Kamehameha — Restaurant in Kyoto

Overall 5/5

Food 4/5 (please read below to understand!) Service 5/5 Cleanliness 5/5 Price 5/5 Location 5/5

Also this place is a gem in Kyoto, and I was lucky to find a spot despite having an unconfirmed reservation. Right off the bat the staff was SUPER friendly and the hostess also spoke English well. This is the smallest restaurant I visited, hosts around 10 people max!

Location is great: in the Center, easily reached by public transportation and not hard to find.

I came here specifically for the show cooking, okonomiyaki and because of the vegan mentions in the reviews. The vegan menu has a lot to offer, but there is a nr of dishes on the menu that could be adjusted fairly easily (I believe) to also accommodate a vegan lifestyle, expanding the possible selection and increasing the value for plant-based eaters.

i took the vegan menu: an appetiser, 3 sides and a main and had a repetition of the silk tofu, which was slightly unfortunate.

The focused and smiling chef was very efficient and skilful and whenever there was a bit of downtime he was doing dishes or entertaining guests. Very pleasant overall!

The food tasted great, the twist with garlic and chilli fried edamame was top and I’d like to see more of these little tweaks that enhance the variety and elevate the simple dishes. The salad was nice (always a pleasure when you find something fresh in Japan, but could use a little more dressing. The teppanyaki was fabulous and nicely presented. The main dish (okonomiyaki) was very enjoyable with exquisite and delicate mushrooms.

Being vegan in a vegan friendly restaurant is always tricky, because the endless possibilities for omnivores are better explored and mainstream. Meaning that the little tweaks and additives elevate a dish more easily. To a small extent I felt that the vegan okonomiyaki was the regular one but without animal ingredients instead of standing in its own. It was absolutely enjoyable, but I feel that it has the potential of becoming much more if that layer of magic is found.

The price is fair, especially in comparison to the general price point in Tokyo and Kyoto.

I wish this restaurant all the best and will definitely be back! Thanks to the staff for making this such a pleasurable...

I’m not sure if I was treated differently because I’m of Asian origin, but the experience felt unfair.

I arrived at the restaurant at 18:30, and right when I got there, the blond-haired chef came outside and told me in English to leave.

Despite that, I stayed and was told I could get a table at 19:50. I came back and was waiting outside around 19:38. While I was waiting, a French family arrived after me, and the staff clearly saw them.

When I tried to go in, the staff told me to wait, but they let the French family in right away.

As the family was entering, I spoke to them in French and asked when they made their reservation. They said they had a reservation for 19:20.

When I raised this with the staff, they said it was because the family had reserved earlier, so they were seated first. But that didn’t seem fair since I’d been waiting longer and arrived much earlier.

Later, they changed their excuse and said it was because the family had four people and we were only two, so it was a different table. Regardless, the whole situation was handled poorly.

Then, when I asked questions about the situation, the blond-haired chef suddenly said he didn’t speak English. As he went back inside, another chef started clapping, which felt humiliating.

The entire experience left me feeling disrespected and made me wonder if my background had anything to do with how I was treated.

Honestly, instead of making me wait for more than an hour without any willingness to welcome me, they should just put up a sign outside saying “No Asians allowed.” That way, people would know...

A very memorable dining experience, indeed! I would recommend getting a reservation. We actually went without a reservation but we (party of 4) waited outside the restaurant for thirty minutes before the restaurant opened for dinner service. The chef came out to ask us if we had a reservation and we said no, but he said since we were first and the next group reservation was 1 hour after opening, he could serve us but we would need to eat quickly so that the group with a reservation could be seated when the time came. While we were seated and waiting for our food, we noticed a number of groups come by without a reservation and they were turned away. The restaurant has one table slightly away from the grill that can seat up to 4 guests, and then I think 6-8 guests can be seated directly in front of the grill. This is why I would definitely recommend getting a reservation ahead of time.

My husband and I got the vegan okonomiyaki and our friends got an okonomiyaki set meal that had seafood and a side of veggie gyoza. Our food was served quickly, and it was a treat getting to watch the chef prepare the ingredients and grill our meal! The vegan okonomiyaki was so delicious, and I would recommend this place to any vegan traveler! Our friends were also really happy with their meals. You may also enjoy the fun atmosphere with the Dragon Ball-Z themed toys decorating the walls...