Arashiyama Itsukichaya — Restaurant in Kyoto

We made reservations for 3 adults & 1 child at 6pm (online via TableCheck) for 9 June at Itsukichaya Pontocho. We arrived in Kyoto late (from Kanazawa) and asked our hotel to call the restaurant to move our reservation to 7pm but was denied (which was understandable as it was a last min request). No issues.

We rushed out after checking in and took a long walk to the place. We arrived 15 mins earlier at 5:45pm and were told to wait outside so we did.

We were actually hoping to be offered a wseat first inside (as it was open & empty) and maybe have a drink or so while waiting for dinner to start at 6pm. (We understand if the restaurant wants to start their dinner service together).

We didn’t want to upset the host since we showed up earlier & just took a stroll along the alley and returned at 6:00pm. We were ushered in and guided to our seats. The place was really small and can only accommodate 9 diners.

Besides our family of 4, there was another group of 3 other Japanese ladies who came for 6pm seating. They briefed us on the dinner menu and asked us for our preference for sashimi selection and tempura.

We really enjoyed the dinner. But the tempura was soggy and cold. The rest of the dinner was amazing.

We were given drinks menu and asked to order a drink. We didn’t want alcoholic drink so we briefly glanced at the menu (but could not find the charges for brown tea) and requested for cold brown tea instead. We didn’t see the price of the cold brown tea in the menu and we initially thought it was either complimentary (like most restaurants) or a flat charge per headcount with free refill (which was also very common).

The pour for our cold brown tea was in a fancy wine glass and it was quite little (as you can see in the photo). We finished it fast as we were thirsty and were asked if we wanted another glass. We said yes and drank away happily. We were not told about the charges and were rudely shocked when the bill arrived.

By the end of the dinner, we were charged 4,000¥ for 8 1/4 filled glasses of cold brown tea served in a fancy wine glass! It was exorbitant and we felt like being robbed but again, we did not want to make a scene at the restaurant so we just paid and left angrily!

Is it normal for every diner here to pay 500¥ for a pour of cold brown tea which is only 1/4 glass full at this restaurant?!

Just to give you a context, mind you, the set was only 5,000¥ per pax.

We will never recommend this restaurant to anyone and felt that the way they do business is totally unethical. We hope no other tourists have the same experience as us. This totally ruined...

Made a reservation for 7pm but arrived early at 6:28pm and was ushered to a seat BUT food only came at 7:05pm. Even though 4 tables came much later than us at 6:50pm, they got their food first. And everyone is eating the same thing.

I asked the waiter at 6:54pm whether our food was coming soon, in which he was not apologetic and brushed me aside and told me that our food will be ready soon - which is not, as the food only came at 7:10pm. The table next to us sat for only about 3 mins before their food got served to them right after us.

It just frustrates me about their bad management and service and inefficiency. There was no update or explanation on when the food was coming and they gave the impression that I will get my food shortly after sitting down. They even gave cold towel where other places gave a hot towel. A hot towel for night would be more suitable instead.

For the pork with rice dish, I only received 1 piece of meat, where my partner has 2 pieces. On the photos it showed 2 as well.

For the grilled beef on hotplate, the portion is little and the meat is very thin that it breaks easily while bringing it to the grill.

I would recommend not to waste time traveling there as it is far from many places and the price is $¥4000 for each pax, cash only. For this price, I could get better food elsewhere with much better service. Save your money. The atmosphere also isn’t what I would expect from a place of that pricing, definitely don’t go for dinner cos at night it is pitch black and you can’t even...

Perfect autumnal colours in a lunch set - colours and very aesthetically pleasing! 🍁 We ordered the seasonal set for 4000 yen each. A lovely experience, as soon as the platter was set infront of us, it was 🤩🤩. If anything, it was a bit overwhelming with so much going on on the platter but the server took time to explain each part and how to enjoy each section (there is also a piece of paper that describes everything on your plate which is super helpful) - i think the experience overall was lovely, the food itself wasn’t anything amazing, but a taste of Japanese seasons in one plate was definitely a sight and a very good experience and atmosphere. Very very aesthetically pleasing and great for photos (hence the instagram hype) Service waa good however we weren’t offered any drinks or given any cups until we asked.

Definitely make a reservation well in advance - i booked around a month before coming and there was already not many timeslots left! i would recommend requesting the river view if you can, otherwise the garden view is still nice but would have definitely opted for the river view if it was still available. You get a 50minute timeslot which is slightly rushed but still a good amount of time to enjoy.

I made a note on our reservation that we were celebrating a graduation, and the attention to details - not only congratulating me but also adding special decorations to my platter and on our receipt was a lovely touch of extra effort which I really...