CAINOYA — Restaurant in Kyoto

This place is special in so many ways. First is the location - a little tough to find but once you do, you enter a beautiful space and you quickly feel like your friend is cooking you an unbelievable meal in his exquisite kitchen. Let’s start with dishes, glassware and flatware - all very beautiful and functional. Glassware was mostly custom - disappointing because I wanted to find it for myself! Moving to the food. I’ve been fortunate to dine in lots of starred restaurants on several continents and this was, in my lay person’s view, certainly one and maybe 2 stars. As for the food, it was innovative and most importantly, delicious. Creative twists on classics that I had never had with elevated flavors, along with untasted combos like lamb and clam ravioli in an amazing broth. Anyone up for parmesan ice cream on your onion tart? You should be. As for wine pairing, the house leans Italian to great effect. I found all the pairings to be on point. Finally, the service, in a word, outstanding - comfortable, welcoming, knowledgeable and generally a pleasure to dine with. Don’t...

This is THE best food experience I’ve had in Japan and around the world. There is so much sincerity and care that goes into every ingredient that it genuinely warms my heart. Every dish is a piece of art on its own and altogether. Watching the chef move is like watching a symphony orchestra. It’s a privilege to have been able to partake in this experience that reminds me of the power that food carries, connecting humans and souls. Anyone visiting Kyoto...

Excellent & rare to find a restaurant that is so enjoyable!!

It was Jan 2024 experience, forgot to post, until today dining in SEN, meeting new friends sharing Kyoto dining experience, showing photos in CAINOYA, the SEN chef immediately found out … and told us the CAINOYA chef is also their guest :-) so coincidence!

Missed the dining time...