Tagawa — Restaurant in Kyoto

I didnt expect to be treated this way. I felt like I was Tagawa's family member for that evening. I can still picture him closing my taxi door. Every course felt so special and memorable. If you can handle it, I suggest you sit in front of the fire. The charcoal is special and expensive, you will really smell the grill. You will be right in front of Tagawa and he will serve you personally.

For the rice course at the end, I urge you to make an exaggerated "Wowww" sound when he shows you the rice. Also take a photo of it. You cannot overdo it, I copied the japanese guests doing this, it is a custom.

I still think about this meal every day since.

Take caution that the meal costs more than the outdated number on the website. I paid ~35k yen pp...

A truly unique experience in the heart of Kyoto.

Listen, let me just throw it out there, this is my third Kaiseki ever so I do have experience at this point. You will have an unforgettable experience, but you will absolutely hate some of the dishes just as much as you will love some of them.

If you are a foreigner, like myself, our taste buds are not refined enough to understand or appreciate these flavors.

Overall, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time and the dishes. Exploring all the new flavors is part of the fun. I would go back in a heart beat. The chef is also a true master and extremely friendly to locals and foreigners.

For me, October is maybe not my favorite month for Kaiseki, but I am excited to explore other months...

For our honeymoon trip to Japan we made dinner reservations for a kaiseki experience at Tagawa and we were so happy that we did. The owner's experience making traditional Japanese dishes w/ local Kyoto items was amazing. He even made us onigiri (rice balls) at the end of the dinner to take home and they were delicious as was everything we ate. That detail alone was so touching to us since most upscale chefs do not even interact w/ their guests, let alone make them food to take home. When we visit Japan again we will definitely make reservations at Tagawa. I would get on an airplane just to eat at Tagawa. P.S- if you have the opportunity of dinning at Tagawa, make sure to check out the restroom, it...