Kikunoi Honten is a three-Michelin-star kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward, with ten private tatami rooms and courses starting at ¥16,500.
At a glance
- Price
- $$$
- Dinner omakase
- $233
- Sake pairing
- No
- Reservations
- Online · easy to book · unknown
- Booking
- Phone reservations
- Cuisine
- Edomae sushiKaiseki
- Price
- Upscale
Kikunoi Honten sits near Yasaka Shrine and Kodaiji temple in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward, a quiet corner of the city known for traditional arts and craft. The restaurant traces its lineage to the tea-ceremony attendants who once tended the Kikusui well used by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's wife, and it opened as a restaurant in the Taisho era. The current Michelin Guide Kyoto-Osaka has awarded it three stars.
The kaiseki format runs across ten tatami rooms spread over two floors, accommodating parties from two to forty. Lunch is served with entry between 12:00 and 12:30, with courses priced at 16,500, 22,000, 33,000, 55,000, and 77,000 yen. Dinner entry runs 17:00 to 19:30, with courses from 22,000 to 77,000 yen. All prices are tax-inclusive, with a 15% service charge added separately.
Menus follow the Kyoto seasons, built around the produce and garden views specific to each month. English menus are available, and the restaurant is closed on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, plus a year-end and New Year break. Parking is limited to two or three cars and should be arranged when booking.
Reservations can be made by phone or, for guests booking from outside Japan, online through the English or Chinese pages. Phone lines are staffed from 10:00 to 22:00.
Good to know
- How much does a meal cost at Kikunoi Honten?
- Lunch kaiseki starts at 16,500 yen and rises to 77,000 yen depending on the course; dinner courses run from 22,000 to 77,000 yen. Both are tax-inclusive, with a 15% service charge added on top.
- How do I book a table?
- Reservations are taken by phone at 075-561-0015, with reception open 10:00 to 22:00. Guests booking from outside Japan can reserve online via the restaurant's English or Chinese pages.
- What time should I arrive?
- Lunch guests should enter between 12:00 and 12:30, and dinner guests between 17:00 and 19:30.
- Is there parking available?
- Onsite parking is limited to two or three cars, so it should be requested at the time of reservation.
- Is the restaurant closed on any regular days?
- Kikunoi Honten closes on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, with additional closures around the year-end and New Year period; exact dates can vary by month, so it's worth confirming directly.
Details checked October 4, 2026. Prices and hours change; confirm before you go.
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