Lino — Restaurant in Kyoto

It was a delight to stumble upon this upscale Italian gem that far exceeded our expectations. Nestled amidst the city's hustle and bustle, this charming little restaurant enchanted us with its elegant decor, the soothing ambiance, and the service.

Each dish presented and explained in a manner reminiscent of a high-end dining experience. Their wine offerings, both in the form of pairings and a la carte, were well curated and reasonably priced - a rare find in such establishments.

Our gastronomic journey began with the antipasto: beautifully seasoned scallops that were a delicious prelude to the meal that lay ahead. Following this was the primo, we had an authentic spaghetti and a delectably creamy squid risotto. The latter proved to be the showstopper, with each bite revealing a depth of flavor that left us wanting more.

Then came the pièce de résistance, the Wagyu fillet - the very embodiment of indulgence, with its tender meat and exquisite flavors. As a lover of the humble bread, I can't help but give an honorable mention to their loaves, boasting a crusty exterior that gave way to a soft, pillowy interior.

Portion-wise, the restaurant was rather generous, and our order was more than sufficient for two. For those with smaller appetites, skipping the secondo might be a good idea.

In a nutshell, this restaurant is a delightful culinary revelation that I would...

This was the only bad culinary experience in Kyoto.

First of all please don’t even try to get a table if you don’t speak Japanese. As many other western restaurants in Japan we assumed there will be a set lunch menu for a reasonable price. When I spoke in Japanese if they had an English menu, the lunch menu was no longer an available option for us. We had to only order from ‘ à la carte ‘ in English. As an appetizer we ordered 4 pieces of bruschetta with Uni that cost 2500 JPY + tax and a small pasta / risotto dishes. The plates were under standard for similarly priced Italian restaurants in Japan and I didn’t finish my risotto and surprisingly when I had to pay the bill I saw there was a 500JPY of cover charge per person. For lunch? Even without any amuse bouche ? This was very bad surprise. At the end for two dish and a shared appetizer we ended up paying 7,600JPY.

It’s a shame. I understand there are many restaurants that refuses foreign customers and at least this place had an English menu but I still felt...

We found this restaurant from a blog recommendation as we were making our travel plans for Japan. We had booked a reservation online not realizing it was a set course. Despite the misunderstanding, we figured something out with the chef that worked for us and the restaurant, and we are very glad we did. We went on to have the best meal of our trip to Japan. From the very first bite, everything was delicious. The caprese salad was seasoned exceptionally with a wonderful olive oil, the pasta was prepared perfectly and the meat cooked just right. It was our first experience with wagyu beef and it did not disappoint! We don’t often order dessert when we eat out, but with how good everything else was, we knew we needed to try that as well. The panna cotta and gelato were excellent, of course they were! Team at Lino, thank you so much for accommodating us tonight and giving us an...