Mizai

This famous restaurant seats between 10-12 people. The food was presented and prepared impeccably. It was recommended not to take photos, although the presentation was picture perfect, the idea of no photos was nice as the guests were focused on the food and the wow factor of the presentation. We lo...st count of the servings, there were over 8 servings of food, mainly seafood dishes. The dishes were explained in Japanese, although some waiters could speak English a little and when they noticed we would prefer the explanation in English they helped to translate. Everything is high quality from the food, to the pottery and the glassware. The matcha offered at the end of the experience was the most amazing high quality matcha we have had in Japan. The price is high, however the demand is high for this restaurant and can require bookings up to 12 months in advance at times. If you have the opportunity to experience this, and are a seafood lover, I would highly recommend it.

Visited November 2019

I can only use the word exceptional to express my experience, unlike most Kaiseki, the focus appears to be more on the food itself instead of presentation. All in all, each and every course were nicely prepared and very tasty and you also prepared to pay a very high price for the dinner.

Visited October 2019

This restaurant was one of my favorite places to dine in Kyoto. It's a Michelin 3 star restaurant and serve Kaiseki cuisine. The food & service was excellent. The chef prepares most of the food in front of you and even all the arrangement of the food ( decoration etc) is done in front of you so that... you can really see the effort it takes to prepare each dish. The course ends with the chef preparing a green matcha tea for each of the diners. It was raining the evening I visited; so the staff came with their umbrellas & lamp to escort me to the taxi. One important point to note is that they serve everyone at the same time so being punctual is critical to dine at this restaurant. The only problem with this restaurant was the staff speak only Japanese and all the diners in the restaurant the evening i visited were all locals; so I could not understand a lot of the dishes ingredients. The chef made efforts to communicate on how to eat some of the stuff and that was very useful. The sashimi course & steak were excellent. If one doesn't mind the language barrier but want to see a chef working his skills in front of you and eat some good food this restaurant is a must visit. The restaurant has a L-shaped counter with 13 seats. This is something new I came across in Japan - they give you the check and you go to the next room to pay. Cons: No photos; Cash Only

Visited November 2015