未在

Mizai is mythical. That about sums it up. When the hotel concierge in Kyoto wrote to me that she had managed to book four seats at Mizai seven months down the road, I jumped up and down. And the meal exceeded the expectations of all of us. It was most definitely the best culinary experience of the y...ear, by some margin. My wife said afterwards that Mizai is a place she wants to return to (she had only ever said this 3 or 4 times), and I agree. It would go too far to describe each of the about 13 courses. The sashimi course stood out, as did the beautifully presented and executed Hassun, and a stunning fruit dessert with no less than 75 different ingredients. for every course the produce quality is sublime, and one wonders how Chef Ishihara- san sources his vegetables, for example. Another reviewer has written on another occasion that some vegetables would make Alain Passard look with envy - very true. Chef Ishihara is now 74, but he is very much in evidence, explaining every dish as it is served. We had one waiter who managed to to do the explaining in faultless English. Mizai was famous for its cash only policy, which meant you had to arrive with thicks wads of JPY notes; it now does accept credit cards. The price point for four? Obviously very high, but worth every yen. I even bought Ishihara-san's book, and he was kind enough to sign it with a dedication. We walked out after three and a half hours full, happy, with the feeling we had witnessed something special. I now know why I never could book Mizai on my own - the vast majority of customers are regulars and re-book the moment they leave the restaurant.

June 2026に訪問

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.

November 2019に訪問

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.

October 2019に訪問

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

November 2015に訪問