Gault et Millau 2025" will go on sale on March 18! Introducing 563 restaurants and eateries in Japan that you should visit now!

The restaurant guide "Gault et Millau" was launched in Paris, France in 1972. Currently published in 17 countries around the world, Gault et Millau is more than just a restaurant guide; it delves into the culinary culture of each country and communicates the "now" of food by focusing on the regional characteristics (terroir) of the land. Our comprehensive evaluation approach, which focuses not only on restaurants and chefs but also on food producers, has earned us a high degree of trust as a medium. In particular, the magazine focuses on "discovering new talent" and has earned a reputation for its foresight in identifying up-and-coming chefs.

First published in Japan in 2017, the Gault et Millau has been discovering outstanding restaurants and new talent by focusing on the professionals behind the restaurant scene, evaluating them from "reservation to send-off" based on the universal criteria set forth by the Gault et Millau. The 2025 edition, the third in the series, introduces 563 "must-visit" restaurants and eateries from 47 prefectures in Japan.

At the awards ceremony held on March 17, 10 awards were presented to 14 groups of chefs, sommeliers, patissiers, producers, and other promising chefs and restaurateurs, including the "Chef of the Year" award, which has garnered much attention each year.

Chef of the Year Award】 Mr. Takahashi Takahashi, Aozora (Tokyo / Aozora / Sushi)
This award is presented to the chef who demonstrates the most innovative, complete, and high-impact cuisine by demonstrating his or her talents in every aspect of the kitchen.

Mr. Takahashi was born in 1973. At the age of 21, he moved to Sukiyabashi Jiro in Ginza, where he studied under Jiro Ono for 12 years. He is highly regarded as one of the best sushi chefs of our time for his crisp, acidic sushi rice with the finest sushi ingredients and the exquisite saltiness of his nigiri. He has also made a great contribution to the development of the sushi world in Japan through his efforts to train younger generations of sushi chefs.

I do not receive this award alone. I would like to accept this award on behalf of all the people who work hard at the restaurant, including the employees who work hard on a daily basis, the middlemen at the market who always look out for the best fish, as well as the producers and fishermen.

Grand Chef of Tomorrow Award
Mr. Keita Kitamura (Tokyo/Apotheose/French Cuisine)
Mr. No Mutsu Sugiyama (Japanese Cuisine, Onishi, Shizuoka)
Mr. Keisuke Yagi, Mr. Tatsuro Ume, Mr. Yusuke Kitagawa (Ishikawa/Respiration/Spanish Cuisine)

This award is given to a chef who has established his own culinary world on the basis of solid basic skills and is expected to lead the Japanese culinary world as an outstanding talent.

Mr. Kitamura was born in 1980 in Shiga Prefecture. After graduating from culinary school, he studied under Yoshihiro Narisawa at La Napole and Les Création de Narisawa. He moved to France in 2008 and became chef at ERH in 2017. After returning to Japan after a 15-year stay in France, he opened Apotheose in 2023. He has high expectations as one of the leading chefs in the culinary world, bringing out the true flavors of ingredients nurtured by reliable producers in Japan's natural environment.

I can only express my gratitude to all the staff who are working hard with the same spirit, to all the producers who always deliver wonderful ingredients, and to all the people involved in "Apotheose". I would like to continue my efforts to convey to as many people as possible the richness and splendor of Japan that I have felt through my experience in France.

Mr. Sugiyama was born in 1984 in Shizuoka Prefecture. After graduating from high school, he studied chakaiseki at the famous restaurant "Wako" in Mejiro, Tokyo, where his father trained. 24 years old, he joined the kitchen of his parents' restaurant "Onishi" in Yaizu City and took over the restaurant, exploring chakaiseki cuisine that makes the most of fish from Suruga Bay. He has also been teaching younger chefs and contributing to the promotion of local culture through the tea ceremony in Shizuoka, the tea capital of Japan.

When no one recognized me at the beginning, Naoki Maeda of Sasue Maeda Fish Restaurant and Gosei Shimura of Seisei reached out to me," he said. I would also like to thank the staff who could not be here today but have supported the restaurant for a long time. The hope that Mr. Maeda lit for us will be passed on to the next generation."

Born in 1979 and 1980, Yagi, Ume, and Kitagawa met at the age of six and reunited after various experiences, including studies in Spain and training in Japanese and Italian cuisine. As owner-chefs, the three have developed modern Spanish cuisine utilizing local ingredients in a 150-year-old townhouse in Kanazawa. They have created a unique culinary world that only Kanazawa and only the three of them can create.

The three of us have been working together for 40 years since we were in the first grade of elementary school, and I am very proud that we have established a company, opened a restaurant, and received this award. I am very proud to have received this award, and I would like to thank all of my staff, producers, and suppliers for their support. I will continue to devote myself to this award.

The Young Chef of the Year Award】 Tomoyuki Fujioka (Tokyo, Japan)
Tomoyuki Fujioka (Primo Paso, Tokyo, Italian Cuisine)
Mr. Hugo Pere-Galix (Kiibu, Tokyo, French Cuisine)
This award is presented to up-and-coming chefs whose talent, passion, and skill show great promise for the future.

Mr. Fujioka was born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1992. After graduating from Tsuji Culinary Institute, he worked at "ASO" and other restaurants before moving to Italy, where he stayed for four years. He worked as a pasta chef at "Quattro Passi," a famous restaurant in southern Italy. While studying Italian regional cuisine, he reconsidered what he, as a Japanese, should cook, and opened "Primo Passo" in May 2023 after returning to Japan. 5 types of pasta and other Italian dishes with a Japanese taste have been highly acclaimed.

We will continue to devote ourselves to providing food, service, and space that will please our customers as always. We are still in our infancy. There are many things I have yet to master, but I would like to ask for your continued guidance.

Mr. Pere-Galix was born in 1990 in Drome, France and trained at Thierry Marx's restaurant, etc. He came to Japan in 2015 and trained for 2 years at Yoshihiro Murata's "Kikunoi Honten", In May 2024, he opened his own restaurant and has made a great impact on the Japanese culinary world with his cuisine that combines the knife handling and delicate seasoning he learned in Japanese cuisine with his unique French sensibility.

It has been 10 years since I came to Japan, but I still want to do my best in Japan. It has been less than a year since the opening of Ki Bun, but I am very happy with the support I have received from everyone.