Gion Nanba

Objective: English and Japanese website. 2 Michelin Star Kaiseki restaurant. Located in Gion (short walk from the Gion Shijo train stop). Several omakase options ranging from 50 000 to 150 000 yen (selected the 10 000 yen; about 10 courses). Additional drinks menu available. Can eat at the chef’s counter, private tatami room, or private Western style dining room.
Subjective: Location-​wise, would use the location and directions on the website (via google maps) as that’s the most accurate. Be on the lookout as you do walk down a narrow alley that has several other restaurants and the sign for Nanba is in Japanese (see photo). The staff was amazingly attentive (following a traditional kaiseki experience). Ended up in the private tatami room, which allowed a more intimate experience amongst our group of 4. Food-​wise, emphasis on seasonal ingredients prepared traditionally; a sampling from our menu consisted of quail egg, sashimi, soba, rice w/​mini fish dishes. Presentation-​wise, you’d be hard pressed to find dishes plated so artfully.
Highly recommended if interested in kaiseki dining. While can be considered expensive, I would say Nanba is worth it due to the combination of food, service, and overall dining experience

+Best dining experience in Japan, amazing to watch all the magic happen behind the bar
+Prices are reasonable for such a quality meal
+Fantastic service and talented chefs
+Super intimate dining experience at the 6-​seater bar
+Tucked away in an alley
This was one of the best meals in Kyoto, if not the best. I would also consider it one of the top meals of my life. This is an intimate fine dining experience at a Michelin rated Kaiseki (a meal prepared with fresh seasonal ingredients) restaurant in Kyoto for an affordable price.
Not only were the reservations super easy to make online (they have an English website), even though we did it through out hotel concierge, we scored 11AM reservations on a weekday for an 8-​course lunch (~$ 80 USD) at Gion Nanba. There is an option to go up to 10 + courses. We had bar seating right in front of Chef Nanba and his apprentice who spoke pretty decent English, and would look up words in the Japanese dictionary for harder to describe courses. The price was super reasonable for lunch, and we felt extremely lucky to be able to get reservations at the 6-​seater sunken bar right in front of the talented chefs.
For an 11AM, reservation, we had the whole restaurant to ourselves for around 30 minutes until another party came who sat in the private room behind the sunken bar. During this 30 minutes, we watched the chef meticulously and skillfully prepare each dish in silence, it was a very zen experience watching them execute their craft and making such delicious intricate courses. The only other experience I had like this was at Minibar in Washington DC which was 5X the price and was nearly not as intimate and up-​close as this.
We wanted a memorable kaiseki experience in Kyoto, and Gion Nanba was an ultimate experience during our trip to Japan. Everything dish was super fresh, delicious, and thoughtfully put together. What was even more amazing was that even though there were other parties who came after us, Nanba and his apprentice would re-​do each step and put away each item even though they would be making the same dish again for the next guests. However, this did not faze them, and you know your dishes are not mass produced. Instead, each dish is executed with care and concentration. It was so amazing to see these chefs passionate about their job, and carried a zen-​like meditation while they were preparing the food. Nanba finished us off with the most delicious matcha tea at the end of the meal. Out of all the matchas I’ve had in Japan, this was by far the best, I don’t know how he did it.
When we finished our 8-​course meal and were getting to depart, the chef graciously even stepped out of the bar and walked us to the private alley where the restaurant is located to thank us for stopping by.
For those who dream of Jiro, I dream of Nanba. It definitely was a super memorable and intimate meal, and every course was fantastic.
Thank you so much Gion Nanba for an incredible dining experience in Japan!