Gion Shimbashi Nakatani

The restaurant is located down a small alleyway. There were some bar seats on the left and two traditional sunken tables of 4 requiring you to take off your shoes, on the right. The owner speaks good English, so we had no problems communicating. He offered us good quality wine, which comes in half b...ottles. We had the set lunch menu, booked and paid in advance. When we arrived there was one Japanese person already there, but otherwise we were the only clients, but that was great. The food comes out beautifully presented in several courses, and it’s delicious. The final course of home made macha ice cream was the perfect end. I would definitely recommend this as a lunch menu if you are travelling to the Gion area, famous for the Geisha. We went on to visit the Geisha museum from there and saw a Maiko (trainee Geisha) dance.

Visited September 2025

Amazing experience. The restaurant is down a small alley right in the middle of Gion. The three chefs / team took extreme care and passion with our wonderful set meal - booked through Pocket Concierge, which worked really well. An amazing 8 course meal with sashimi, fish and meat course and closed o...ut with a wonderful matcha ice cream desert.

Visited November 2024

Truly great food and an amazing traditional setting. Went for chef's selection, was incredible. Highly recommend! Staff were very friendly and explained the dishes well. Loved it!

Visited October 2024

This place makes good use of seasonal ingredients, and the various sashimi dishes are especially delicious. They also provide friendly explanations. If you are going to eat kaiseki in Kyoto, I recommend this restaurant!

Visited October 2024

Great spot! Very creative presentation, and the chef was very friendly. Highly recommended. I genuinely enjoyed every bit.

Visited October 2024