KAZ-RYU — Restaurant in Kyoto

I was lured in with the five star rating and I have to say, it lived up to its rating.

First, getting there. You need to turn left down this small alley (look for a sign for it), it's not street facing.

It's not too small of a place with about 8 counter seats, 2 booths and 2 tables. So can fit a decent sized party. We got there around the dinner opening and it was empty.

We ordered two types of bowls off the special value menu - the fatty tuna one and the variety one (2500 yen). Both came with miso soup. We found both outstandingly delicious. The fish was fresh and had great flavor. We poured soy sauce over (at their suggestion) and it enhanced the experience. The rice was perfectly sticky and complemented the richness of the fish and saltiness of the soy sauce. The portion was very good for the price and one bowl can easily fill one person.

We ordered sake to go with it and they also offered a free pour of Kyoto sake. The sake we got (it was one of the recommended ones) was wonderful and so was the Kyoto sake, which was stronger.

The service was extremely nice. We got to get a free eraser at the end of the night! They are a two person team and put care into every meal they make. The chef even said goodbye to us at the door. We really appreciated how nice they were and how they allowed us to attempt our japanese with them. I saw them communicate in some English with other customers so knowing japanese is not needed.

This place is definitely underrated. Try it and you...

I do not often take the time to write reviews but my dining experiencing at Gion Seafood Bowl Kaz-RYU was special enough that I am compelled to share.  This restaurant is a hidden gem that my husband and I were fortunate enough to experience.  The restaurant space is traditional, meticulously maintained, quaint and cozy.  The quality of ingredients used in the sashimi rice bowl creations was next level and beyond anything either of us have tasted before.  The sashimi slices were fresh, tender and literally melted in the mouth.  We plucked the lavender flowers from the stem that garnished the meal and sprinkled them around the dish.  We were pleasantly surprised by how perfectly these tiny flowers complemented the flavor of the sashimi.  Even the miso soup was unique and outstanding in quality and taste.  Everything was delicious and the service was exceptional, personalized and sweet.  We highly recommend giving this establishment a try.  The cuisine, hospitality and atmosphere are amazing!

By the way, this place is not very easy to find. It is located in an alley street (374-2 Kiyomotocho,) that comes off of Sueyoshicho St.  It runs parallel to (and is in between) Kiritoshi St and Sueyoshicho Ichibankoji. Look for the the orange banner with the black...

We wandered into this restaurant our first night in Kyoto looking for something that was open later. We wanted to find sashimi and decided on this restaurant due to its reviews. Coming in, we weren’t sure what to expect but the owners were incredibly sweet and had us come in to eat an hour before they were supposed to close. They have an English menu which was perfect for us because none of us knew Japanese. They also gave us complimentary sake! The fish was some of the freshest cuts I’ve had yet in Japan and the toro was the kind that melts in your mouth! We all ordered different bowls but if I were to go again, I highly recommend the seared fatty o toro bowl! The searing of the toro really brought out the flavor of the fat and it was incredible. To top it off, the owners were so nice and let us watch them make the toro and showed us their technique. We had some lovely conversations despite the small language barrier! At the end of the dinner, we even got to draw for cute prizes! The owners were so sweet and even walked us out of their restaurant after we were finished and made sure we got onto the main road safe. This experience as a whole was just so incredibly sweet and props to them for being such genuine...