gion ichiho — Restaurant in Kyoto

Stole our money. Booked a reservation with them which cost ¥2000 per person on New Year’s. When we got there, they said they wouldn’t honor our reservation. So they completely stole our money. It was New Year’s, and there was no other reservations available in the city. Ruined our New Year’s Eve, and we’re completely rude about the whole thing. Where did our 8000 yen go?

— Updated after response from owner (below). I would love to contact you.

The idea that you threw out the sushi is clearly not true. We arrived at 6:13pm for a 6pm reservation because we couldn’t get a taxi on New Years Eve. I explained the situation and begged to sit down and eat, while my kids were standing in the rain behind me. I was told clearly that our reservation was canceled and that our seats had been given to another party. We asked if we could get the sushi that we paid for as takeaway and was told no, that a new party was sitting down in our place and our reservation was canceled because we were late. So… when and why would the food supposedly be thrown out? When another party was sitting in our seats 13 minutes after our reservation time— surely the food went to them? And if not, why would we not be given the food as takeaway?

The company we used for the reservation was byfood. We have contacted them as well about the situation. We paid them 8000 yen for the reservation. We assumed at least a portion of this goes to the restaurant. If that is not the case, please contact byfood and let them know they should refund...

During our visit to Gion Ichiho, we were greeted by an unwelcoming and sarcastic host, even though we had a reservation. This set a negative tone for the rest of the evening.

Throughout our meal, service was lacking; there were no drink refills offered, which only added to the discomfort. Half of our group received an obvious cold shoulder, and to our shock, the Japanese speaker among us overheard the owners speaking disparagingly about our group simply because we weren’t Japanese. This kind of treatment was both surprising and deeply disappointing. We also overheard the owners giving other customers a full menu breakdown while we didn’t receive a menu explanation whatsoever. It was clear they play favorites with customers and are not afraid to make you feel unwelcome.

As for the food, it was average at best and certainly did not justify the high price. The sushi pieces were small and forgettable—I’ve had far superior sushi at half the cost elsewhere.

I came to Gion Ichiho with the hope of an enjoyable and memorable experience, but unfortunately, it was overwhelmingly negative and left us feeling unwelcome and...

The presentation of the food was very aesthetically pleasing but lacked flavor and freshness. It all had a very fishy taste and not your traditional sushi flavors. Also, all of the sushi was pre-made and just plated at the time of serving. As far as service, the female chef was very cold and condescending. My friend and I were struggling to finish the food (due to taste, as mentioned above) and she questioned if we even liked raw fish while constantly giving us dirty looks and peaking over the bar/side eyeing to see our progress with the food. Atmosphere was intimate and small, only allowing for 6 guests at a time, however, the ambience was lackluster with silence filling the entire restaurant for the entirety of the meal. The staff didn’t try to engage in any positive way. Overall, the entire experience left us feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable when all we were looking for was an authentic sushi...