Kyoto Garden Japanese Restaurant

Went to Kyoto Restaurant and I’m honestly still thinking about the food — it was that good. The oysters were the freshest and best I’ve ever had in my life, so clean, cold and perfectly briny. The Estacy platter was such a standout too, giving a little bite of everything: prawns, scallops, octopus and mushrooms laid over seaweed. Salty, but absolutely delicious — like tasting the ocean in the best possible way. The ramen with wagyu beef was incredible: rich, comforting, and so filling that I had to slow down just to savour every mouthful. Even the edamame beans at the start were a refreshing surprise and set the tone for the whole meal. The atmosphere is calming and beautiful, with the gentle sound of running water adding to that peaceful, Japanese-style ambience. The décor is stunning, and the staff were amazing — attentive, warm and genuinely welcoming. A truly exceptional dining experience. Highly recommend!

A lovely restaurant so tranquil one can eat and savoury the delicate flavours. Chef's choice on Sashimi, Vegetable Tempura and Ramen with Waygu Beef stole my heart away, rich flavour especially on the last one, a really smoky broth that was amazing!

We ordered: Oysters, Prawn dumplings and the Miso soup for starters. The Ramen Noodles & Wagu, and the Udon Noodles & Duck for mains. The Chocolate and Miso Crepe for dessert. Yes to every dish! Not one was better than the other! Customer service was warm and engaging. The owner came to chat with us twice which made us feel like returning guests or old acquaintances. It did seem that the other patrons in the restaurant that evening were regulars. The restaurant ambiance is so incredibly calming!! The sound of a water fountain somewhere in the background, relaxing music, dim lighting... all made me feel like I was in a spa!

Booked dinner reservations for 2 for 19 July 2025 at 6pm. On the outside the restaurant looked closed but the lighting inside was dim. Only one waiter serving everyone. We made mention that we had a reservation for 6pm and were given the option of 2 tables to choose from. The waiter didn't check whether we had a reservation, it felt completely unorganised. To our surprise there was only one table with 3 people in this restaurant. We ordered drinks and were shocked as to the glassware used. I ordered a glass of red wine which wasn't served in a red wine glass but rather a whiskey tumbler. The bonsai was served in a champagne flute and you could only taste the brut classique - no taste of the plum wine. The waiter did offer to add more plum wine, but we declined. Note that the waiter was also the barman. I did however the enjoy the red wine. I had the Kyoto Cosmo later on (which the waiter had requested to add something he forgot). The drink was disappointing as I couldn't taste anything in the drink. Not the raspberry or the alcohol. The waiter referred us to the Ginger Mizuwari which was a nice drink. The waiter brought over some complimentary edamame beans while we waited for our starters. The vibe inside felt tranquil. The decor looked nice. However we could hear the laughter and noise from the next door restaurant (might have been due to us having a window seat). We ordered cerviche and prawn dumplings for starters. Note that they didn't have squid, abalone or clams/scallops available. I enjoyed the prawn dumplings. For the price of the cerviche, you wouldn't expect just three pieces of fish with lemon juice. There was a wait on the mains. We ordered ramen noodles with wagyu and curry chicken. The mains were bland. We waited over 10 minutes for the bill and I even walked up to the bar section requesting to pay. The table with the 3 individuals actually had the manager at their table as their order was messed up. When the waiter finally came with the bill he remembered that he needed to deduct the R400 reservation fee and also he had to check the system. Safe to say, this was a one and done trip. Not sure whether they well known for their other dishes, but the service and dishes we received was not up to the standard that their website promoted. The menu is overpriced for the delivery received. The waiter was nice and apologized and checked up on us. We didn't want to complain as we set ourselves up for failure.

Visited in January 2025. South Africa. Cape Town. As ardent devotees of Japanese cuisine, we were, quite naturally, excited to discover this establishment. The menu featured several of our favourite ingredients, and coupled with the claim of a Japanese chef, we felt compelled to explore this culinary venture (though some negative reviews did give us pause). The restaurant itself is modestly sized, light-filled, and employs a design emphasizing natural wood elements, and notably, an open kitchen offering a clear view of the chef at work. The Food: The menu, while not extensive, offered a familiar repertoire of Japanese staples, including appetizers, rolls, nigiri, soups, and noodles. We decided to begin with fresh oysters and a selection of sashimi – dishes that, in our experience, often provide a reliable indication of both product quality and a chef's technical prowess. The oysters were pleasing, plump, and served simply with a wedge of lemon. Next, our nigiri arrived, featuring scallops, sea urchin roe (a personal delicacy), and yellowtail. The scallop was indeed fresh and exhibited a pleasant texture, though it lacked the distinct sweetness characteristic of deep-sea Japanese scallops. The yellowtail, disappointingly, proved rather flavorless, and the slice was far too thin, almost entirely obscured by the rice. The sea urchin roe, sadly, was of a noticeably inferior quality, and given the prices charged, this was unacceptable. The roe was excessively orange in color, lacking the sweet and creamy character typically associated with fine Japanese sea urchin roe (they source theirs from Portugal). For those with a genuine appreciation for this delicacy, this was an extremely disappointing experience. However, the most grievous failing of this restaurant was the quality of the rice itself. It was excessively sticky, bland, and tasteless – its quantity in the nigiri completely overwhelming the flavor of the other ingredients. This was truly puzzling, given that the chef is purportedly Japanese; having experienced authentic Japanese cuisine first-hand in Japan, this was frankly unacceptable. Service: The service was generally satisfactory. Our waitress was well-informed about the menu options and offered some helpful recommendations. In general, the service was prompt, and we found it to be quite comfortable. Conclusion: This restaurant is ultimately a disappointing imitation of genuine Japanese cuisine. The prices are quite excessive for the quality offered. While sourcing fresh ingredients directly from Japan may indeed present some logistical difficulties, the inability to prepare authentic Japanese rice is, frankly, inexcusable. I cannot help but suspect that the claim of a Japanese chef is merely a superficial marketing ploy. I would not, therefore, recommend this establishment.

We booked our dinner there , the one of our starters oysters was not fresh at all . so what happened is I eat it first one is not fresh , so I spited out , and my partner wants to try , he tried one and he agrees. So we addressed to the waiter, and told her we don’t want rest of this anymore . At the end of the bill , they still charged the oysters. Second , we both order other starters which we mentioned we would like to have oysters first , and the other starters second . But when we send the oysters back , my partner’s starter came out first , until he finished his starter, mine isn’t out yet. So we both watched each other eating . (Btw not mentioned the whole restaurant is only two of us ) so I think the excuse of mixing orders isn’t available here . Third the main course sushi that I order was really average. Honestly nothing is worse what the price is put out there . I’m speaking not as first time customer. The Kyoto garden is no longer the standard before but seems their price is keep growing not their quality.

Loved it years ago but haven’t been back for ages and it’s really not what it used to be. Very overpriced for very average food and drink - whisky cocktail tasted cheap with Jamesons for R200, sushi rice tasted stale, dry and hard and definitely not worth the price. Soba noodles tasted store bought. Really feel ripped off for what we paid for the meal and seemingly low effort put into preparation and quality of ingredients.

What an awesome food and service experience - tick on the bucket list - from arriving to the time we left we were given exceptional service and made to feel welcome and special - the discrete outside of the venue hides the true beauty of the décor inside, and the food speaks for itself. We had a late lunch of authentic Japanese dishes which was a real rush of flavours and textures we rarely have the privilege to experience in South Africa - the service just built on the already phenomenal food and we were advised on which dishes to experience. On more than one occasion we were brought some samples of other dishes and drinks to try out as well as given some interesting info about the sampled dishes and drinks. Even if it's the last thing you do, visit Kyoto 🤤😘👌🏻