Kikunoi Honten, a renowned brand in the culinary industry, takes pride in offering an exceptional dining experience rooted in tradition. With its location in the heart of Kyoto, Japan, Kikunoi Honten stands as a prominent establishment, captivating guests with its exquisite cuisine and warm ambiance. Led by master chef Masahiro Nakai, the establishment has earned numerous accolades, including three Michelin stars, reaffirming its commitment to culinary excellence. Kikunoi Honten's menu delights patrons with meticulously crafted dishes, showcasing the highest quality of seasonal ingredients. From meticulously prepared sushi to artfully presented kaiseki meals, the brand's dedication to delivering an unforgettable gastronomic experience is second to none. Immerse yourself in the rich culinary heritage of Japan at Kikunoi Honten and indulge in a symphony of flavors that will leave a lasting impression on your palate.
Amenities and More
- Service options
- Dine-in
- Planning
- Accepts reservations
- Reservations required
- Payments
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- Crowd
- Groups
- Highlights
- Great tea selection
Reviews
As expected with a 3 Michelin star place, the whole experience was top notch. Japanese hospitality at its best. The restaurant is set in a home and can imagine how it was like in the olden days.
Food was impeccable and excellent. Our wait staff was also very attentive, although language was a slight barrier.
A quintessential Kyoto kaiseki experience.
Service, food, and atmosphere are all outstanding. Sometimes considered one of the more conservative kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto, Kikunoi’s menus actually tend to be full of clever innovations and modern touches.
The service is gracious and attentive. The meal never feels rushed, and the private rooms with garden views are among the best in the city.
I recommend going for lunch since it can be a long meal and being able to walk around Higashiyama afterwards can be a nice way to wind down after such an elaborate meal.
For a three star Michelin restaurant, this place had a lot of hype. We had high expectations going in and overall left with mixed feelings.
Service- phenomenal. Period. The private rooms are one of a kind and the wait staff are incredibly professional and almost too respectful (lots of bowing and kowtowing, but that might be more of a cultural discrepancy). It’s a business casual dress code and shoes off in the restaurant. The overall experience for lunch takes 2.5 hours for 10 courses which is on par with the course of fine dining.
Food- this is a mixed bag. Overall, I think the meals definitely challenged and expanded my palate. There were a lot of foods I’ve previously never tried and a lot of textures I personally don’t really like (like the slimy, okra like feeling) the courses all had great presentation but only 3-4 dishes I would eat again. The dishes were certainly original and had a flair of “trying to be unique.” But sometimes pushes past my comfort zone. The portion sizes, dare I say we’re almost too big for 10 courses.
Overall- would recommend only if you have an adventurous palate and time on your hands.
For those familiar with Japanese kaiseki cuisine, you will experience something of another level at Kikunoi with their Kyoto-style kayseri.
Thank you very much to Chef Murata and the entire team at Kikunoi Honten. My wife and I had an amazing dinner experience on Oct 7, 2023. The restaurant and the room given to us were beautiful and generous (no piped-in music, only quietness broken by the occasional sound of crickets), the food was supremely delicious and full of seasonal philosophy but most of all, every single staff we encountered were simply excellent, even the staff directing traffic outside. Thank you all very much
Had lunch in early December. The food quality was good and consistent and the atmosphere of the place was spectacular (believe it is all private tatami rooms).
First time we had fugu and the texture was quite surprising, though there wasn't much taste in and of itself.
Service was great. They had a book that described what each dish was and how it was inspired, which was very interesting.
it was our first time to experience a 3-star Michelin restaurant. It was worth the travel since every single food they served was mind-blowing. Our kimono-dressed server, Makoto-san, was exceptionally welcoming from the moment we arrived up until we left and the private room was so spacious, it can easily fit 20 people. The garden view was a nice touch too.
One of the meals of a lifetime. Absolutely incredible from the moment we stepped onto the premises. The hosts showed a whole different level of respect and politeness. I can't really do the food justice with any description. A perfect menu after a hot summer day in Kyoto with beautifully presented dishes that were perfectly executed. A truly memorable evening and one I wish I could experience again.
really excellent dining experience, the private room with a view of the gorgeous garden really dials the experience up a notch. flavours are clean and light, highlighting the quality and the freshness ingredients themselves. the stand out dish was the hassun and the grilled ayu.
have also seen some other bad reviews comparing this with other 2 or 3 Michelin star restaurants, which in my opinion is missing the point a little. you're not going to get the same punchy, explosive, and experimental flavours as you do from restaurants from the western hemisphere, which is exactly the point of an establishment like this. come here with the right (but not lower) expectations and you will leave feeling totally satisfied.
Location
Hours
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Gion Kitagawa Hanbee
8 reviews
570-188 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0074, Japan
Highly Searched in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Neighborhoods
- Tokyo Prefecture
- Osaka Prefecture
- Kanagawa Prefecture
- Hokkaido Prefecture
- Kyoto Prefecture
- Shizuoka Prefecture
- Aichi Prefecture
- Fukuoka Prefecture
- Hyogo Prefecture
- Nagano Prefecture
- Chiba Prefecture
- Okinawa Prefecture
- Saitama Prefecture
- Tochigi Prefecture
- Hiroshima Prefecture
- Miyagi Prefecture
- Gunma Prefecture
- Mie Prefecture