Kaiseki Cuisine YUGEN

I had a dinner reservation which lasted about 2 hours. The atmosphere was relaxing so it was a great place to unwind after a busy schedule. This place has 9 courses which is more than the tradition 3-5, so it very filling and you can try varieties of dishes. I would suggest looking up the ingredients beforehand so you can truly understand and appreciate what you will be eating. This place is somewhat English friendly (one of the assistant was helpful with guiding through different courses) but don't expect to have a full on conversation in English. Be mindful that this is still a Japanese establishment. In terms of the food, I loved all of the dishes, especially the dessert with Matcha tea. The chef puts a lot of effort into presentation as well. With the great food, unique presentation, and excellent service, I would say this place is definitely worth it to try. Quick tip: The entrance doesn't have a sign or a logo so make sure you look at the photos in here to see what the entrance looks like.

Even though the preparation techniques and presentation were creative, the food flavors were quite bland. There was not one single dish that stand out in terms of flavor. During our trip we only visited Michelin restaurants in Japan and this was our least favorite experience. The service is quite consistent everywhere in the country, it’s really the food that differs. Also, the restaurant puts a door sign after the opening, so if you come even 5 minutes earlier you will never find it!

We’ve had a very pleasant experience at Kaiseki Yugen. The staff were friendly, polite and professional. Interesting and tasty menu surprised us a few times with dishes we’ve never tried before at the same time being beautifully presented. I’d highly recommend visiting if you are coming to Osaka.

Pros Michelin 2 stars Cons Snobby No music, no one spoke for the most of time, feels like attending a funeral. Women keep selling us cup of teas Time consuming, it took us 3 hours, too long ! We arrived 10 minutes early, they don’t let us in on a cold night. No heated waiting area nor benches. Then it took more than 15 minutes of dead silence until they start serving. No menu for Japanese customers, why? No detailed bill, If you are looking for a respected/trusted place to dine, try Kikunoi in Kyoto. Probably we never go back. Don’t recommend this place.

This restaurant only has 6 seats, so it’s definitely a good idea to book in advance. We visited for lunch and have never experienced such an outstanding price-to-quality ratio at a 2-star restaurant. While communication in English was a bit challenging, we were provided with the menu in English, and the service staff made a great effort to present each course to us. Highly recommended! Considering the quality of the food, they could easily charge higher prices.

Very delicious kaiseki, the service is superb with waiter explaining the dishes in English, very tourist friendly. The environment is very nice, clean and comfortable. All the dishes are seasonal, although simple but delicious, can feel the chef did put a lot of effort in plating which makes the food not only tasty and also playable to the eyes. What I like most is the seasonal dishes, especially the vinegar saba. Also the recommendation on seasonal sake is a plus, we had total 3 different types of sake. Did not give a 5 stars rating because the other dishes did not give me wow factor. Generally it is recommended to eat in this restaurant.

Oh my world, absolutely beyond words how much I enjoyed the lunch here. Definitely worth the time even I wasn't staying in Osaka. The service, the effort and the level of thinking going into a seemingly simple dish, it just blew my mind. I absolutely love it and wanna come back again. Thank you for such an amazing meal, see U next year!

Extraordinary cooking at a very reasonable price .. for 2 star Michelin, it’s the best value i had in Japan Just go!