Koryu

The story

Koryu: Michelin Two-Star Japanese Cuisine in Osaka

A New Home for Osaka Cuisine

In 2021, chef Shintaro Matsuo moved his restaurant Koryu to a newly built house along the Higashi-Yokobori River, a waterside location that still carries the character of old Osaka. The name “Koryu” means “willow that bends in an arc” – a symbol of the solid foundation (like the willow’s roots) and the flexible creativity (like its drooping branches) that define his cooking. The restaurant itself is a study in calm: a 13-seat counter on the ground floor with views of the river, plus a six-seat table and a four-seat sunken kotatsu room upstairs.

The Chef’s Path

Matsuo grew up in Suita, Osaka, and from a young age loved making food for family and friends. After graduating from the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Abeno, he was drawn to a single dish – “soft-shell crab with pea sauce” – and knocked on the door of Naniwa Kappo Kigawa in Minami. Twelve years there, followed by stints at a restaurant in Shinsaibashi and a long-established French-kaiseki house in Kitashinchi, shaped his approach. He opened his own restaurant in Kitashinchi in 2009 at age 33, and in 2021 moved to the current location.

The Cuisine: Osaka’s “Kui-Aji”

Koryu serves a style of Japanese cuisine rooted in Osaka’s food culture. The city, once called “Tenka no Daidokoro” (the nation’s kitchen), developed a taste for richness – what locals call “kui-aji.” Unlike Kyoto’s subtle flavors that highlight individual ingredients, Osaka’s cooking adds depth with kombu and other elements to create a mellow, layered finish. Matsuo respects this tradition while adding his own flexible essence. The result is a seasonal omakase course (starting at ¥36,300) that changes with the market. The kitchen also offers a carefully selected lineup of sake and wine chosen to complement the food.

A Sensory Experience

Matsuo believes a meal begins the moment you enter the restaurant. For him, cooking is about “hakarī, osameru” – measuring and harmonizing. Color, sound, aroma, taste, and texture all matter. He wants guests to feel the freshness of seasonal ingredients, see the flame, hear the simmering, and smell the charcoal. To ensure every dish arrives at its best moment, all guests start their meal at the same time. This dedication to the full sensory experience, recognized with two Michelin stars, makes Koryu a place where Osaka’s culinary soul is both preserved and reimagined.