Kyoto Japanese restaurant — Restaurant in Tralee Municipal District

As someone who lived in Japan for four years, I came into Kyoto Japanese Restaurant with high expectations... and a deeply ingrained respect for sushi and not screwing up the tempura. When I heard the staff speaking actual Japanese (and not with a Kerry accent), my hopes skyrocketed. Spoiler alert: they delivered.

My family of six (me, wife, and four daughters)(yes, four, so we basically qualify as a walking food review squad) had an absolute blast. Kyoto was like a culinary time machine, giving us a light and flavorful break from the heavier fare we’d been swimming in during our tour of Ireland. I love a good roast or chips, but sometimes you just need a light tempura and some sticky white rice to remind you you're still alive inside.

We started with the vegetable tempura—crispy, not greasy, and seasoned just right. Then came the Crispy Chicken with Chilli and Honey... it was like sweet-and-spicy joy on a plate. The teriyaki stir-fry was another winner—perfectly cooked, flavorful, and not drowning in sauce like some poor chicken rescue mission.

Service? Phenomenal. And this is coming from a family that just drinks water and—gasp—shared a couple plates. The waiter filled glasses and the pitcher faster than a parched camel at an all-you-can-drink oasis. Despite our low-margin order, the staff treated us like royalty.

Meanwhile, I don’t think the guy two tables over was having quite the same experience. He was clearly trying to impress his date, and there we were... laughing, passing chopsticks, and completely upstaging his romantic vibe with our cheerful chaos. Sorry, buddy. Daijoubu da yo.

Bottom line: We left with full bellies, happy hearts, and just a little smugness that we found legit Japanese food in the middle of Tralee. Kyoto—you’ve officially earned a place on our “worth the trip” list....

Firstly, let me say that (as I completely lack patience) I came here for dinner on opening day. Every restaurant is going to have some issues to face on the first day, and all things considering Kyoto did great! The food: The chicken gyoza was great, it was very warm and with a lovely crisp. The tiger roll tasted very good, though the prawn tempura inside was only lukewarm (I'd have loved for it to be warmer and more crispy, maybe next time? 😉). The large sushi platter was presented very nicely on a large enough boat and had a good selection - one thing I'd like to comment on is that the sashimi was cut into very manageable slices. Overall, I really enjoyed the sushi. The rice tasted very seasoned, which is something I don't usually notice. There was no dessert menu at the time, and little choice (banana katsu and vanilla ice cream), due to it being the first day. The banana katsu was practically a panko fritter which arrived piping hot and crunchy. I really enjoyed the texture, though wish it would have been somewhat sweeter inside. As for the atmosphere, you can tell they put effort into the decor such as a lovely large painting and small upside-down umbrellas lining a portion of the ceiling. There was no music playing, which I'm going to chalk up to the typical opening day issues. The staff were lovely and professional.

I will definitely be back!

UPDATE: Been coming here almost regularly now, the bento is absolutely perfect for lunch and great value! Has not disappointed me yet. The presentation of futomaki rolls has also improved, they look fabulous and taste delicious! Please...

We came to have lunch at this restaurant today. We used to visit it quite often before, and I never noticed any issues with the food — everything was delicious. That’s a rarity in Ireland. However, today we ordered the Spider (Soft Crab / Avocado / Spicy Mayo), and it was very disappointing. The crab’s coating was extremely tough, cold, and hard to eat, and the crab itself was poorly cleaned. I’ve had this type of sushi before, and it was never like that. We called the waitress over, and she said that the dish was fine and that it was supposed to be like that. We didn’t make a big fuss because we would have paid anyway — we just wanted to point out that it didn’t taste good. The staff is very friendly, and the orders are brought out very quickly. But unfortunately, the food has really declined over the past year, which is very sad, because this is the only decent Japanese...