HUNTER

My daughter, son in law and husband were searching for a great steak. It was our last family dinner in Japan. We saw the HUNTER sign and walked in (just my daughter and I) to inquire. The chef saw us and we were met with an abrupt “NO to the hostess and she said it was reservations only. Clearly, ...there were seats available. I only write about the experience because we read all of the great reviews and had a share our encounter.

Visited April 2025

We had dinner here on our first night in Kyoto. Unknown to us, our dinner reservations were on a Japanese holiday, and the restaurants were closed. Chef Ima opened the restaurant for us since he knew we were in Japan for our honeymoon. It was just us and Chef Ima in the restaurant, making it a me...morable experience. The dishes he prepared for us were delicious and was our favorite meal we had in Japan. If you go to Kyoto and are looking for a fantastic dining experience, I highly suggest eating at Hunter

Visited October 2024

When everywhere else was busy or closing for a private function we fell upon Hunter, which looked so inviting from the outside. We had little idea of how great the food would be. Interesting dishes that we divided like tapas to sample the interesting flavors. Meat cooked to perfection with interesti...ng sauces and vegetables to accompany each dish. Definitely recommend all we had...the buttered scallops, wagyu beef, black pork, lamb and curry rice. Delicious !

Visited March 2024

Despite a very small, unassuming sign directing pedestrians walking the street to Hunter's front door, my Wagyu steak entree tonight at Hunter was absolutely delicious - one of the best steaks I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. The chef expertly seared and grilled the steak and performed some ...other magical preparations as we watched from the bar. The steak itself consisted of a very generous portion of wagyu beef. Despite the size of the steak, the chef prepared it so that it was rare, very tender, and yet warmed evenly throughout. The sauce that accompanied the steak perfectly complemented it - a combination of aged balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and salt with half a red onion grilled to sweetened tenderness. Perfection. While the steak was the star of the evening, I also shared an octopus appetizer with my brother that was also delicious. The octopus was tender, served with a grilled red pepper and a vegetable mix. By the time we tasted the octopus, we knew knew we were in good hands - and then the steak arrived taking us to an entirely new culinary level. The stylish restaurant itself consisted of about eight seats at the bar with only a few tables in the back of the restaurant. The bar provided a direct view of the kitchen area - something I always like. In a beautifully appointed space and with only two staff - the waitress and the chef - the restaurant offered a sense of intimacy to its diners. The very friendly waitress had an easy patience with us as we spoke very little Japanese. To communicate, we relied on my phone's translator. We also easily used the app's camera function to translate the menu from Japanese into English. Unfortunately, we left Kyoto for Osaka the next morning; otherwise, we would have returned to Hunter again the following day to further explore its intriguing menu. I cannot wait to visit Kyoto again. When I do, you can be sure that I'll return to Hunter at least once during that trip.

Visited February 2024

Nice small restaurant, fresh food cross Europe nice service. max 20 seats - reservation recommended - good dishes - best to order for sharing so you can try mostly everything! good vine!

Visited May 2018