Kikunoi Honten

★★★

We received a 3-star rating
in the “Michelin Guide Kyoto,Osaka 2023”.

ADDRESS

459 Shimokawarmachi, Higashiyama-Ku, Kyoto 605-0825 Kyoto Prefecture

Google Maps

OPEN

LUNCH/12:00-12:30 (LO) 
DINNER/17:00-19:30(LO)

PHONE

+81-75-561-0015

CLOSED

First and third Tuesday, New Year vacations.
* Closed days are subject to change.

Akasaka Kikunoi

★★

We received a 2-star rating
in the “Michelin Guide Tokyo 2023”.

ADDRESS

6-13-8 Akasaka Minatoku Tokyo

Google Maps

OPEN

LUNCH/12:00-12:30(LO) Closed at 14:00 
DINNER/17:00-19:00(LO) Closed at 22:00

PHONE

+81-3-3568-6055

CLOSED

Every Sunday and Monday,Summer and New Year vacations

Roan

★★

We received a 2-star rating
in the “Michelin Guide Kyoto,Osaka 2023”.

ADDRESS

1F, 118 Saito-cho, Shijo-sagaru, Kiyamachi-dori,Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto

Google Maps

OPEN

LUNCH/11:30-13:30 (seating) 
DINNER/17:00-19:00(last entry )

PHONE

+81-75-361-5580

CLOSED

Every Wednesday

Salon de Muge

Salon de Muge opened in 2017 right nearby Kikunoi’s main restaurant so that guests could experience and enjoy Kikunoi’s authentic Japanese cuisine in a more light-hearted setting.
Freshly-brewed coffee and authentic warabimochi are offered from the afternoon for a relaxing time of coffee-drinking and sweets.
Its aesthetic was designed after a traditional mountain cottage combined with more modern architecture, and this creates a calm atmosphere in which guests can forget about the passage of time while gazing at the green mossy garden outside.
We look forward to your visit to Salon de Muge.

※ We are sorry but reservations for coffee time-only are not accepted.
Lunch reservations for the Shigure Bento Box can be made.

ADDRESS

524 Washiocho, Kodaiji Temple North Gate,Shimogawaradori, Higashiyamaku, Kyoto

Google Maps

OPEN

Shigure Bento Box: From 11:30 to 13:00
Coffee and Sweets: From 11:30 to 18:00 (Last order at 17:00)
※ Reservations can be made for Bento Box. Reservations cannot be made for Coffee
and Sweets and are accepted only through walk-ins.

PRICE

Shigure Bento Box ¥5,500
Seating Charge ¥1,650 per person

SEATING

22 seats
1st Floor: 8 counter seats
2nd Floor 12 table seats

SMOKING

Prohibited

CHILDREN

We are sorry but children 6 years old and younger are not allowed entry.

Wi-Fi

None

PARKING

None

DRESSCODE

No particular dress code enforced. However, we ask that no casual wear be worn
(shorts, t-shirts, sandals, etc. ).

PAYMENT METHOD

【Advance payment for online reservation】
PayPal or Credit Card

【Payment for additional orders at the restaurant】
Cash or Credit Card

Cancellation Policy

※ Cancellations made up to 3 days before the reservation date are eligible to receive a full refund. (We are not responsible for exchange rate fluctuations)
※ Cancellations made 2 days before, 1 day before, or on the day of the reservation date are not eligible to receive any refund.
※ All changes to the reservation are required to be made at least 3 days before the reservation date.
※ Requests to change or cancel a reservation made after the specified days above will not be eligible for any refund and requests to change the reservation to an alternative date/time will not be accommodated.

Representative Director Yoshihiro Murata

Yoshihiro Murata was born in 1951 as the oldest son in the Kikunoi family. As a student at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto he was a member of the golf club, a sport that he still adores but does not allow himself to play as it may affect his work. He travelled to France during his university years with the intention of studying French cuisine but was instead awakened to the beauty of Japanese cuisine. After graduating from university, Murata trained for three years at the Nagoya Japanese restaurant Kamome, before returning to Kyoto in 1976 to open his own restaurant, the present-day Roan Kikunoi. The tiny six-seat counter-only restaurant was uncomfortably quiet at first, and Murata spent hours poring over cookbooks of Japanese, Chinese and Western cuisine to pass the time. But within three years, the tide had totally turned, and it was impossible to get a seat.

Since 1993, Murata has served as the head chef at the Kikunoi main restaurant, the third generation in his family to do so. He puts all his efforts into sharing the goodness of Japanese cuisine with the world, bringing new, flexible thinking to traditional cuisine. In 2004 he opened Akasaka Kikunoi, and in 2017 the latest addition to the group was made with the opening of the more casual Mugesanbo or Salon de Muge just next to the original Kikunoi.

In 2012 he was honored as a “modern artisan” by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and in 2013 Kyoto awarded Murata with an award for distinguished service to culture. Murata has authored countless publications on Japanese cuisine and Kyoto culture, and he currently supervises the Singapore Airlines inflight menu alongside British chef Gordon Ramsay.

Despite being busy with activities that reach the breadth of the globe, Murata also accepts invitations for television appearances, so long as they relate to cooking. He feels that more important than visiting Japanese restaurants is eating Japanese cuisine at home every day, and he would love to share his wife’s cooking more broadly with the world. There is always a great response to the recipes he shares, loved for their simplicity and great flavors.

Murata divides his time evenly each month between Kyoto and Tokyo, with some overseas business trips in between. You would think this would leave very little time for socializing, but Murata values his friendships deeply, and is especially close to French Chef Alain Ducasse, who has dined at Kikunoi on many occasions. Movie director, actress and designer Sofia Coppola also looks forward to her visits to Japan to dine at Kikunoi and meet with Chef Murata.

VISION
Chef Murata’s greatest motivation is to “make cuisine culture”, and he pursues that goal in countless ways. Murata is indispensable in the world of Japanese cuisine and one of the best at expounding on its qualities. He was a major contributor in washoku traditional Japanese cuisine being recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. He is also the president of the Japanese Culinary Academy and can often be found presenting not just in Japanese, but in a handful of foreign languages. In addition, it was Murata’s urging that led Kyoto to implement a fully Japanese menu for school lunch, confident that it forms the best foundation for food education. In recent years, Murata has been engaged in the creation of a testing and evaluation system for Japanese cuisine, allowing chefs to prove their skills even if they have never worked at a famous restaurant. The goal is to ensure a strong pool of chefs who can take authentic Japanese cuisine to the next generation. Murata’s kitchen shows great international flair, manned by four to five foreign chefs from the US, UK, Korea, and other countries at any one time. The service staff are extremely well-versed in English and some are also fluent in Chinese. Clearly, Murata is building a firm foundation in many different ways to ensure the transmission of the culture of Japanese cuisine to future Japanese generations and to people around the world.
TABLEWARE

About Kikunoi

Name

Kikunoi Co., Ltd.

Founded

1912

Incorporate

1949

Capital

10 million yen

Representative Director

Yoshihiro Murata

Employees

200 (including part-time employees)

Business

Management of restaurants, manufacture and sale of prepared dishes and bento boxed meals.

Office Location

Kikunoi Main Restaurant, Kikunoi Roan, Akasaka Kikunoi
Department Store/ Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Tamagawa Takashimaya,
Yokohama Takashimaya, Kyoto Takashimaya, Shinjuku Takashimaya