りょんこ
I had made a reservation for dinner at one of Kyoto's three major famous sake bars for my short trip to Kyoto. It's a long-established izakaya with high ratings from my fellow reviewers, so I was looking forward to visiting.
1. Exterior, atmosphere, and interior of the restaurant: It's about a 20-minute walk from Kitano Hakubaicho Station, a bit far from the station, located in the central area of Senbon Nakadachiuri. As you walk, you can see the solid white-walled appearance resembling a storehouse. The interior has a counter surrounding the drink area in a circular shape. There are large table seats at the back, mainly used for sharing. Our seats were right in front of the hot sake machine. It was fun to watch the staff preparing the hot sake.
2. About the food: The menu is so extensive that it's hard to choose! Just looking at the handwritten menu on the whiteboard gets you excited. There are also menu posters on the walls, so we discussed with our companions and ordered everything we wanted to eat. We had "Fresh Ikura Soy Sauce Pickle," "Sweet Sea Bream Grilled with Salt," "Isokage Clam Sashimi," "Ehime Red Sea Urchin," "Mackerel Simmered to Eat Bones," "Dashimaki Tamago," "Grilled Mullet with Miso," "Iwate Matsutake Mushroom Mixed Rice," "Kizushi," and a platter of pickles. We enjoyed everything, and there were still many dishes we wanted to try!
3. Staff service: The hall was managed by two young men who seemed to be university students, a young woman, and the master. There were a total of four staff members, and they handled greetings, seating, and explanations of the dishes efficiently and with a friendly attitude. The service of serving drinks was also quick, and the hot sake was perfectly timed with the order, allowing us to enjoy without any stress.
4. Cost performance: All the dishes were carefully prepared and well-matched with the sake. The extensive menu allowed us to enjoy seasonal ingredients from all over Japan and made us feel happy. The atmosphere of the restaurant was lovely, and the hard work of the young staff made us want to support them naturally. Overall, I think the cost performance is good.
5. Other notes: The only disappointing thing was that we couldn't really talk to the master. He seemed busy dealing with regular customers and didn't have time for newcomers like us.