MASHIRO

The Michelin star for Mashiro is well deserved. Our large group thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience here. From the food to the service and atmosphere, it truly was a 5 stars experience. We have been to a bunch of 3 Michelin star restaurants in Tokyo and Kyoto, Mishiro is a standout even if it has only one star at the moment. The food was creative and delicious. Each course was beautifully presented and every dish was flavorful and cooked well. I had the non-alcoholic pairing and it was absolutely wonderful. The work in producing each drink was so involved, it was almost like cooking a separate dish. Some of our favorites were the peach and caviar. Chef was very generous with the caviar. The eel with eggplant was such a great pairing, crispy and soft together. The duck was super flavorful and tender. We watched the bread being baked during our meal. When it was served, the slices were warm, moist and chewy. Probably the best bread I've ever had. Even though the green salad looked simple, it had a variety of different textures and flavors that the meat-eating young adults we were with cleaned their plates. We would have liked to interact with the chef more but was somewhat difficult due to our language difference. The staff was attentive and efficient. We would highly recommend Mashiro and will definitely visit again when we return to Kyoto.

The chef is the most friendly Japanese chef I have ever seen. He makes even non-Japanese-speaking customers feel very welcomed. The entire dinner is like a cooking show right in front of you. You get to appreciate a lot more about fresh ingredients when everything is prepared before you. He even asked me which dish I like the most after the meal. It was a tough choice between the wagyu beef and mackerel. I would definitely go back often.

We went there in mid May 2025. A truly five star experience. Food, service and atmosphere were all excellent. The food was French-Japanese fusion. The restaurant was tightly run by the chef, sous chef and a small group of staff, and hosted by a wonderful English-speaking sommelier. A must go in Kyoto.

We had the best experience! The service was amazing, they have just a few seats and the attention is impeccable. No words to describe the food, you just need to try it by yourself. All the plates were so delicate and special. I was there for a special occasion and I got a lovely surprise at the end.

恐ろしいサービス、ありえないよ！！ (Terrifying service, impossible!!) We feel obliged to tell others what happened to us, especially overseas visitors, so this review will be in English (though my friend and I both are able to understand and speak Japanese). But I also sincerely recommend that locals read this or refer to another Japanese entry by my friend later. To be frank and fair, when compared to other one Michelin-starred restaurants of the same or similar genre, the food was up to standards despite of some thirst after the meal. The service, however, was totally another story. I would like to just pinpoint one fatal and critical issue, serving ALLERGIC ingredients to diners who had written to them on the booking (refer to the image), among many other issues like non-responsive reception (we arrived on time, 3-4 minutes before the booking time), recklessly opening a sparkling wine that made the stopper almost hit my face or head, lack of attention to explaining the dishes (as the chef only turned to the Japanese diners, even they know that we can understand Japanese) and no attention to the untidiness on the table after the serving of a number of dishes. Ones may argue that it could be hard for the restaurant to avoid some allergic ingredients, but the fact is that the restaurant did not express that they cannot avoid those ingredients, neither in advance nor on the spot. To be more precise, the restaurant even did not check or confirm the allergic ingredients with us before the start of the meal. We could only discover the ingredient, which was kiwi in this case, on the Japanese menu (refer to the image) by ourselves. Once again, if they had paid attention to what we told them on the booking or had checked with us regarding such ingredients, how could the exact allergic ingredient blatantly have appeared on the menu without any explanation? When we told the somm cum owner that kiwi is an allergic ingredient to one of us and has to be avoided. He replied that kiwi had been mixed with the dessert and could not be separated from it. Though the chef later provided an alternative, the causal and mindless reply simply showed that they did not notice what we told them on the booking and they did not even care about if the ingredients would cause allergy to diners as there was no apology. We were truly disappointed at the service. If you are considering visiting this one Michelin-starred restaurant (and it also obtained 4.0 out of 5 on Tabelog, as at 8 Sept 2025) on your next trip to Kyoto, please take my review into your consideration.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff that can speak English and the food is absolutely amazing. The chef blends flavors together that I have never tasted before and every dish is better than the last. Very much recommend this experience.

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL experience. Service, drinks, and of course, the food. It was all sublime, delicate, balanced… and truly authentic. Non-touristic well deserved Michelin star in Kyoto.

The food was a perfect mix of French and Asian cuisine. Chef was very involved in all aspects. A memorable experience. Note: only 12 seats. One seating for lunch and one for dinner.