Wagokotro Izumi

"If there's one thing you must do in Kyoto, it would be to experience an authentic Kaiseki meal." That's the recommendation you will hear from websites, bloggers, basically anyone who has visited Kyoto before. So we took the plunge to celebrate my wife's birthday, and boy did we have an unforgett...able time at Wagakoro Izumi. It was without a doubt, the most laughably disappointing Michelin meal we've had in our 20 years of traveling the world. If you only have time to skim this review, the least I hope your takeaway from our experience is this: Please, please don't waste your money. Now in the spirit of objectivity, out of the roughly 10 or so dishes from the most expensive course (~40000yen/pp), 2 stood out as enjoyable (abalone and sea bream). Their drink prices were also reasonable. However, the rest of the dishes were bland in both presentation and taste, with a few even borderline insulting listed in detail below (refer to pictures as well for reference): 1. Soba with a small sprinkle of canned caviar and a tiny egg yolk on top. 2. A plate of a few sliced figs, ONE peeled grape, and some vanilla pudding. 3. A peeled chestnut. Yes, ONE peeled chestnut. 4. And the crown dish that trumps them all: a small bowl of rice, yes, a tiny bowl of plain, white rice, served alongside supermarket grade pickled vegetables and salty cucumbers. They present the dish as something special because the rice is of "first harvest", but let's not kid ourselves: it's plain white rice and tastes like any white rice you cook from a rice cooker. Throughout the course, my wife asked me this question twice: "are you sure this is a 2-star Michelin restaurant?" And by the time they served the rice course mentioned above, the couple next to us lost it. We didn't speak their language, but I could tell from their gesture, body language and giggling that they, like myself, couldn't believe what a joke this was. Perhaps in an attempt to validate whether my disappointment was justified, I turned around to strike conversation. The couple turned out to speak decent English. They sarcastically remarked that perhaps the food should be treated like art, "just look, don't eat". They also jokingly said the wood carving of a pair of faces hanging above the counter, were laughing at us for "throwing our money away." As much as I want to respect the customs of Kaiseki and enjoy what the course had to offer, the experience was so laughably underwhelming that we ended up treating it as such - a bad joke. It's baffling how this place can have any Michelin recognition at all, let alone 2 stars! It's a shame that this ordeal not only tainted our impression of Kaiseki in general, but also of Kyoto, since it touts Kaiseki as a unique and special Kyoto experience. We're also hesitant to use Pocket Concierge to book anything in the future as to avoid expensive pitfalls going forward. The meals we had in Tokyo were much more easier to book and were of much higher quality and affordability. Kaiseki may seem like an intriguing,novel, and worthwhile experience. And perhaps it is, at somewhere else, but not Wagakoro Izumi. Even though the Chef sent us on our way with a courteous, extended bow after our meal, Wagakoro Izumi is a far cry from being Michelin caliber and the value for what they have to offer is truly abysmal.

Visited September 2023

3 hungry and chubby North Americans, who definitely walked into a place with far more culture and class than the three could ever produce themselves, had a very quiet and rejuvenating dinner experience at this 2 Michelin star establishment. It is important, however, to realize that Wagokoro Izumi se...ems to prioritize the culture of Kyoto and the local ingredients over the tastes of the guests. While that statement can come across as negative, it is meant with extreme respect, and should be a warning that you may have a few dishes that don't specifically taste like you would prefer but you have to at least admit that the presentation and experience of the dish is unlike much of what you'd find anywhere else. At the very least, everything is full of flavor and you'd be hard-pressed to replicate the flavor and texture at home, whether you liked it or not. We got 9 courses, starting simply and delicately and slowly advancing into more artistic, more complexly flavored works of art. Be sure to double check with the serving staff as to which parts are edible and which are not! It's a testament to the artistry of the presentation that sometimes it's kind of hard to tell! The staff that served us had very good command of the English language, and also had a translation available for the more unique ingredients. Amusingly, since the ingredient was unique, the translation did not help much, but that's a different story. The staff themselves were all wonderfully behaved and were just as excited presenting and explaining the food as we were to eat it. Available drinks were also excellent and rounded out the meal nicely. The fact that we three chubby guys were all satisfied by the end of the meal is also a testament to how well they nourish you.

Visited July 2023

The food was excellent kaiseki, although not noticeably better than at many other of the fine kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto. The service, however, was unpleasant and off-putting. The woman in charge glowered at us throughout and made no effort to be helpful, and it seemed the primary objective was to... get us through the meal as quickly as possible. We felt distinctly unwelcome at a restaurant we paid over $300 to visit. Two star food maybe, but zero star service. There are far, far better options in Kyoto.

Visited April 2023

This is absolutely not a 2 star restaurant, not even a 1 star. I have visited plenty of Michelin recommended restaurants around the globe but here something really went wrong in the rating system. The dishes are not creative, taste sometimes bad...overall it is overpriced and just not good ;-( Very ...strange also to see that the wine lists are only in Japanese and that the waiters bearly speak English (you do not expect this is this kind of restaurant.

Visited April 2023

We had lunch at Wagokoro Izumi and it was fantastic in terms of food taste, food presentation and service. They served around 10 meals in a very elegant way, they were not only very delicious, but also very beautiful. Most of the dishes we tried were seafood and fish, and one of the dishes contained... duck breasts as well. All very well prepared. Great place and we are so happy we managed to try it!

Visited April 2023