Nakazen

Truly our the best meal we've had in Kyoto. The owner and the staff are so friendly. They truly make you feel like you're at home enjoying a meal with friends. The food is playful, delicious and has a strong sense of narrative highly recommended

Fantastic experience, from beginning to end. The chef and his wife are very kind and warm, they treated us so nicely. Food was delicious, every flavour and texture perfectly intertwined in ways that will make your palate come alive. We were surprised by the variety of ingredients, the different dishes were very interesting and it was also fun to have the chef come over and show different steps of the preparation. All of the dishes were explained to us by the wife, whose service was impeccable. They even stepped out of the restaurant to bow and wave us goodbye, it was so touching. Note: the portions are very generous. Arigato Gozaimasu!!! From your customers from Argentina ❤️

Delicious kaiseki chef’s tasting menu using fresh and high quality ingredients. The chef was super friendly and spoke good English and explained each dish in detail. It is a small establishment so reservation is essential. Thank you for an unforgettable experience!

I want to express my gratitude to both the chef and his wife for truly enhancing our experience in Kyoto. Their exceptional culinary skills and high-quality service made our day truly special. We savored every bite of the delicious, exquisitely presented dishes that were bursting with umami flavors. What set this dining experience apart was their thoughtful gesture of providing us with a picture guidebook showcasing the ingredients and fish used in each dish, which proved invaluable for non-Japanese speakers. This unique touch was definitely a highlight for the night. Price was reasonable for an 11 dish course. Overall a 10/10 experience. Just wish I could speak some Japanese so could have had some chit-chat with the two lovely owners :)

Here is Japanese kaiseki restaurant. It’s small place so I recommend you to make a reservation. Chef is using seasonal ingredients and his technique to make all meals fantastic. You can enjoy with your five senses.

Nakazen is small Kyoto Kaiseki cuisine restaurant. Better for you should make a reservation, because it's a Michelin single star. Kyoto kaiseki cuisine has a delicate taste, so it may be difficult for beginners of Japanese kaiseki cuisine.

We had a fabulous dining experience at Nakazen, perhaps the best we had during our two-week trip to Japan. The quality of dishes is very high, as befits the Michelin-star restaurant, and the food - mostly fish-based - is varied and delicious. The chef’s recommendation on the choice of Sake was also spot-on. What made our evening an Nakazen even more special was the attention and care shown by Chef Taketo and our hostess - from explaining the dishes in English and in pictures, engaging in conversation about food and craft to even writing down family recipe for plum wine - truly wonderful. Can’t wait to go back once again.

I am quite lucky to have a chance to dine here 3 times already and all of the time is stunning. The food itself resemble the Kaiseki cuisine or the Japanese tradition course meal but prepare and serve to you on the counter top bar where the chef display all the preparation and also have a chance to chat with the chef during the meal, thus called the style differently as 'Kappo'. All the dishes are seasonal and skillfully cooked. The price for the course meal may seems high but compare to the top class Kappo or Kaiseki restaurants, I think it is highly competitive. . However, I should also warn here that this style of food may not for everyone. Some dish are quite an acquire taste and some are quite 'mature' taste - like enjoying the bitterness of the river fish's liver. In short, not all the dish will be 'comfortable' to your palate but it's a learning experience of sort as well. I think the food is on par with any 3 michelin-starred restaurants in town.

Nakazen is not in the city center, but a good restaurant to venture out if you are comfortable. There are only six counter seats and one table of four seats. Everyone gets a 10-course seafood omakase menu for JPY15,400. There were several local vegetables used, which was neat. My favorite was the miso soup with lobster. I like seafood in general, but felt like having seafood exclusively was too much (1 star off). I wish there was some variety in protein choices, at least for one course. Presentation for each dish was beautiful. The stoneware choices were carefully selected to highlight the dish. Each dish was almost pretty to eat...almost.