The story
Koryu is a Japanese restaurant at 3-3-3 Uchiawajimachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, where Osaka-style Japanese cooking earned two Michelin stars for excellent cooking in 2026. The kitchen builds on Osaka's tradition of rich, layered seasoning and applies it to seasonal Japanese ingredients.
Owner and chef Shintaro Matsuo was born in Suita, Osaka, in 1975. He trained at the Tsuji culinary school, then worked at Kigawa in Minami, Kitchen Wa in Shinsaibashi, and Hoshiya in Kitashinchi. He opened the first Koryu in Kitashinchi in 2009 and moved to a newly built house beside the Higashi-Yokobori river in 2021. Gault&Millau has awarded the restaurant 16 points for 2026.
The house approach follows the Osaka preference for deeper flavor, where Kyoto favors lighter seasoning. Kombu and other ingredients add depth, while each ingredient keeps its own character.
The Osaka course changes with the season and starts from 36,300 yen, including tax and service, with prices adjusting to ingredient sourcing. The kitchen wants guests to see the flame, hear the simmering and smell the charcoal at the counter. Dishes are timed to start together so each one reaches the table at its best.
The owner selects sake from producers across Japan to suit the food, and a sommelier chooses wines for pairing. Royal Blue tea, slow-dripped from hand-picked leaves in Chigasaki, is also served, along with three non-alcoholic tea pairings.
The first floor has a 13-seat counter facing a wide window over the river. Upstairs, six table seats and four sunken-kotatsu seats offer a more private setting. Koryu also sells house-made sea bream miso, sanshō kombu tsukudani and Senshu goyori soybeans to take home.
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