such as Tottori Prefecture in 2019 and Okayama Prefecture in 2021, with both being suspended after one year.
Multiple anonymous Michelin inspectors visit the restaurants several times. They rate the restaurants on five criteria: "quality of products", "mastery of flavor and cooking techniques", "the personality of the chef represented in the dining experience", "value for money", and "consistency between inspectors' visits". Inspectors have at least ten years of expertise and create a list of popular restaurants supported by media reports, reviews, and diner popularity. If they reach a consensus, Michelin awards restaurants from one to three stars based on its evaluation methodology: One star means "high-quality cooking, worth a stop", two stars signify "excellent cooking, worth a detour", and three stars denote "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey". The stars are not permanent and restaurants are constantly being re-evaluated. If the criteria are not met, the restaurant will lose its stars.