Kioichō Fukudaya

Unique experience with one of the most exceptional services I have ever seen. A staff member will be waiting for you at the entry. You will need to remove your shoes and will be conducted to a private room in a traditional Japanese house. Each dish is served with the most exquisite delicacy and the chef comes to your room to personally serve a few of them.

My family and I had a great time dining here. The service was excellent and the staff were all very friendly. The atmosphere is perfect if you’re looking for a personal and relaxed setting. The food was amazing and the pairing of flavors was top notch.

Throughout the course of the dinner, the service was incredible. A staff member was there to greet us from the beginning, we had two very kind and hospitable staff members who were always there for questions. The atmosphere is set within a traditional Japanese home whilst the food is extremely tasty and filling. An incredible experience I would highly recommend.

For how much I spent, I don’t think the food was worth the money. Some of the dishes were bland. The wagyu was tough and not mouth-watering like it usually is. I came out feeling very unimpressed. Personally, I have found that some of the cheaper restaurants I’ve gone to have more flavorful food — all for $6-12 USD per person. Perhaps I’m uncultured and don’t understand Japanese food, so take what I’m saying with a grain of salt. This restaurant happens to be ranked much lower than other ones in the list of places we’ve tried in Japan. Honestly, maybe we just went on an off day. Don’t get me wrong, there were some highlights. Some of the best-tasting unagi I’ve ever had, and I don’t like unagi usually. Great pieces of toro — mind-blowing. I just didn’t think that the dishes were consistent. Overall, seafood quality was A+ though. Maybe it’s because I got the Omakase option and didn’t get to choose the nigiri. Phenomenal service though — like so good we were kind of uncomfortable and started cleaning up after every drop that would fall on our tray. The staff is extremely attentive and respectful. They’re all kind and helpful. We were also dining in a private room. Wow, talk about an experience. Would I do it again? Nah, I think I am more of a hole-in-the-wall kind of gal — more about the food than the ambience. Of course, I’d love to have both but that’s hard to find or I just haven’t found it often in Japan.

Full video with sound on Tik Tok My coworker and I decided on dining here while on a trip to Japan. The private experience was AMAZING! When you walk in you’re immediately greeted with a warm welcome and asked to take your shoes off. Bring socks if youre wearing sandals. They will seat you and your party and begin the experience right away. They did ask us if we had any allergies which is customary since there is a mix of seafoods throughout. I was full because the courses ended and felt I may come off rude, but I let them know everything is amazing I’m just getting full. 🫣 Overall this was an authentic experience and worth the trip to see the history, the love poured into the meal and the artistry.

My take on Kioicho Fukudaya: The setting was lovely a real hidden gem feel with a private room that was cozy. The execution of the food & service was absolutely spot on (5/5). However, I wouldn't necessarily reccomend this two star Michelin to my friends. This is very traditional Japanese cuisine, highlighting amazing, fresh, but unusual ingredients. If you're more into modern flavors, some of the dishes will be hard to stomach. The service and ambiance were fantastic, and the food was executed perfectly, but, encountering so many unfamiliar delicacies made it a bit of a learning curve. For me, the $275pp price tag didn't quite align with my personal enjoyment of the meal. Still, a lovely experience nonetheless with exceptional service.

In conclusion, Everything here is superb .

Good, quality food. Extraordinary service, atmosphere and setting.

Tokyo, Kioicho. November 2024. This restaurant has only been open since 1939. I say "only" jokingly. When it opened it immediately became a choice of many of Tokyo's literary greats because of the influence of a noted ceramic artist and culinary, Rosanjin. It has been in its present location since the end of WWII. The building stands out as a sukiya, in the shoin zukuri style of architecture, among all the modern buildings and skyscrapers in Kioicho. The solid stone base is impressive. The interior is cleanly laid out with spare shoji divided tatami rooms on two floors. What stands out in the Kaiseki is their selection of the highest quality seasonal ingredients and products and how they try to maximize the flavors. The respect for the food is tasted - flavors are added to complement or enhance an ingredient. The dish-ware used and the plating of the food is intended to create a harmonious balance that creates anticipation. The hassun, a trio of a shime saba maki, koichi roe wrapped with kombu, a piece of karasumi topped with a plain slice of daikon, was a stunning taste of the season. Pretty but not fancy to look at. Autumn momiji leaves on a white plate. A young leaf of the lotus plant and pine needles as garnish. The taste of dried mullet roe alongside a clean fresh vegetable is not uncommon in japan, but this piece was really good. The savory tart pickle of the saba and the sweet tart vinegar of the shari rice combined was as good as I can remember ever having. Not everything works. Beef in a kaiseki is very uncommon, just because it was traditionally hard to get a high quality product and its lack of seasonality. In deference to modern tastes they have added a sort of supplemental course - susume zakana - of Hokkaido A5 Wagyu. It was an outstanding three bites, but it felt forced in the meal progression. Whether this the best kaiseki you will have in Tokyo is very much a matter of preference and perception. But this was, without doubt, an outstanding meal in its simplicity and execution.