Mizai Kyoto

Mizai sits in the Maruyamacho district, located steps away from the expansive grounds of Maruyama Park. The restaurant holds three stars in the Michelin Guide and ranks at no. 56 on La Liste.

The room runs smart and elegant, but the real draw is the technical intensity of its traditional Japanese cooking. While the Gion district and the Yasaka Pagoda are both a ten-minute walk away, Mizai feels entirely removed from the heavy tourist foot traffic found near those landmarks. It is a place that demands focus, offering a precise, quiet alternative to the more frantic pace of its neighbors in Higashiyama Ward. You come here for the rigor of the multi-course experience, which leaves little room for the casual approach found at the sushi counters throughout the rest of the city.