Izumoya

Saw this along the main tourist drag, and found their window display captivating. Note that Japanese window display often shows the single serving price but when you’re seated you’d find out the actual menu price is doubled as they require 2 serving minimum orders. So you’d have to multiply the wind...ow price by 2 in your head to not be surprised. Dinner came to be around $40~ per person without drinks. One of the elder waitresses was more rude and direct, where as the younger waitresses were more polite. Both were not super helpful and didn’t understand English much and it wasn’t very easy to order, not sure if it’s because of the language or a cultural barrier. Overall food tasty, presentation of each set was good, table side service for nabe and sukiyaki, only slightly pricy for the quantity - would be great if we weren’t seated at tiny tables in the back with no window view. (Although windows fogged up easily - so that’ll limit your views).

Visited January 2023

This place has been in town for years. It comes with nice view. Though it looks like a luxury restaurant, the fact is the price is very reasonable. Both of us had traditional Japanese fine dinning and the bill was only about CAD$80. This is impossible in Canada. The food was elegant and delicat...e, and taste good. Service was good. A place for enjoying Kyoto view and authentic Japanese food. Highly recommended.

Visited October 2019

This place is a tourist trap! Especially for big groups like us. We ordered 9 sets of shabu shabu beef set, and was only served like an amount of 3 sets. When asked about the quantity, they said that everything was combined into 3 plates (Instead of 9). We paid 38k Yen for a very limited serving. No...t as what was expected from their display menu. Servers were not too polite as well. I don’t recommend this place at all. If it weren’t only for the good location.

Visited March 2019

The Shabu was the worst we've ever experienced! It was not made in broth, just water, and even after cooking the meat and veggies it ALL tasted like water. Super bland and low quality. The sashimi was also very low quality. We ended up leaving mid-meal, and getting an amazing 6 course gourmet meal f...or the SAME price as Izumoya's disgusting food.

Visited February 2019

We came here for their eel courses as it had come highly recommended by a local as one of the top 5 places for eel in Kyoto. Our first choice had been the Michelin starred Uole-ye "U" but it had been booked out way in advance. Couldn't get a reservation for same night dinner, so we were advised to ...join the first come-first served queue. Although there were about 5 parties before us, we did not have too long a wait, as this is quite a sizeable establishment spread over a few floors, We were led to the 4th floor which only had tatami seating, but the bonus was that it was beside the full-glass window overlooking the Kamo river. Perhaps because this is not the prime eel season, we did not find the unadon we ordered particularly spectacular. Price was reasonable though, unlike their more pricey shabu shabu and other sets commented on by other reviewers. Come here for their Pontocho location in any case if it's eel you are after that is reasonably priced.

Visited April 2018