Hyotei — Restaurant in Kyoto

I rarely write a review like this, but our experience at Hyotei - a place supposedly renowned for its gastronomic brilliance - compels me to share my experience. This was the worst and most disappointing 3 star we've ever been to.

Let's start with the food: bland, uninspired, and scarce. The courses lacked depth of flavor, were visually unappealing, and fell significantly short in number. Each dish was a stark reminder of how much we paid for mediocrity. It is hard to comprehend how such an unexciting meal could be conceived in a place known for its tradition and heritage.

As for the location and ambience, while the sunset view was indeed beautiful, the experience was marred by an unexpected invasion of mosquitoes. We were constantly under siege, which resulted in an uncomfortable, itchy evening for my partner. We attempted to keep the sliding doors closed to fend off the bugs, but this led to a claustrophobic atmosphere. The low ceiling of the traditional, yet decidedly antiquated, room didn't help either.

Service was another area where Hyotei sadly fell flat. We found ourselves frequently ignored and unattended, largely due to the seclusion of our room with its closed doors. It was astonishingly slow, which felt even more frustrating given the high price we were paying for the experience.

Speaking of price, Hyotei demands over 350 per person. The supposed luxury dining experience turned out to be an extravagant exercise in disappointment.

Our expectations were severely let down by Hyotei's bland food, lackluster service, poor location management, and steep pricing.

One Michelin star would be a gift for this place, let alone three. I'm not sure how this place got 3 stars - maybe for its 400 year old history? It's definitely a trap for tourists who want to experience fine japanese dining - I don't think its a coincidence that this was the only 3 star available to book on short notice...

Hyotei is located in a quiet residential area near Nanzenji temple. It is close to famous sightseeing spots like Keage Incline and Heianjingu Shrine. This fine restaurant has 400 year history. They serve exquisite Japanese dishes. There are a main building and an annex. Inside the annex, there is a beautiful Japanese garden surrounded with two seperate dining halls. Both of them have some tables with four seats or 6 seats. They only serve 1 course for breakfast, Asagayu in Japanese/morning rice porridge in English. It cost 5,445 JPY, a little bit expensive but it is worth paying it. Both dishes and containers are almost like pieces of art. My favorite container is the one looked like a gourd. It consists of three tiers. In the top small container, there was green vegetable. In the second middle-size one, there was fish dish. In the bottom big container, there was simmered Japanese Daikon radish with Namafu(wheat gulten) and Yuba(Tofu skin). Shiromiso soup and their main dish, rice porrige were extremely delicious. The day I went to this restaurant was pretty windy and a bit chilly. Rice porrige with quail meat warmed me up.(rice porridge with quail is from Dec 1st to March 15th) Their garden was beautiful and the staff there warmly welcomed me and my friends. If you are looking for authentic Kyoto cousin, this is the right place. If you are looking for some dishes with strong flavour and smell, you'd better not dine here. Their homemade ginger ale was really delicious, too. I would definitely love to dine at their main building for...

Having visited and enjoyed a few Michelin star restaurants in the past, I have to say that this three star is a new and unique low. The beautiful setting and history are way above the culinary experience. Not only was the meal uninspired and lacking by today’s standards, but one of the dishes (the sweet fish) made my meal companion very ill. Immediately after eating that course he began complaining about his stomach and right after we paid, he ran to the bathroom and vomited for what must have been at least twenty minutes. I really hope that Google allows for the inclusion of video because the sounds of him retching are really the best review I could give. Unfortunately, after they heard him punishing the toilet (he’s actually now at the hotel throwing up again thirty minutes later) and after he explained that the meal was the source of his pain, they didn’t apologize. That said, after explaining our experience to our hotel concierge (they recommended the restaurant), they called the restaurant and my friend was reimbursed for his meal. I can only imagine that Michelin gave this restaurant 3 stars because it’s 450 years old and scenic. Or perhaps my friend and I lack the culinary vocabulary (and digestive hardiness) to understand and appreciate the meal. All in all, much to my disappointment and considering the price, I cannot recommend this establishment. It has made me re-evaluate my opinion of the Michelin...