Kawano — Restaurant in Kyoto

I was looking for a fine dining experience to celebrate my birthday. When I found out that Kawano was founded on the date of my birthday, I thought it was a kind of 'destiny,' so I decided to make a reservation. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a wrong decision.

There were 4 groups of customers in the restaurant that day and I thought 2 groups of them were the Chief's friends. Chief was focusing on his friend and their food, while when making my sushi, he wasn't watching the food. I'm not sure if this is his usual habit, but it didn't seem like he was very attentive to my food. Additionally, there was little introduction to the sushi, so I didn't know much about what I was eating that night. I think it would be better if they provided a paper menu.

The meal also felt rushed. My reservation was at 7:00 PM, and I believe I arrived five minutes early. As it approached 8:00 PM, I was still enjoying the last piece of sushi and the soup when they asked me to leave because the next group of customers had arrived. To be honest, I was a bit shocked. I don't think it's appropriate for an omakase experience to be limited to 60 minutes, but I complied.

Furthermore, I had noted that it was my birthday when making the reservation. I didn't receive any surprise(though I didn't expect that much), but when I saw the lady owner present a dish with a birthday candle to other customers, I felt differently treated and disappointed.

In conclusion, the food was fair that night, but I was disappointed with the overall experience.

Here is my reply to restaurant's feedback:

Hi Sir/Madam, thanks for replying my comment.

I checked my reservation record(as attached), I am sure that my appointment was at 19:00pm and I marked it was my birthday. If you had the different message for this booking, please must let tablecheck know they were making...

My wife and I went here for our anniversary during a visit in Japan. We have done a few omakases back in the United States, but never in Japan. This place had fantastic reviews, so we wanted to try it out.

We booked a reservation (I believe you have to as the place only seats 8-9 people). We were greeted by the staff and they were super kind and lovely. I believe there were 3 in the front of house and one person in the back.

The food was incredible - super simple but excellently thought out. We did the 22 course omakase which had 12 nigiri and 10 dishes (I can’t remember haha). We also ordered sake!

The staff explained everything to us using a translator app and explained each piece of fish and how to enjoy it - it was unlike any experience. To top it off, the hot tea and miso soup at the end were perfect - the miso soup might be the best miso soup we’ve ever had.

Also, they offered to order us a taxi when it was raining outside and when we left, they all escorted us out the front door and thanked us for coming.

We’d go back In a heartbeat. It was such a lovely meal and the quality of fish is exquisite. Thank you so much for putting this course together!

I know it might seem a little pricey, but it’s fully worth it to anyone that loves good sushi. It is a group of super hard working people that truly love...

Special retreat in upper side of Kyoto city, near Shimogamo shrine.

This restaurant serves high quality Sashimi and Sushi with a magic touch of the chef Mr. Kawano. On the course menu, each dish is served one by one. You just have to rely on him and focus on enjoying the perfect balance of freshness and delicate cook of the fish. Sometimes fish is very lightly roasted or marinated depends on the type. No need to dip it into Soy source as it’s already carefully prepared with adequate amount of soy source, lime, or pinch of salt to extract the best taste of the material.

RESERVATION IS REQUIRED, and NO ENGLISH MENU IS AVAILABLE unfortunately. It’s highly recommended to be accompanied with your Japanese friend or someone who speaks Japanese. Price is around $100/person for menu except drinks. Credit card accepted (VISA worked).

I took my American friends, they all loved it and enjoyed...