Aoi — Local services in Kyoto

My husband and I were looking for an obanzai place in Kyoto and found Aoi near our hotel. We weren't able to make a reservation because it was closed for a holiday weekend which was most of our time in Kyoto, so we went a little before opening (which is at 5pm) to see if we could get seats. We were told we could sit as long as we were out by 6pm. We took the owner (Toshii) up on that and were incredibly happy we did. I'd recommend if you're trying to eat here, make a reservation though because the restaurant was immediately filled upon opening. Toshii (and their staff) speaks quite a bit of English so you'll likely be able to make a reservation even if you don't speak Japanese.

As for the food, Toshii asked if we wanted their recommendations and we happily agreed to that. All of the food we had was incredible, felt local to Kyoto, and felt new to us/different from other meals we had in Kyoto. By the end, we were full (was served ~10 dishes for 11000 yen) and had an amazing experience.

Toshii is so kind, is a great chef, and even walked us out back to the street to say goodbye. If we're back in Kyoto, we'd love to make a reservation and eat...

My wife and I were in Kyoto last September and stumbled upon Aoi by accident. Ironically, our friend in Tokyo recommended this very same restaurant!

When looking for it, we ran into Toshi on the street, not knowing that both she and Shoko were the two lovely ladies running the place! We asked about "Aoi" and Toshi excitedly told us it was her restaurant!

Unfortunately reservations were hard to come by, but she managed to squeeze us in on the night of our anniversary, and needless to say, it was worth the trip!

The service, like everywhere in Japan, is exceptional, and the friendliness of both the staff and the other customers is unparalleled. The environment is akin to an Izakaya where people meet after work to unwind and enjoy a positive atmosphere - only here you can expect cuisine similar to that of delicious home cooked meals that remind you of your Mother's cooking as a child.

Fabi and I can't wait to return - and we're happy to say we will be back in April or 2024!

Thanks again Toshi, Shoko, and the rest of your amazing team that make Aoi our favorite...

An amazing experience! It's like a tasting course of different small dishes. The food was out of this world, I will be dreaming about the pumpkin with buttered beef for the rest of my life. The owner was so sweet, she explained the dishes and gave us her recommendations.

The place is a bit hard to find but it's part of the charm. You enter through a sketchy looking hallway next to a vending machine, we found the door and heard voices but were unsure if we could enter. When we did, a woman looked at us and said "No seat, no seat!" We quickly apologized and left, thinking we had somehow broken etiquette or interrupted something, but the woman (turned out to be the owner) came after us and actually offered us a reservation for the next day she was so nice. The place is small, only 8 seats or so mostly at the counter, so expect an intimate atmosphere and socializing with the owner and other guests.

Amazing experience 10/10...