Rome.

The first kaiseki restaurant in Rome and a Michelin Inspector's Favourite, Kohaku near Via Veneto is led by Japanese chefs Hideyuki Matsushita (kaiseki tasting menu) and Kazuaki Kawane (kaiseki sushi counter). It was ranked #3 Best Sushi in Italy by 50Top Italy 2024 and holds three Bacchette in Gambero Rosso.

Kiwami — meaning 'extreme' or 'pinnacle' in Japanese — is a hidden omakase room accessed through a secret door within the Nakai restaurant, revealed in 2025. Chef Koji Nakai seats 14 guests at a single social table in a total-black room hung with cascading plants for a minimum of six omakase courses at €85 per person.

Founded in 1974 as a Roman branch of the venerable Kappou Hamasei from Asakusa, Tokyo, Hamasei is one of Italy's oldest Japanese restaurants. After more than 50 years of operation under Japanese management, it remains a benchmark for classical Japanese cuisine in the capital.

Founded in 1993 by Japanese chef Kimiji Ito and his partner Franca Palma, Hasekura in Rome's Monti neighbourhood continues to thrive under son Jun Ito. The restaurant holds three Bacchette in the Gambero Rosso 2026 sushi guide — Italy's highest sushi recognition.

Founded by Japanese sushi master Atsufumi Kikuchi and now led by his Japanese pupil Chiho Mikami, Kiko Sushi Bar in San Lorenzo ranked #10 Best Sushi in Italy in the 50Top Italy 2024 guide. 'Main Chef Chiho Mikami, giapponese' is confirmed by the restaurant's own Instagram.

Opened in 2022 by Kobe-born chef Koji Nakai, this Michelin-listed restaurant near the Vatican offers a distinctive Japanese-Italian dialogue menu and one of Rome's most extensive sake lists — over 20 labels with professional sommelier pairing available.

Named after Mount Rokko near Kobe, this Flaminio restaurant is owned by a Japanese family from Kobe and led by chef Takehisa Haraguchi, trained at prestigious Japanese restaurants. Rokko grows its own sushi rice at a Vercelli farm — an exceptional commitment to ingredient provenance.

Doozo is simultaneously a Japanese restaurant, art gallery, bookshop and cultural centre in Rome's Monti district. Tokyo-born chef Endo Kazuhiko leads a kitchen offering sushi, kaiseki menus, shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cooking) and Japanese teas.

Hayashi Sushi is a dependable and NihonJapanGiappone-certified authentic Japanese restaurant in Rome's San Giovanni district, open six days a week for traditional sushi, ramen and gyoza.

Okasan — 'mother' in Japanese — serves warmly comforting Japanese home food and traditional sushi in the Prati neighbourhood, overseen by sushi master Fumio Saito.

Sakana Sushi is a long-established authentic sushi restaurant in Ostiense, listed by NihonJapanGiappone as genuinely Japanese and shaped by chef Koji Nakai's precise traditional technique.

Shiroya's own website states 'Come la nostra cucina, anche il nostro chef viene direttamente dal Giappone' — like our cuisine, our chef comes directly from Japan. Listed in the Michelin Guide and under the same ownership as Kohaku, it offers accessible Japanese sushi and ramen steps from Campo de' Fiori.

Founded by Kunihiro Giuliano Este (Japanese-Italian) and his Japanese mother Okochi Chikako, Sushisen operates an exclusively Japanese kitchen team — each chef with at least ten years' experience. Head chef Yamamoto Eiji from Hokkaido leads the brigade at this Gambero Rosso three-Bacchette and Michelin-listed address.

Founded in 1974 by Japanese chef Nobuyasu Shoichi, Taki is a Prati landmark with 50 years of Tokyo-style Japanese cuisine. It carries JETRO certification as a Japanese Food Supporter — an official authentication of authentic Japanese culinary standards.

Hiromi Maison is one of Rome's most distinguished Japanese restaurants, led by Kansai-trained chef Aiuchi Takehiko and awarded the Gambero Rosso 2025 prize for sake excellence.

Opened in 2024 by Kobe-born chef Koji Nakai, Ie Koji is recognised by Gambero Rosso as one of Rome's very few true izakaya. The menu spans soba, ramen, katsu sando, homemade tofu and sashimi, with an all-sake wine list.

Kou Kou is what Gambero Rosso calls 'one of Rome's only true Japanese trattoria' — Japanese chef Wataru Izumo eschews sushi entirely in favour of washoku: ramen, miso, dashi and rice-centred home cooking.

Otosan brings Kansai home cooking to Rome: okonomiyaki, ramen, doteyaki and kakuni prepared by Japanese chefs Aki Kobayashi and 30-year veteran sushi master Fumio Saito.

Rome's debut sakaba (sake bar), opened by Japanese chef Koji Nakai in January 2026, pairs curated sake with izakaya-style small plates in a relaxed Prati counter setting.

Tanuki Izakaya brings the authentic atmosphere of a Japanese izakaya to Rome's creative Ostiense district, with a menu of yakitori, ramen, sashimi and sake developed with input from Japanese chef Koji Nakai.

NihonJapanGiappone — the authoritative guide for Japanese residents in Italy — confirms 'il cuoco è giapponese' (the cook is Japanese) at Hokusai Ramen. All key ingredients are imported from Japan, placing it among Rome's most authentic ramen experiences.

Mama-Ya Ramen's menu was developed in collaboration with Michelin-starred Japanese chef Kotaro Noda of Bistrot 64, establishing a serious Japanese culinary direction. Three broths are made fresh daily with no glutamate or artificial additives.

Founded in 2016 by Akira Yoshida from Hyogo prefecture in Japan, Ramen Bar Akira has grown from a single Ostiense shop to 11 locations across Italy — proof of concept for authentic Japanese ramen in the Italian market. Noodles are handmade in an artisanal noodle lab.

Nomisan is a warmly family-run Japanese restaurant in Rome's EUR neighbourhood, where Japanese chef Chikako Masuda — born near Mount Fuji — cooks alongside her Italian husband and their Italian-Japanese daughters.

Maido pioneered Japanese street food in Italy, bringing Osaka's beloved okonomiyaki to Rome's bohemian Monti district alongside takoyaki, katsu sando, soba and rice burgers.