Kyoto, Japan｜Kichisen

This is an amazing restaurant with excellent service, exquisitely prepared meals that are visually stunning, and each plate was absolutely delicious. Each plate prepared brings out the inherent taste of what is being served. I’m shocked at the bad reviews, but it seems that most of the bad reviews have no photos, so who knows? We made a request for reservations far out in advance, got our confirmations, and attended. We were met outside by a greeter, and taken into our own room. Each set of plates was delightful to see. The servers were attentive and explained each meal. There is a camera in the room so they know when you complete one set of plates and are ready for the next, so I assume this is why people might feel rushed? We had 6pm reservation and had a leisurely 2.5 hour dinner, leaving around 9:30 so we never felt rushed. One of our servers spoke a tiny bit of English, but between their little English and our bit Japanese and a translator app, it all worked out. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it an wonderful experience? Absolutely. Is it worth it? For us, definitely. For you? That’s something you’ll have to decide.

Excellent meal, service was great, and chef was friendly. I was nervous going in after reading the other reviews, but the food was amazing. Be aware that it is extremely expensive, so reconsider if this is the best value for you if budget is a concern.

Amazing food. I am very surprised about the negative reviews. This is a place to enjoy food with all the senses, and all the staff were very nice. It is a pity that we did not get a list with the name of the different dishes. We had a private room for the three of us and we had an excellent time. We paid the menus in advance. The experience lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is less than in other similar restaurants. Maybe some people feel rushed and therefore the negative reviews. However, we enjoyed our time there and the food was perfect.