Originally Posted by bhrubin

This is no way diminished the quality of restaurants in Tokyo (or anywhere else), but the Michelin standard is not the be-all, end-all of established restaurant quality IMO. I've been to too many 3 star restaurants that weren't any better than 1 or 2 star restaurants in terms of food quality and service--but they always were more formal and pricey. I think being starred by Michelin typically reflects that a restaurant is wonderful, but I don't usually agree with their relative differences. Michelin also doesn't bother with too many cities where there are tremendous restaurants, so it lacks a truly comprehensive world-wide basis for comparison.

I've been to Noma and Amber and Lung King Heen and Meadowood and French Laundry, among so many others. Michelin doesn't always get it right. So judging a city by Michelin stars isn't enough to convince me.