Nils Barth
World-class gem, best traditional Japanese restaurant, full stop.
WARNING: this is NOT FOR EVERYONE.
Kichisen is a very traditional Japanese restaurant – the food is mild and unfamiliar, the customs and flow are traditional and foreign.
If you expect a Western fine dining experience, you will be very disappointed.
If you go with an open mind and are flexible, looking for a new experience, a heretofore unknown, secret world will open.
You don't need to speak Japanese, but little English is spoken. If you have special needs (allergies, say), PLEASE have your hotel arrange beforehand.
As is common in Japan, it's not very flexible – if you want accommodating service, please don't come: you'll be very disappointed, as several reviewers here were.
Also, please arrive on time – it's a small restaurant, without a waiting room.
This is a small family restaurant that serves kaiseki cuisine (banquet cuisine, Japanese fine dining), and synthesizes the various traditions in Kyoto: nobility, warriors, monks ... with the occasional modern flourish.
The dishes vary monthly, reflecting the season’s bounty and festivities – February celebrates Dolls Day, for instance, and includes crab and the first bamboo buds.
The food is mild, mostly seafood and vegetable, with little meat, oil, or spices.
The presentation is spectacular, each dish a work of art, often referencing Japanese culture and the seasons, subtle even for natives.
The chef is friendly and open to foreigners, but doesn't speak English, so expect a warm welcome but little conversation.
Utterly unforgettable, likely the most unique meal of your life.
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