Kanga-an Temple

What an incredible and unique experience! It felt so tranquil to be served a meal in a private room right next to the temple garden area. The meal itself was so delicious and creative with how they were able to manipulate the ingredients. We even got a drink at a small bar in the temple afterward before we headed out. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for something calm and unique in Kyoto!

Great experience there. Quite stunning garden and path through to the restaurant and also there are tables and chairs so it’s easy to sit and enjoy the good. The shojin ryori is creative and tasty.

The worst restaurant experience in my life! Just to make it clear up front. I’m not complaining about the food at all. Taste can be different, but about everything else at this place was not worth it at all. I would have liked to give 0 Stars if possible. Don’t waste your money on this! We were very excited for this restaurant and we were expecting a delicious vegan kitchen. I don’t want to complain too much on the food because the taste can be different between people. On the first look it is cozy and a nice atmosphere on the outside. On the inside it definitely is not worth the price at all. If i pay more than a 100 Euros per person i think you could at least expect some nice tableware and not the cheapest disposable chopsticks and napkins. The Oshibori towel was also disposable and cold. In every cheep streetfood restaurant in Japan we got warm, reusable and fresh towel and chopsticks of better quality than in this place. We had to take our shoes off at the entry, which is usual in the Japanese culture, which we knew because we experienced it a few times before. But in almost every other place, we got a pair of slippers. Here we had to walk on our socks. The service was not really friendly and couldn’t really explain the dishes to us. They just brought dish after dish, not asking how we like it after we barely ate the first courses. They just continued bringing more and more. The dishes and the ingredients were not fresh and tasted like they were made days before. Especially the salad, vegetables and the tofu tasted bland. After the 6th course we told the waiter that we wanted to leave because we don’t like the food at all. He got us the bills for the drinks (the food was paid before), we paid and left. No one tried to talk to us to find a solution that could possible prove us the opposite.

Found this via tabelog ratings for shojin ryori. Reservations only (booked via myconciergejalan) as far as I can remember and had the 11,000 yen course in a private room. One of the best meals I’ve had in Japan despite being vegetarian.

Arriving at Kanga-An as night falls, its quite stunning - the path to the entrance lined with candles. Very beautiful. This was my first experience of the "shojin ryori" style of cuisine and I found it a very mixed bag. Some delicious dishes and some that seemed created more for the eye than the palette. For example a fried wheat gluten dish topped with nori and skewered, closely resembling grilled eel. Not so delicious but certainly a technical feat. Later that night after dining here, at around 3am suffered terrible vomiting and diarrhea, but I really couldn't say if this meal was the cause.

I really enjoyed the Fucha style shojin ryori. The courses were simple amazing and great staff. The temple is very peaceful too. I would highly recommend. Needs reservations.

The exterior is very nice. The food is ok. However, they seem allowed people smoke inside. So I can smell the interior full of cigarettes which is very annoying. The smell is not only pungent, but it also stings the eyes so much that I can’t keep them open.

One of a kind experience, perfect service, excellent dishes very creative and beautifully presented. This place is so peaceful I will definitely be back.

No vegan options despite how it looks. I tried to make a reservation through My Concierge Japan, who handles their English reservations online, and was declined because they said they couldn't accommodate a vegan diet. Usually shojin ryori is a safe bet for vegans, but not here. Very disappointing

Delicious and very fancy Shojin Ryori (Buddhist Temple food - vegetarian) food. You MUST place reservations two days in advance. Presentation: Phenomenal. They wove edible baskets out of seaweed that they served tiny pieces of food in. There were tempora (or tendon as they call it in Japan) fried edible flowers and leaves. Sour plums with gold flakes sprinkled and sake with gold inside. Price: Be prepared for the most expensive vegetarian food you've ever had. We chose the mid-range meal (11 or 13 courses I believe?) and it was about 10,000 yen I think. I could be off on that number. Taste: Yummy! It was more about wowing you with presentation though everything was yummy and there were no complaints. Very opulent and artistically crafted. I was not as full as I hoping to be. Location: To die for. It's a spacious temple that's illuminated by lanterns in the garden at night. Be sure to look around and visit the gardens in the back while you're there. They give your party each a private room while you dine there and they only have a limited number of rooms so you really feel like they are there and devoted entirely to your meal (which, they might be!) A fantastic and whimsical journey in vegetarian Shojin Ryori cuisine!