Gucci Osteria Tokyo Receives First Michelin Star

At the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2023 reveal event held in November, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo was distinguished One Michelin star, placing it among the highly celebrated list of critically-acclaimed restaurants in the dynamic megalopolis. The news came just over a year following its opening – the third Gucci Osteria after the Florence and Beverly Hills locations, each also distinguished One Michelin Star in their respective cities.

As one of the 16 newly minted one-star restaurants, according to the Michelin Guide, “Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Tokyo represents contemporary Italian cuisine, made with niche Japanese ingredients and inspired by local techniques and recipes.” They describe the Tokyo dining spot as “a fairy-tale space [that] spreads out before the visitor, with green as the unifying theme. Famous chef-restaurateur Massimo Bottura is the supervising director, while Chef Antonio Iacoviello specializes in Japanese ingredients for his contemporary Italian cuisine from this base in the heart of Tokyo. Just as the butterfly print symbolizes freedom and beauty, Bottura’s cuisine is beautiful and abundantly creative.”

Chef Antonio Iacoviello has been at the helm since the beginning of Gucci Osteria’s journey in Tokyo, in October 2021. A traveler and explorer by nature, his curiosity for new cultures has constantly allowed him to reimagine dishes that often maintain a connection to memories from his home in Italy. He explores a youthful, contemporary cuisine that brings together Italian gastronomic traditions with Japanese ingredients and techniques. For instance, The Parmigiana that wants to be a Ramen is more than just a signature dish and demonstrates how Southern Italy encounters the traditions of Japan in a moving tribute to the country he now calls home.

Working with sous-chef Hayao Watanabe, and with the support from the entire Tokyo team, he pushes forward Gucci Osteria’s vision of a generous and innovative Italian cuisine with a borderless appetite. “I’m still incredulous that after just one year of opening we have managed to reach this milestone. It’s a dream come true. Since I arrived in Japan, I have never missed an opportunity to travel, explore and taste, trying to combine new experiences and new products with my Italian memory. I am extremely grateful to my whole team: day after day we worked together with courage, patience and sacrifice. And obviously a huge thank you goes to Massimo Bottura, who trusted me and allowed me to be here today,” Antonio said on the achievement.

After following world-class kitchens all over the globe, including Gucci Osteria Florence with Karime López and Massimo Bottura, Antonio has found a new playground for creative expression in Tokyo, while expanding on the original philosophy of Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura. The series of contemporary restaurants, currently in Florence, Beverly Hills, Tokyo, and Seoul, share the same values and principles under one narrative umbrella. Like Tokyo, each location celebrates its own varied and unique identity, while sharing a culinary philosophy that rides the wave of the seasons with creativity, elegance, playfulness, and sensuality.