I Ate at the World’s Best New Restaurant (Noma’s Successor) — Here’s What Happened

Last week, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list was announced, and for the first time in a decade, a restaurant outside of Europe and the Americas took the top spot. ‘Komorebi’, a 12-seat omakase spot in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district, shot to number one. I’d been following chef Jun Takahashi’s career since he left Noma in 2023, so when I saw the news, I did something impulsive: I booked a flight to Japan.

I won’t lie — getting a reservation was nearly impossible. The restaurant only takes bookings through a lottery system on the first of each month. I entered four times before I got lucky. The cost? ¥60,000 per person — about $400 USD. That’s a lot for a meal, but for a once-in-a-lifetime experience? I told myself it was worth it.

The Space: Minimalism Perfected

Komorebi means “sunlight filtering through leaves,” and the space lives up to the name. The restaurant is a converted machiya (a traditional wooden townhouse) with a glass ceiling that lets dappled light in. The counter is a single slab of hinoki cypress polished to a mirror sheen. There are no decorations — just the ingredients, the chef, and you. It felt like stepping into a meditation.

Chef Takahashi works in near-silence, only occasionally explaining a dish. His team of three moves with military precision. The atmosphere is reverent, not stuffy. You could hear a pin drop — or rather, you could hear the crackle of charcoal roasting a piece of red snapper.

The Meal: A 20-Course Journey

I won’t describe every course, but I’ll hit the highlights. The meal started with a single bite: a cube of Kyoto tofu topped with uni and a drop of yuzu. It was silky, briny, and bright all at once. My eyes actually widened. That’s rare for a first course.

The third course was a bowl of dashi made from kombu harvested off Hokkaido. It was served at room temperature — not hot, not cold — and tasted like the ocean distilled into liquid. Chef Takahashi explained that he ages the kombu for three years before using it. Three years for one bowl of soup.

The standout was the “Suzuki” (sea bass) course. The fish was aged for 10 days, then grilled over binchotan charcoal. The skin was impossibly crispy, the flesh translucent and buttery. It was served with a smear of fermented plum paste that cut through the richness. I closed my eyes for that bite.

The Verdict: Worth the Hype?

Yes, but with a caveat. This isn’t a restaurant for people who want to be entertained. There’s no music, no flashy plating, no theatrical presentations. It’s just incredible ingredients treated with reverence and skill. If you’re looking for a fun night out, go somewhere else. If you want to experience what food can be when every detail is perfect, Komorebi is unmatched.

I’m still thinking about that bowl of dashi three days later. That’s the sign of a great meal — it stays with you.

Is it the best restaurant in the world? I haven’t eaten at every top-50 spot, so I can’t say. But I can say it’s the best meal I’ve ever had. And that’s enough.