The Best Japanese Food in Saudi Arabia
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The best Japanese food in Saudi Arabia, according to the experts: The 50 and the Michelin Guide have both weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Myazu comes out on top, and the good stuff runs deepest in Riyadh and Jeddah.
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KAYZŌ and Robata hold the next two places. The Michelin Guide shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with The 50 next.
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Rank 1. Myazu
Japanese
A blue-and-gold dining room designed by Studio Glitt sets the tone at this Japanese fine-dining restaurant, where the kitchen runs a sushi counter, robata grill, and open kitchen all at once. The menu moves from classical nigiri to grilled black Angus with Korean BBQ sauce, which is either fusion done right or a lot happening, depending on your mood. It holds a spot on MENA's 50 Best Restaurants list.
The awards
- The 50 #45 · MENA's 50 Best Restaurants
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Rank 2. KAYZŌ
Contemporary Japanese
The open kitchen counter runs the full length of the room, and at night the lights drop low enough that the whole place feels more like a club that happens to serve very good Japanese food. This is a contemporary Japanese sharing-plates restaurant, and the menu swings between classical and inventive without losing its footing. The Michelin Bib Gourmand reflects the kitchen's knack for keeping things interesting without the bill getting away from you.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 3. Robata
Hokkaido
A meat counter running the length of the room announces what you're here for before you've taken your seat. This Japanese robata restaurant brings the charcoal-fired cooking traditions of Hokkaido to Riyadh, all pale wood, industrial bones, and big glass windows. The menu splits between hot plates, cold dishes, skewers off the grill, and a serious sushi section, built for the kind of meal where ordering individually feels beside the point.
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
A Tie
Three places have the exact same Score, so they share #3. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #3 Robata (this place) 71.400
- #3 Takara 71.400
- #3 Tokyo 71.400
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Rank 3. Takara
Saudi Japanese
A Japanese restaurant in Al Khobar where za'atar, Arabic ghee, and kunafa turn up in the dishes without anyone treating it as a stunt. The chef sources almost everything from local seafood and vegetable markets each morning, so the menu lands somewhere between Riyadh and Tokyo by way of Sri Lanka. The 50 Discovery from The 50 list signals it's on the radar regionally, and a menu that hasn't needed changing since opening suggests the kitchen knows exactly what it's doing.
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
A Tie
Three places have the exact same Score, so they share #3. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #3 Robata 71.400
- #3 Takara (this place) 71.400
- #3 Tokyo 71.400
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Rank 3. Tokyo
Japanese
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
A Tie
Three places have the exact same Score, so they share #3. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #3 Robata 71.400
- #3 Takara 71.400
- #3 Tokyo (this place) 71.400
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Rank 6. Hōchō
Contemporary Japanese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Five places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Hōchō (this place) 68.544
- #6 Myazū 68.544
- #6 Robata 68.544
- #6 The Rubi Room at Hōchō 68.544
- #6 Yokari 68.544
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Rank 6. Myazū
Contemporary Sushi
The counter seats face the sushi chefs directly, which tends to make the meal feel more like a performance than a transaction. This spacious contemporary Japanese restaurant in central Jeddah spans a main hall, a patio, and a robata section alongside the sushi bar. The menu moves between tradition and tinkering, with Wagyu skewers off the grill and modern tempura alongside freshly pressed nigiri. Plan on four dishes a head and you'll leave comfortable.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Five places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Hōchō 68.544
- #6 Myazū (this place) 68.544
- #6 Robata 68.544
- #6 The Rubi Room at Hōchō 68.544
- #6 Yokari 68.544
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Rank 6. Robata
Japanese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Five places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Hōchō 68.544
- #6 Myazū 68.544
- #6 Robata (this place) 68.544
- #6 The Rubi Room at Hōchō 68.544
- #6 Yokari 68.544
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Rank 6. The Rubi Room at Hōchō
Omakase Japanese
Halal Kobe beef runs through almost every course here, the kitchen finding new things to do with it across nineteen servings. This is an omakase counter tucked inside Hōchō at the VIA Riyadh mall, where the chef's imagination wanders somewhere between precision and the quietly surreal. The team walk you through each dish in detail, which helps, though you may still surface at the end genuinely unsure what just happened to you.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Five places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Hōchō 68.544
- #6 Myazū 68.544
- #6 Robata 68.544
- #6 The Rubi Room at Hōchō (this place) 68.544
- #6 Yokari 68.544
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Rank 6. Yokari
Japanese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Five places have the exact same Score, so they share #6. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #6 Hōchō 68.544
- #6 Myazū 68.544
- #6 Robata 68.544
- #6 The Rubi Room at Hōchō 68.544
- #6 Yokari (this place) 68.544