Kiyama (Kyoto, Japan) – March 2025

There has been several reviews of Kiyama on this subreddit so I am happy to contribute my own review as well. Great news for those that like to take photos of their food – Kiyama now allows photos!!! Not too sure when his policy changed but it must have been quite recent since other local diners were surprised as well.

Kiyama occupies two floors of a small building in a quiet neighborhood near the Kyoto Imperial Palace. My lunch seating with my wife was on the second floor. This was a 10 seater counter, half were foreigners and other half were locals. Having booked this through Pocket Concierge, there were two kaiseki courses at lunch to choose from: the 14,520 yen menu and the 30,250 yen menu (subject to additional payment under market pricing). My wife and I had the more expensive menu.

Printed menus in English were provided (seen in last two pictures). We were also offered a supplement – Karasumi (Dried Mullet Roe) Mochi which was grilled in front of you, which we got. For the rice course, you get the option to choose from 5 dishes and you can specify the size you wanted. Most people would try all 5 dishes.

There was an great mix of different flavor profiles and cooking techniques on display. Do note that Kiyama-san's food is not heavily seasoned and is focused on bringing out the subtle flavours of the ingredients. The menu was generally well executed. Most dishes served were good though I would not say any blew my mind. I liked the starter crab cake, the soup dish made from the freshly shaven bonito, the sawada in the sashimi dish, the grilled butterfish and the wild duck crepe (reminded me of peking duck, the crepe here was made with soba flour). From the rice course, I felt that the anago egg rice and baby sardines and sansho rice were stand outs. The only duds of the meal were the steamed oyster & rice which was very bland and tasted more of ginger rather than oyster, and the dessert dish which was unremarkable.

The entire meal took slightly more than 2.5 hours but it did not feel long. The meal was well paced and I enjoyed the whole show of seeing the bonito being shaved and made into dashi behind the counter. Service was excellent and the staff took care of us really well (and were able to accomodate my pregnant wife). They were also able to explain all dishes in English. The atmosphere and vibe of the restaurant was unexpectedly very warm and homely, and I think the large part of this is due to Kiyama-san's personality. He is such a friendly and jovial chefs, always smiling and laughing with the guest.

Kiyama-san is not always at the counter and I understand he has another counter downstairs. So he is always juggling (or rather climbing stairs) in between the two, but I would say that he is there for almost 50% of the meal. He would be involved personally in the preparation of the bonito dashi, slicing of fish for the sashimi course and for the ending matcha ceremony at the end of the meal. In between, he would interact with each guest, making sure we were all having a wonderful time.

Overall, Kiyama was a satisfying meal and an excellent experience. Do consider trying it out if you are seeking a Kyo-kaiseki experience that is relatively easy to reserve.

Score: 4.25 / 5

Cost Performance: 3.5 / 5 – Together with the Karasumi Mochi supplement, the total meal cost (after taking into account marketing pricing) was 35,250 yen per person before drinks.

Reservation difficulty: Very Easy, Kiyama has two counters I believe so he has many seats available. Booked via Pocket Concierge. I was easily able to find seats a week in advance.