Tagoto

I came here October 2 after visiting the Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park. I wanted to try Kyoto Kaiseki and it was absolutely amazing. Since Kaiseki is made with seasonal ingredients with some creativity, your food experience will likely be different than mine. I reserved in advance. It wasn't rushed ...and service was pleasant. They were English speaker friendly. Each dish was explained to me and instructions on how to eat some of the more complex dishes. -It started with green tea -There was a seafood and vegetables course with a shot of sake -A fish dish with a brown sauce -A shrimp, sea bream, tuna dish -Some dish that came in a tea pot where you mix it and pour the broth into a cup to drink -Unagi over rice with ginko biloba -Tempura shrimp, avocado, and potato -Another dish I don't recall the details of -A mix of nigiri and maki sushi with miso -A dessert. For just the Kaiseki it was ¥16500 + service fee + tax that I think were 10% each. Not a cheap meal, but I think it was worth it and would love to go back.

Visited October 2023

Beautifully presented dishes with subtle flavours. The staff were very friendly and explained the dishes. The only down side was eating the first sashimi that I didn’t like (cuttlefish sashimi is horrible and quickly turns into a mucous texture when chewed).

Visited January 2020

We went based on Lonely Planet review and good tripadvisor rating - big mistake. The food was disappointing, place was empty and low on ANY atmosphere. It's in a shopping mall kind of setting which is already disappointing given that you have so many lovely authentic japanese dining spaces in Kyot...o. We were brought into a private room with only one other empty table where there was an interrogation booth-kind of bright yellow light, no music or any sounds and was incredibly cold due to aircon. We asked if we can be moved to another room (tatami-style room that looked a bit nicer) and were given a cold reply that it's not possible even though until the rest of our stay there the restaurant remained empty. We took 6800yen tasting menu (cheapest option). Food was at best - VERY average. In simple cheap izakayas we had better meals for 15 times less money. We noticed some obvious mistakes, like salmon being over-cooked in one of the dishes, also 3 courses included different versions of soups so entire experience felt soup-heavy, tempura was soggy and in the end we got served weird cooked rice mixed with grated ginger that literally didn't taste like anything keiseki-like. Service was ok, but it also seemed like they just wanted to get paid and have you leave as soon as possible.

Visited September 2019

Fantastic meal. Wonderful service and seasonal ingredients. If you are making a plan for a great night out, this is it.

Visited August 2019

I am sorry to leave a negative review but felt that it was important so others may avoid our disappointing experience. The restaurant is not cheap (albeit it does cost less than other Kaiseki restaurants) and my partner and I were expecting a special meal that would be a highlight of our visit to ...Japan. We have since had another Kaiseki dinner which was exceptional and therefore feel in a position to comment on the dinner we had at Tagoto as follows: - the food was very disappointing; we were expecting carefully prepared / presented dishes, but nothing appeared to be presented with any great care. The bento boxes from department store food halls are more carefully presented. - the food was bland; we accept that this may have been our lack of knowledge of Japanese Kaiseki, but our later experience at a different restaurant had dishes that had delicious, carefully balanced flavours and textures. The food was had a Tagoto did not. - the dining area was characterless; the decor was not just plain, but tired and felt like a school canteen. The staff were friendly and the service okay. Our reception to the restaurant was very warm and welcoming. We will remember this meal as our most disappointing (and one of the most expensive) of our wonderful trip to Japan.

Visited June 2019