Kiyama

We were very disappointed with our experience at Kiyama. When making the reservation, there was no option to choose between the chef’s counter and a private room. However, upon arrival, we were told we had been assigned to a private room without any explanation or choice. We specifically came hoping... to enjoy the chef’s performance and atmosphere at the counter. This lack of transparency in the booking system made the experience frustrating and far from what we expected from such a high-end restaurant. 我们对在 Kiyama 的用餐体验非常失望。预订时根本没有任何选项让我们选择是坐在主厨台前还是私人包间。但到了之后却被告知只能坐包间，完全没有给予选择或解释。我们原本就是为了主厨台的现场氛围和表演而来，这种预约系统的不透明严重影响了我们的用餐体验，和我们对一家高端怀石料理餐厅的期待完全不符。 Kiyamaでの体験には非常に失望しました。予約時にカウンター席か個室かを選ぶオプションが一切なく、到着してから一方的に個室に案内されました。私たちはカウンターでシェフのライブパフォーマンスを楽しみにしていたのに、その希望が一切考慮されず、とても残念でした。このような予約システムの不透明さは、高級店としてふさわしくないと感じます。

Visited July 2025

Some excellent dishes, some average. Overall it wasn’t a wow but sufficiently good. The whole place was very attentive to customers and seeing we were at the counter seats, the wait staff makes an effort to interact with us. Owner/Chef Kiyama is a lovely host.

Visited November 2024

Situated near the Kyoto Imperial Palace, this small restaurant has only 10 counter seats. Our menu was entirely seasonal seafood based. Aged bonito dashi was shaved in front of us and these shavings were used to make the pièce de résistance : a seafood soup with overnight kombu stock and the freshes...t congo eel. The result is the most amazing unami bomb. The rest of the course were amazing surf clams, succulent oysters and a variety of fried seafood. The course ended with 5 different types of seasoned rice and extremely sweet watermelon as dessert. Thoroughly enjoyable. The only downside was photography of any kind is prohibited so there was no memento to take away. With the chef looking like a strict school disciplinary master, I meekly complied.

Visited June 2023

Fantastic restaurant centred around fresh well water and bonito. Lunch started with a cup of hot water from the well and during the first couple of courses one of the chefs is carving fresh bonito flakes from different kinds of aged tuna in front of you while you get to taste fresh bonito sashimi an...d other delicacies. Before the flakes are transformed into the dashi that the restaurant is famous for, you get to sample the different flakes. After you taste the pure dashi, most courses that follow use the dashi in one way or another. For the last courses we were asked if we preferred small, medium, or large portions and also if we would like some more, after we finished, but at this point we were already very full. So this is not a fine-dining restaurant that you leave hungry. In addition, they also provide a complimentary sample of sake during the lunch. Yoshiaki Kiyama thanked every guest personally when leaving the restaurant, something that stands in strong contrast to some of the other fine-dining restaurants, where the head chef does not even attend the lunch service. For fish and dashi lovers, the 14,520 Yen for the lunch menu is an absolute bargain. P.s.: As non-Japanese speakers, we felt very well taken care. One of the chefs explained the dishes in English to us and we didn't get the impression that foreigners were treated different from any other guests.

Visited April 2023

My family and I had one of the best kaiseki (lunch) experiences that lasted over 2hours. Chef owner Kiyama and his staff served us tasty bite-size dishes made from best ingredients possible. The chef and his staff will make final preparations in front of us and then served us individually. Unlike mo...st traditional Kaiseki places, Kiyama has a relaxed, professional, and friendly atmosphere. The staff's English is limited, but they will make every attempt to answer diners' questions about how the dishes are prepared and where the ingredients came from. The menu changes every month. It is kind of place that you will want to go back again to taste next set of deliciousness.

Visited September 2019