Tominokoji Yamagishi

Whether you believe in fate, luck, or happy coincidence it matters not, because something’s are simply meant to be. And none is truer of the series of events that brought me to Kyoto Yamagishi’s door earlier this week (July ‘25). Following a tour of Kyoto’s scenic and serene North East I soon found myself in search of a place to dine. After wandering aimlessly and arriving a hair too late at a few places prior that had just stopped serving food, I turned a corner right as patrons departed the Kyoto Yamagishi. It was all but a moment, as I was riding a bicycle, yet in that moment before the door closed behind the patrons a heavenly aroma drifted out onto the street, and I caught a glimpse of a chic yet inviting decor, with guests engaged in pleasant chit chat, sous chefs and wait staff buzzing about wearing genuine smiles, all of which was draped in an uplifting aura. So naturally I stopped and inquired about the menu and was shown to a seat. In hindsight thankfully I had on a halfway decent golf polo because it soon became apparent this was a rather upscale restaurant. None the less, from there the night only improved. As Chef Nominokouji prepared a stunning spaghetti squash and soft boiled egg broth, the young couple adjacent struck up a conversation, and great food with even better company very nearly caused me to miss my return train to Osaka. And thus an ideal day was crowned by an exceptional evening, thanks to Tominokoji Yamagishi.

I really don't understand how this place has a rating of 4.51 on Tabelog with such quality and flavor. As a kaiseki restaurant, it falls short in terms of refinement. Overall, the taste is quite ordinary, especially for a meal that costs over 80,000 yen per person; it feels rather perfunctory. I'm just glad I didn't waste a good bottle of wine here.

We had the winter crab course in December, what a spectacular display. Can't recommend this restaurant enough, it's just special in many ways. A difficult reservation for a good reason, we were hoping for a crab dish or two because of the season and we were just wowed. Looking forward to returning next year,

On this day, they were open in three parts, and we attended the 4:00 p.m. session! They said it was more expensive than usual because it was a matsutake mushroom course, but it was a Michelin-starred restaurant, so the food was very stable. I hope to go there again if I can get a reservation 🥺.

Amazing food. But you can't get reservations for at least stuff months

Dinner ¥60000 plus

予約は数日前でも取れました。 今回は蟹のコースで、ひとり10万円超え。特別感のあるディナーです。 石畳のアプローチを抜けると、8席だけのカウンター。 静かな期待が高まる空間です。 大きな蟹がまるでクリスマスツリーのように盛り付けられた“カニスマスツリー”が登場し、2人で1匹の蟹を贅沢にいただけるとのこと。 最初の一品は、香箱蟹の内子・外子がふんだんに乗ったお粥。 初手からインパクトとボリュームがしっかりあります。 フグ刺しには白子がとろりと乗り 木の芽が香るモロコ やさしい味わいの水月大根のお吸い物 明石の鯛や剣先イカ、蟹のお刺身は、どれも甘くて澄んだ美味しさ。 焼き蟹2本はシンプルに塩かカニ酢で。 蟹爪は蟹味噌をたっぷりつけて、濃厚で奥深い味わいに。 残った蟹味噌はご飯と合わせて言うまでもなく最高でした。 初めていただく、しめ鯖とぬた和えはとても好みのお味。 季節の定番、海老芋の蟹あんかけはほっとする美味しさ。 締めは、しっかりめの味付けの鯛めし。 そして最後は大将が中でせっせと作っていた上生菓子が目の前で仕上がります。 上品な甘さと口溶けと生菓子と、お抹茶で最後まで満足感のある流れでした。 京都は海外の方が多い印象ですが、ここは全員日本人で、地元の常連さんの空気が漂っていました。 大将の雰囲気も素敵で、きっと愛されキャラなのでしょうね。

京都府京都市中京区骨屋之町560 富小路通六角下る。阪急京都線・烏丸駅から徒歩約5分、京阪「河原町」駅からも徒歩5分程度。  外観・建物の特徴 約130年前の長屋を改装した趣ある建物で、入口から石畳の小路（いわゆる「露地」）を通って店内へ入る趣向。日本料理らしい静かな佇まいです。  内装・席数・雰囲気 席数はカウンター9席（※予約情報による）で、完全禁煙。コース中心の提供スタイルで、カウンター越しに料理人との距離感が近い構成です。店内は和のモダンを感じる上質な空間。定休日は火曜日および第2・4水曜日。  予算・営業等 おまかせコース料金はおおむね税込69,800円〜74,800円、仕入れ状況や季節により変動あり。