Bini

First of all, I was just horrified when I saw how few and how negative the reviews were here. This is a Michelin-starred restaurant, very sophisticated, and while it has but one coveted star, it might well have more than one if the competition for stars weren't so fierce in Kyoto to begin with, in m...y view. The owner, and his wife, who is the hostess, offer a level of personal attention, attention to detail, and an overall refined and delicious experience that would stand out anywhere in the world of fine dining. The food, Italian, but very Japanese as well, was just beautiful to behold, and both interesting and delicious. There's a commitment to quality and provenance of ingredients, with a preference for sourcing from local producers and farmers. A shout out for the quality of the pasta courses, where the chef's attention to sourcing eggs stands out. My husband and I are both American and Italian and we live part of the year in Italy and part of the year in a city in the US that prides itself on gourmet food, so I'd like to think that I know what I'm talking about when I say that this fine-dining restaurant deserves its accolades and then some. Incredibly, this multi-course tasting menu (and yes, portions are on the smaller side because there are so very many courses) is prepared by the chef alone, with no help in the kitchen. As a former professionally trained French chef who worked in various restaurants, I cannot begin to fathom how this level of complexity is pulled off single-handedly. The owners, by the way, are very kind, and they are eager to talk with their customers.

Visited May 2025

The presentation is great, but only one dish tasted excellent (the white asparagus with egg yolk/lemon sauce). The rest were VERY mediocre, and one pasta was outright bad (And lukewarm). They were very proud of serving a course of house made ravioli with 3 types of locally cheese, so I was excited -... turns out that meant a SINGLE piece of ravioli on a spoon, and not the best ravioli by any means (much better at Heinz Beck Tokyo or L'asse Tokyo). As for pretentiousness - they do not serve tap water, only 750 yen small bottles...they also won't let you charge your phone, even when you're the ONLY customer there and there's a plug right beside you. AND the cheapest wine by the glass is 2400 yen. That just doesn't seem right.

Visited April 2020

Wednesday April 1st evening. After 30 minutes walking we arrived at 18:30 and it was closed. Their web page says they close on Monday and sometimes Sunday dinner.

Visited April 2020

Amazing food wonderful service, staff is totally delightful. A standout out meal in a city that is a goodie paradise. .

Visited January 2016