Kyoto, Japan｜Nakazen

I want to express my gratitude to both the chef and his wife for truly enhancing our experience in Kyoto. Their exceptional culinary skills and high-quality service made our day truly special. We savored every bite of the delicious, exquisitely presented dishes that were bursting with umami flavors. What set this dining experience apart was their thoughtful gesture of providing us with a picture guidebook showcasing the ingredients and fish used in each dish, which proved invaluable for non-Japanese speakers. This unique touch was definitely a highlight for the night. Price was reasonable for an 11 dish course. Overall a 10/10 experience. Just wish I could speak some Japanese so could have had some chit-chat with the two lovely owners :)

Here is Japanese kaiseki restaurant. It’s small place so I recommend you to make a reservation. Chef is using seasonal ingredients and his technique to make all meals fantastic. You can enjoy with your five senses.

We had a fabulous dining experience at Nakazen, perhaps the best we had during our two-week trip to Japan. The quality of dishes is very high, as befits the Michelin-star restaurant, and the food - mostly fish-based - is varied and delicious. The chef’s recommendation on the choice of Sake was also spot-on. What made our evening an Nakazen even more special was the attention and care shown by Chef Taketo and our hostess - from explaining the dishes in English and in pictures, engaging in conversation about food and craft to even writing down family recipe for plum wine - truly wonderful. Can’t wait to go back once again.