Arata — Restaurant in Kyoto

One of the most heartwarming and incredible food experiences I've ever had

We had to wait for a table for 20 minutes but once we returned we were seated at the main table where the chefs were cooking in front of us

An English menu was on hand and came in handy for ordering

Watching the chefs at work right in front of you was brilliant and they serve the food quickly

The tofu was sensational, the cheesy potatoes were delicious, the cows neck was unbelievably tasty. However the okonomiyaki was beyond exceptional! I'd eat the okonomiyaki for every meal for the rest of my life and be beyond happy with the range of tastes, flavours and notes it provides on the palette

There weren't any fluent English speakers working when we went but the staff were more than friendly and understood all of our orders perfectly

I can't speak highly enough of this restaurant, I will be returning there again as soon as possible and will have incredible memories of the service and...

We didn’t have reservations on Friday night at 5:30 but we were seated upstairs immediately. Upstairs was decorated in a Hawaiian theme. Each table has a built in hot skillet. However, since we were upstairs, our food was cooked downstairs and brought up via their food elevator, then the cooked food placed on our table skillet. We had the ton-pei yaki, which was a hit with the family. It was wrapped in an egg with a mayonnaise sauce. Trust me. It was good. We had the grilled pork Korean style teppanyaki and the grilled chicken thigh, as well. The grilled pork Korean style was pork with sliced cabbage leaves. Both were good but didn’t hit the spot like the ton-pei yaki. The garlic rice was ok and had a few cubed beef in it. Note: as others have said, the portions are small. Everyone needed to order a drink like a soda,...

I ordered the signature Arata okonomi and it was delicious. They put a variety of ingredients like beef and squid for meat and shallots and bell sprouts for veges that creates many layers of flavours and texture. The base contained the fried buckwheat noodle yakisoba and the floury part of the okonomiyaki which were chewy and crispy respectively. すごく美味しかったです!

As for service, the staff were aware of the potential allergies in their food and they warned me about it. Although the staff spoke little English, but they tried to convey their ideas in an easily understandable manner. I was also offered water because I ordered some alcohol, which once again, showed how engaged and friendly the staff were.

It was a great experience overall, and I would come again the next time I...