Kyoto, Japan｜Shutei Bankara

This is a super cute restaurant with amazing dishes. We decided to ask the server for recommendations, and we just mindblown. We had a special local dish (Kyoto eggplant), and it was delicious. I personally haven't tasted anything like that in Kyoto, so that was an eye-opener. We were really lucky as one of the servers spoke English & Spanish, so despite not having an English menu, we managed to enjoy the entire experience. A must visit when you are in Kyoto.

Amazed by the variety of food here as you can see from the picture. Food is really good here and not that expensive. The menu is in Japanese but the waiter can speak English and is able to recommend a few good dishes - sea urchin wrap, beef soup and sashimi are must try here! Price is affordable, compared to other restaurants out there.

This small restaurant is located in the old restaurant and bar district of Kyoto. It is difficult to find, and you need to have a good understanding of the little alleyways in the area, and even Google Maps isn‘t entirely reliable here as the accuracy sometimes isn‘t good enough. The restaurant features sushi bar seating as well as regular tables upstairs. The restaurant doesn‘t seat many people so you should make a reservation. For instance, only 14 guests are able to dine simultaneously upstairs, and around 8 guests at the sushi counter downstairs. There are some additional dining rooms downstairs. The interior is spartan and simple, but still very nice. The food served is nothing but spectacular. The restaurant pays attention to detail and many sashimi dishes that you find in other restaurants have a personal twist to them at Shutei Bankara, see photos. We wrapped up dinner with three different styles of local Kyoto rice, all three spectacular, but we especially preferred the tofu rice. Tofu is of course a staple dish in Kyoto, so you shouldn‘t miss trying tofu in Kyoto. In fact, there are restaurants that specialize in tofu, and you can have seven-course dinner with only tofu dishes - highly recommended. The staff is extremely friendly. We speak some Japanese, and the staff speaks little English, but this was not an issue. If you call to make a reservation you need to speak Japanese though. Location: 5/5 (the area is fantastic) Ambience: 3/5 Food: 5/5 Staff: 5/5 Price/quality: 5/5 (low price, high quality)