Nishikawa

A small but personal place to taste a mini Kaiseki meal without breaking the bank. The friendly chef & owner Nishikawa came to greet us personally. But everything is so beautifully presented & tasty. My sister has some dietary restriction & they made special dishes for her.

Visited March 2023

It’s great to have a private room. However the wait for food is far too long… almost 4 hours! and some of the courses are just too salty. Food overall is just average. Way below my expectations as a 2-star Michelin.

Visited January 2023

We love to eat here every time we visit Kyoto. We have recommended it several times to friends. Its not fancy but sticks to the basics of sushi. Top selection of the freshest fish available For an added treat make sure you reserve a place at the counter. The Chef/owner will delight you in the beauti...ful way your food is prepared. Worth the splurge.

Visited March 2019

UPDATE THIS MORNING: Called and submitted our concerns and the lady was very nice in understanding our complaints. They said they would provide us with a detailed receipt of the evening. She also explained that if you sit at the counter, it is an AUTOMATIC OMAKASE course anywhere between the price o...f ¥20,000 ~ ¥30,000. You can then get a ¥15,000 course at the table. She also said she would have a word with the Chef about balancing his time speaking with the guests. Communication with the guests is the key. It does not matter how many issues, it is how they are handled. Thank you for now Nishikawa....... ORIGINAL ISSUES: Great atmosphere, presentation and quality of food cannot be beat. You can understand when you are eating, why a two-star Michelin rating was given but............. When the reservation was made, there was absolutely nothing said by the person on the phone as to the menu for the evening. Usually, the reservationist would say 'this is this' type of restaurant. You know, confirming with the person making the reservation that they know what they are getting into. If nothing is said, you assume that once you arrive, there will be a menu. Later, after the night was over, the next day, checking the Japanese website, it states there is a ¥15,000 course and a 'Omakase' course from ¥20,000. This WAS NOT EXPLAINED CLEARLY ON THE PHONE. This can be chalked up to a miscommunication. No menu given upon arrival, even after asking for one. Still had no idea what the price was. Of course this is 'omakase'... understand that part. Allow the Chef to prepare their seasonal and best dishes for you....... but having no list of what was being served and having no idea what the heck you were going to pay was a little frustrating.... Maybe this would be a good time to CONFIRM with your guest, that has just flown 4,200 miles to spend so many days in Japan and picking THIS particular restaurant to eat at, maybe you could right then and there, confirm the meal for the evening. Just saying. Second miscommunication but definitely their fault this time. The Head Chef spent ALL of his time, again, ALL, of his time, at the other end of the counter where there were four guests buying lots of sake. He was drinking with them. Would have been nice if this star-rated Chef might have come talk to us too instead of having a 16-yr-old boy deliver the items one by one and just say 'fish' or 'tempura'. Hello. this side of the counter is also paying a significant amount for the food as well (did not know it at the time). Most places have a ¥10,000, a ¥15,000 and a ¥20,000 course menu. The bill (not a bill), came to a little over ¥27,000 for the course and hot tea? Adding of a 10% service charge was a joke (there was NO service), then the 8% tax on top of that I guess. The actual bill came as a number on a piece of paper and when asked for the real bill, something a little more itemized, even summarized, could not get it. Asked for a receipt after paying with credit card and was told the cc receipt is the receipt. In Japan, you can get a 'ryoshusho', a business receipt. They could not provide one. Whoever gives out these stars must not care about service. Just the food. The overall experience was a three maybe even a three-and-a-half. Food was perfect!!!! Service was not up to par at all. To have a successful restaurant that is going to be rated by Michelin, would you not think that all aspects of the restaurant should be up to par?

Visited May 2018

I have booked the restaurant for dinner on 10/4 through the hotel. As I could not made to arrive at the booking time at 7pm, I requested the hotel to call the restaurant to postpone the time 30 minutes later. The reply from the restaurant surprised me - we were already seated and had dinner. I wonde...red why the restaurant did not check thoroughly the booking which was made through the hotel with a reservation card. I should express my gratitude to the hotel staff (New Miyako Hotel) who patiently waited for the call from the restaurant of how to follow up my reservation. Eventually the restaurant called back and could reserve seats at 8pm. When we arrived, the restaurant did say sorry. No doubt, the food and sake were good but they were served hastily as it was late to start the course. Usually, the last time for entry to the restaurant was 7:30. So,improvement to the booking arrangement is suggested in particular that the restaurant is a 2-star Michelin one.

Visited April 2018