Okuoka — Restaurant in Kyoto

Arrived at the empty restaurant at 6:10pm and was told they were still preparing but we could wait a few minutes before sitting at the table. We got seated at the table at 6:20pm and proceeded to order the Wagyu beef hot pot set and eel hot pot. We asked for two glasses of water while ordering.

We were given a pot of broth (for the beef hot pot) at 6:45pm and finally started receiving the food at 7:10pm. We were given one set of utensils (one set of chopsticks) even though we were a table of two. We weren't served any water still so we asked again for them, which came about 15 minutes after asking. All of this just seems like simple service expectations that were missed. Why give one set of utensils for a table of 2? Water took about an hour to reach our table from the time we first asked for it.

As for the food, the beef was not well marbled. It was cut very thin so it wasn't tough to chew, but the fat distribution was not on par with good quality beef (see pics compared to what Wagyu is expected to look like). The two included pieces of sashimi were also rather chewy with considerable connective tissue.

The bowls of rice were well cooked and very fluffy with an enjoyable texture. The eel hot pot was flavorful. The broth for the beef hot pot was good, but unremarkable.

TLDR: the wait was unreasonably long to receive food considering we were the first guests to arrive during business hours. The attention of the wait staff left a lot of room for improvement. Food quality was mediocre and the overall experience did not justify the price. Gave us an overall feeling of "give the tourists poor quality ingredients because they won't know the...

Told my travel companion we could not be in Kyoto without trying Kaiseki. Had intended to eat unagi but this restaurant was the first thing we saw coming off the 207 bus and as soon as I saw Kaiseki I dragged him in.

We were a little late (2pm) but the chef accommodated us. We sat at the back of the restaurant with a view of the garden, the atmosphere was lovely. We proceeded to enjoy Omakase Kaiseki course after course accompanied by sake.

This place is mid priced (for Kaiseki) but there is nothing to complain about food wise. Fresh ingredients, beautifully prepared, arranged artistically and served with care and pride, honoring the true spirit of hospitality that is what gives Kaiseki it's name.

The 7 dishes were served with locally grown and sourced ingredients, vegetables were fresh and crisp, the broth was divine. Service was exceptional, we had one person who spoke English well enough to explain the different courses, he even offered to package any leftover Gohan (rice) if we couldn't finish it.

This was incredible, it is pricey but mid range for lunch Kaiseki. Definitely recommend if you're in the area and want an experience...

This place is a hidden gem for local Kyoto cooking. We wanted to try a little of everything so we ordered 2 sets of beef hotpot, one set of sukiyaki, and one a la carte boiled tofu. Everything we had was delicious. Boiled tofu was plain, clean and tasted refreshing when dipped in a dashi sauce that was provided. Sukiyaki set: the beef provided was flavorful and delicious, along with the broth. Beef hotpot: the tuna and amberjack sashimi was delicious and tender. The marinated clams was easy to eat. The beef had a lot of umami and surprisingly more delicious than it looked. It makes me think that maybe it was marinated? When you that and all the vegetables, it added a well balanced flavor to the broth that made it hard to stop drinking. Overall, it seemed like a lot of good but it was surprisingly light. One of the best hot pot...