Nishikawa Kawaramachi Gojō — Restaurant in Kyoto

I have a fair share of Izakaya experience but this was by far the most outstanding in terms of food, service, value and much more.

Found this Izakaya gem right beside our hotel and was utterly amazed by the great food, warmness & hospitality from the chef and staff.

First night was served by an English speaking japanese staff. Was introduced to a very fresh sashimi platter that melts in the mouth.

Do remember to order their salt-grilled fish, it's very juicy! And the tempura prawn and oyster were so crispy, yet succulent. Really, everything was so good that we had to go back again.

On the last night of our stay, I was very surprised by what this restaurant has done for us.

Knowing that I'll be heading back to my country after the 3rd night, they went out of their way to source for ingredients just to fulfill my dish requests (Not in their menu, I merely asked if they have those items on the 2nd night).

Pike conger soup was the ultimate soup the chef prepared for us. The soup was so tasty and warmed the body well. The ingredients were so fresh and the eggplant was so good that my partner and I had to fight over who gets the last piece. An absolute dish for winter!

Thank you to Owner/Chef Nishikawa, Shota & Nanako for the warmness, thoughtfulness and kindness. You have made me a very happy person when I was there. Definitely be my stop-over when...

I already had some great experience in Japan, but this izakaya took it one step further. I went there 3 nights in a row. First time was by chance, it was next to my hotel and I tasted great food and wonderful sake! Second time, I already ate somewhere else, but I just wanted a taste of their sake and the wonderful vibes from there. And the third times, I went there hoping I could find a place, because the place was always full, and I did found a place, and they welcomed me with bright smiles. I can't explain how wonderful the food was. But above all, their choice of sake is exceptional, and each of them was delightful.

And of course, the staff who was so welcoming and helpful.

Do not hesitate to go to this izakaya, it is one of the best I've tried in Japan!

Thanks to them for this...

It ruled. I had a couple of beers, fried garlic with some kind of miso jam thing, mixed tempura, smoked pickles with cream cheese, and fried puffer fish (v seasonal apparently). The pickles were good, the cream cheese was absurdly heavy, the miso jam was really nice. I sort of had to stop and focus on what I was eating a few times, instead of just shovelling it in. Nice place too, staff were friendly. They have a lot of specials and it’ll be easier for all concerned if you are able to scan the whiteboard with a translate app rather than have it read out to you. I spent a little over 5000yen but you could eat here a bit cheaper I think. The tempura was great, but it was nearly 2000, while the puffer fish was half the price for a similar...