Tokyo’s three Michelin-starred ramen restaurants all lost their stars in the 2024 guide

29 comments

1. People care too much about Michelin stars.

2. Well *why* did they lose their stars?

3. I never understood something… Does the Michelin guide ACTUALLY re-test every single restaurants in their guide every single years?

   I have a doubt.

4. I never cared to eat at the Michelin places. There are many equally good ramen shops out there.

5. I went to one last year. It wasn’t in my top 5 or even top 10 ramens I’ve eaten.

6. Maybe this is snobby, but I don’t think junk food should be given Michelin stars lol.

   30 people waiting outside for a 1 hour wait for noodles in soup that costs 2,000¥ or more. Ridiculous.

7. Nothing of value was lost

8. I was in Japan in 2023 and 2017.

   Idk if it was just me but I remember the higher end ramen I had being WAY better in 2017.
   I had multiple bowls that blew me away.

   In 2023, I “only” had 3 in Tokyo I think, one being ex Michelin, another Michelin guide (I just happened to walk past them both) and nothing blew me away at all.

9. [removed]

10. Michelin can be pretty overrated though. For one thing, receiving a Michelin rating can greatly inflate the prices of a restaurant. For another thing, more and more chefs in Europe nowadays are voluntarily handing in their Michelin stars because they feel that it attracts a crowd that they do not feel any connection with, or puts them into too much pressure to deliver food that is not close to their heart. Michelin usually cares a lot about innovation, experience and looks, and sometimes seems less interested in the actual taste of the food.

11. A tire company’s ad campaign turning into a food industry standard will never not be funny to me.

12. Fukuoka-Shi has better ramen anyway

13. Alexander The Guest in his latest video at Sugita, currently the best sushi restaurant in the world, said that the majority of the guest coming to high-end japanese restaurants are regulars who would book their tables throughout the year, and getting a reservation typically requires you to be acquainted with those guests. Basically, it’s not that these restaurants lost their stars due to worsened dining or food quality, but rather because Michelin inspectors couldn’t reliably book a reservation to go there in the first place. This is not verified info ofc, so if there’s anyone more knowledgable on this, please comment or correct me down below

14. went to a bib gourmand Indian restaurant… bruh I can name 50 restaurants in my tier 2 city that can match it’s taste and atleast 10 restaurants match in presentation at half the cost… Michelin Star is overrated

15. Good. Maybe I’ll be able to get a seat then

16. I wonder, does having at least one vegetarian option take any part in the decision? If so Japan would fail every single time

17. I much rather prefer the grimey ramen restaurants that serve a base price of 700Y

18. Well, when I want ramen, takoyaki or okonomoyaki, I want that “small place with a 60 yo chief on his old-fashioned decorated place” that has this street food / market atmosphere.

    I’d consider looking at Michelin for a sushi or wagyu place.

19. Gatekeeping for the sheeples

20. I prefer a backstreet ramen shop than an overpriced fancy restaurant.

21. in honor of the late japanese chef, the japanese chef named nagasaki.

22. Michelin is a decent but extremely overrated guide. I’ve been to a Michelin star restaurant and while it was one of the best meals I’ve had, I’ve also had many fantastic experiences at no-star restaurants. People treat the guide as gospel, instead of a guide.

    Marco Pierre White was right. The chefs are being judged by those that have less knowledge than them.

    Not only that, but it always feels off for a restaurant to get the stars, not the chefs/staff that earned it. So if the restaurant has a staff change, it’s still a x star restaurant.

    Then there’s bib gourmand, which is even more absurd, since people I know try to justify them as being on a “Michelin list”.

23. ginza is really good, maybe losing the star will reduce the line up finally

24. also because its very difficult to get reservation for the guide , and in some places they only open one a month and are only taken by phone with very limited sitting .

25. Let’s face it most everyone is looking at Yelp reviews anyways.

26. The way the Michelin guide works in Europe, a very good restaurant in a niche would typically be 1 star. 2 and 3 stars need to be a “full” luxury experience, so in Japan, this would be more a Kaiseki restaurant, a very good Ryokan, than even the best noodle shop in the world.

27. I watched Alexander the Guest’s japan visit today (YT). He said that some restaurants in Tokyo completely lost their stars because their booking system does not make the restaurant accessible (such as only taking bookings by phone and only on the first monday of the month)

28. Never had a bad bowl of ramen in Japan and I’ve never been to a Michelin* restaurant. Picky connoisseurs must be some really miserable people.

29. I had chicken and sausage bar from family mart and they were great. No one needs to tell me how many stars restaurants have to decide what I like to eat.