Kaiseki Cuisine YUGEN

Enjoyed a great evening here. The restaurant is really intimate with only 6 seats along the bar overlooking the chef and kitchen. They do also have a small private dining area too. The menu was really varied and tasty. The flavours were on the subtle side but well balanced and very enjoyable. On the night we were there, everything was coordinated with the other diners there. My recommendation would be to make sure you’re on time and not late. Wine and sake were available by the glass for a reasonable price. Overall really enjoyable and relaxed experience.

This is my first time to travel to Japan from Taiwan and reserve dinner on 7/14 for birthday! Chef and assistant chef handle ingredients and cook very well. Watching you both work is like enjoying an artistic feast. All the fish is very fresh, especially delicious Sashimi can prove the freshness. Although I don’t speak and understand Japanese, you all still provide very good service. Thank you, everyone on the team in Yugen. I have amazing dinner for birthday celebration!

I had high hopes for Yugen, but the experience fell short. The menu leaned surprisingly light on premium ingredients and at times even felt careless in execution. From the start, the opening dish of lobster and fig showed promise—the fig was sweet, the lobster tasty, with lightly blanched spinach for texture. Unfortunately, things began to unravel after that. The eel pressed sushi was my first disappointment: I received the end piece, with rice so poorly pressed it fell apart on pick-up. A soup with a dumpling followed—tender in texture, but nearly flavorless, although with the added bite coming from mozuku seaweed. The hassun course (edamame, mackerel, pickled ginger, taro, and grapes with tofu sauce) lacked punch, with the grapes ironically being the highlight. Sashimi of bonito and uni, along with beltfish paired with ginkgo and matsutake, felt closer to the standard one would expect, but portions were modest. Later courses fell back into blandness: a fried tofu dumpling with beef tendon, eggplant, and okra lacked depth, and the charcoal-grilled saury arrived in a tiny portion, mine slightly burnt. To make matters worse, rice courses served with ikura went to other guests, but not me—a detail that felt dismissive. Dessert, whether fruit or perilla ice cream, left no impression. Overall, Yugen felt like poor value. While there were flashes of quality, the uneven execution, muted flavors, and sense of being given the “lesser” pieces left the experience underwhelming, especially in a city where kaiseki standards run so high.

Visited on April 7, 2025 for lunch. Had the best meal of my life. Can’t imagine how much effort goes into every dish. Loved the quiet vibe with no music—I’m just there to enjoy the amazing food. That’s all I need. Thanks again!

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.

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.

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!

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.