Kinmata

This is both an inn and a restaurant located just off busy Nishiki market in central Kyoto. My experience and review relate only to the restaurant, lunch time service. It was a set course meal, offering good value for money and serving a mix of recurring dishes and seasonal ones. Professional service albeit on the dry side. Booking in advance is essential. Traditional counter seating.

This is a review of the restaurant. I made a dinner reservation after seeing the 4.5 Google rating and glowing reviews. I’ve been to many kaiseki restaurants, and despite my hopes, the food and experience were underwhelming. I was in the private room upstairs (with a very “old” odor), and no one came to even give me a menu, let alone take an order for drinks for 15 minutes until I called out to the staff downstairs. Even then, they came to give me the menu, but didn’t follow up to take an order. Once the rest of my party arrived, the dining service was fine. Our main server was very nice and spoke decent English. The food was mediocre. There were multiple dishes using hamo (conger eel), which I know is a delicacy, but I prefer more variety in a kaiseki course. The first dish started with hamo with ice cream in a cup, but the combination didn’t taste great. The soup (with hamo), sashimi, and tempura were okay but nothing spectacular. Dessert as well. On the way out as I was paying the bill, they mixed it up with someone else’s and had to cancel and re-charge my credit card. The location is quite convenient, as it’s located right next to Nishiki market. TLDR: The restaurant doesn’t live up to the 4.5 rating with underwhelming food and service.

We had a wonderful experience here today. The service was exceptional and the food was wonderful. We didn’t know what quite to expect as this was our first kaiseki experience. We were pleasantly surprised. Each course was beautifully presented and explained by our server. We had numerous courses, more than we expected. The owner was very hospitable and a pleasure to speak with. We highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many years ago my friend living in Japan took me to a Kyoto restaurant for Kaiseki. During my subsequent trips to Japan, I kept forgetting to make reservations in advance so I keeping missing the opportunity to try it again. I booked this restaurant months in advance via Tablecheck. Credit card is required and they put a hold on your card monthly so cancel appropriately to avoid the cancellation penalty. The restaurant has very limited seating and they’re upfront about their cancellation rules, which I think is fair. I absolutely loved the entire course meal we had tonight. They were many ingredients I would never have imagined combining and some dishes had multiple items I usually dislike, but somehow, together it just worked. The ingredients were all super fresh and the seasoning was just right. I especially enjoyed the uni on toasted bread with fish paste as well as the Wagyu with potato chips and wasabi oil. It seems like small bites but I was super full by the end. The service was excellent. The restaurant has been owned by the safe family for many generations. The current owner studied abroad and speaks excellent English if you have any questions. Highly recommend this restaurant for delicious Kaiseki.

We went as a family - girls aged 13 and 17. Beautiful authentic Kaiseki local menu. Lovely room, service and food. Japanese wine and thoughtful service. Very different type of cuisine and so felt very different (in a good way). As a special memory and something special it was a truly enjoyable evening.

When in Kyoto, kaiseki dinner is a must-try, and Kinmata came highly recommended. We walked out feeling rather smug that we had such a beautiful and enjoyable experience to treasure. The restaurant is situated right in the centre of Kyoto but the moment we stepped into this 200+ year old building, we felt like we stepped back in time, and gave us this sense of tranquility. The food was exquisite, service was top class. We even had the pleasure of speaking with Hideyuki, son of the owner of the restaurant, and through him, we learnt of the history of Kinmata, their dedication on service, on quality, and on creating a memorable experience for customers. Take your time, enjoy the pace of the meal and savour the moment for it is a true culinary experience.

THE MOST AMAZING KAISEKI YOU'LL EVER HAVE. the service is absolutely unreal, the food is delicious, the people are lovely. The manager is the sweetest and went above and beyod to fulfill all of our requests graciously. Can't recommend it enough.

We were able to reserve a table for a kaiseki lunch with very little notice. Perhaps that was an issue. The building is stunning and the staff were lovely. They did not speak English but one of our waitresses tried valiantly with Google translate. The food was predominantly fish. We had sea bream and Spanish mackerel in a couple of dishes and there were a lot of clear soups. On our last savoury course a large bowl of rice was brought out but we had nothing to eat it with. We found the subtle flavours bordered on bland after a while and we felt the price was not really value for money.

Many years ago my friend living in Japan took me to a Kyoto restaurant for Kaiseki. During my subsequent trips to Japan, I kept forgetting to make reservations in advance so I keeping missing the opportunity to try it again. I booked this restaurant months in advance via Tablecheck. Credit card is required and they put a hold on your card monthly so cancel appropriately to avoid the cancellation penalty. The restaurant has very limited seating and they're upfront about their cancellation rules, which I think is fair. I absolutely loved the entire course meal we had tonight. They were many ingredients I would never have imagined combining and some dishes had multiple items I usually dislike, but somehow, together it just worked. The ingredients were all super fresh and the seasoning was just right. I especially enjoyed the uni on toasted bread with fish paste as well as the Wagyu with potato chips and wasabi oil. It seems like small bites but I was super full by the end. The service was excellent. The restaurant has been owned by the safe family for many generations. The current owner studied abroad and speaks excellent English if you have any questions. Highly recommend this restaurant for delicious Kaiseki.

Out first trip to Japan yay!! We got the chance to be here during the Sakura ( cherry blossom season) We were told to stay here at Kitchen Kitchen Kinmata a traditional japanese hotel and experience the authentic japanese living. We loved it. Stayed here two nights and the everything is amazing. The hospitality, the rooms the baths soooo great. Great staff! They are amazing group of staff anything you want they get you. Traditional way of sleeping, the beds are set up on the floor but very comfortable. They ask you what time you want to take a bath and it is then set up and ready for you with hot water in a wooden tub and the whole experience is beautiful. The whole place accommodates 2 families at one time. Fir overnight stay but you can come just for dinner as well. When you walk out the door you can go to these huge indoor mall full of sea food vendors all types and it's just a beautiful site to see. The dinner six to 8 course meal from appetizer to desert along with green tea. Breakfast can be western style or eastern and is great. I'm very glad we stayed here and even though pricy I would come back again .

Very traditional Kaiseiki food.. Very good traditional japanese food. Very hard to describe the quality and the style of food.. Its incredibly good. Its been here for more than 150 years.. Very good traditional food. Make sure you book first and must try..

Beautiful setting in the busy market street, exquisite food placed in artistic decorated plates/dishes. Tasty traditional Japanese cuisine that are amazing!