Kyoto, Japan｜Mentatsu

The food here was so amazing! I've never heard of matcha salt but it paired perfectly with the tempura. The owner was also super friendly and very helpful if you are a traveler. Would highly recommend for anyone to go here.

We rushed to get seats as this place is know for its big lines. Fortunately, there was no line as we got there a bit early. The owner, thankfully is serious about hygiene and requires that we sanitize our hands and wear a mask. The seats are also generously spaced, with condiments, chopsticks, and sanitizer spaced evenly on the counter. Each dish is made to order so the tempura is ultra fresh and hot. The noodles we had in mid-winter were delicious udon noodles kept warm hot water with a with a fantastically fragrant dipping soup. Topping made the dipping soup change the tone from savory to spicy and sweet. Just wonderful. The proprietor was equally charming as he gave us several ideas to add to our itinerary. We love Kyoto but nothing is better than local knowledge. I highly recommend this place for locals or anyone visiting

The menu is now Tendon (Tempura Donburi) instead of udon noodles, but the food was delicious, and the chef, Tatsuo, was gracious in providing tourism recommendations in English.