@Zenraku — Restaurant in Kyoto

We attempted to eat at @Zenraku on a Monday night, only to find a sign on the front door asking for reservations ahead of time (and providing a phone number to call). As foreigners we were distraught because we couldn’t successfully complete the call without a local phone number, but the owners of the restaurant found us and we were able to set up a time for a Wednesday night.

The omakase and hospitality at @Zenraku were top notch. The owner dutifully asked about food allergies and preferences beforehand, and based on our answer brought us edamame tofu, Japanese pickles, sea snail, tuna sashimi, various tempura, and cold udon. The edamame tofu was more flavorful than any other tofu we had in Japan, and the cold udon was a great way to finish dinner on a hot summer night.

The owner works two jobs which is why reservations are required— and taking the time to make reservations is entirely worth it. We...

We were at a loss of what to order but chef is very friendly and recommended his omakase. It is very affordable at a total of 3,000 yen for 2 pax for about 4-5 dishes.

We love the dishes so much we returned the next day 😍

Here are our favourites - chahan, tempura (mushroom, shiso leaf, fishcakes etc), and the Pasta...

Best food I've had in Japan!!! Our group had trouble deciding what to get, so the owner offered to make us a five course meal, chief's choice. We had allergies in the group, and he asked about it without us even mentioning. Very fun atmosphere, highly recommend...