Restaurant in Kyoto, Japan
Reservation-only counter; book Saturday lunch first.
Hirosawa is a 10-seat modern Chinese counter in a Kyoto machiya, earning Tabelog Silver Awards in 2025 and 2026 with a score of 4.39. At JPY 30,000–39,999 per person, it is the clearest fine-dining Chinese option in Kyoto. Book the Saturday lunch session for a first visit — reservations are the only way in.
Hirosawa is one of Kyoto's most awarded modern Chinese restaurants, and the Saturday midday service is the format that makes most sense for a first visit. The counter is 10 seats, reservations are the only way in, and the kitchen's approach — Chinese techniques refracted through Japanese ingredients and French precision — earns a Tabelog score of 4.39 and Silver Awards in both 2025 and 2026. At JPY 30,000–39,999 per person, this is a serious spend, but the credentials are real and the format delivers. If you are visiting Kyoto and want to eat serious Chinese food at this level, Hirosawa is the clearest answer in the city.
Hirosawa opened on 1 March 2023, the result of a chef going independent from a previous restaurant. The setting is a Kyoto machiya townhouse in Nakagyo Ward, a short walk from Karasuma Station. The room is a 10-seat counter, compact and focused, with a visual aesthetic described by the venue itself as stylish and relaxing. When you arrive, expect a space that looks and feels like a house restaurant rather than a formal dining room: low-key on the outside, considered on the inside. The counter seats face the kitchen, which means the cooking is part of the visual experience. Plating Chinese food on Japanese vessels is one of the kitchen's most visible signatures, and you will notice it immediately.
The Saturday service runs two sessions: lunch at 12:00 and dinner at 17:00. For a first-timer, the lunch slot is worth targeting. It gives you a full afternoon in Kyoto afterwards, and the daytime light through a machiya is a different visual register from an evening counter. Weekday dinner runs two sessions as well , 17:00 and 19:45 , though the second session is only available at the beginning and end of each month, which matters for scheduling. The restaurant is closed Sundays and public holidays, so plan accordingly.
The cuisine sits at the intersection of Chinese cooking traditions, Japanese ingredient sensibility, and French technique. Garlic is deliberately toned down so that the natural aromas of individual ingredients carry the dish. Roasted pork fillet is cooked twice. Hot pots layer Chinese shinesāhi soup stock with seafood dashi. These are not casual fusion touches , they represent a considered cooking philosophy that takes time and effort to execute. The kitchen's emphasis on fish is documented in the venue data, and the wine program is treated with the same seriousness, with a particular focus on wine pairings rather than beer or spirits. Credit cards are accepted (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners, UnionPay), which matters at this price point.
Private rooms on the second floor become available from July 2025, accommodating parties of 2 or 4. Until that opening, the venue is counter-only. If a private room is what you need, wait until the second half of 2025 to book, or consider the counter as a solo or couple experience. The venue is also available for full private hire, which makes it viable for a business dinner if the budget aligns.
Booking is described as reservation-only and rated easy on Pearl's difficulty scale, but that refers to process rather than lead time. At 10 seats and with Silver Award recognition on Tabelog, Hirosawa attracts serious diners from across Japan. Build in two to four weeks of lead time, particularly for Saturday lunch. The website is hirosawa-kyoto.com and the phone line is +81-75-200-9783. The restaurant is a 9-minute walk from Karasuma Station or Shijo Station , no parking is available, so budget for a taxi or walk.
Hirosawa has accumulated a meaningful track record in just over two years of operation. It received a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, Tabelog Bronze in 2024, Tabelog Silver in 2025 and 2026, and was selected for the Tabelog Chinese WEST Top 100 in 2024. The progression from Bronze to Silver in a single year is a signal worth noting , this is a kitchen that has grown into its reputation rather than peaked at launch. A Tabelog score of 4.39 places it in the top tier of Chinese restaurants in western Japan.
For context on where Hirosawa fits, see Pearl's full Kyoto restaurants guide. Among Kyoto's Chinese options, Kyo Seika operates at ¥¥¥ and offers an alternative point of comparison at a lower price tier. For similar modern Chinese cooking at a comparable level elsewhere in Japan, HAJIME in Osaka and Goh in Fukuoka are worth considering if your itinerary extends beyond Kyoto. Outside Japan, Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin and Mister Jiu's in San Francisco represent the clearest international parallels , Chinese cooking reinterpreted through a fine-dining lens with strong local identity. Other Kyoto dining options for a comparable evening spend include VELROSIER, Akihana, Canton Shunsai Ikki, and Hachiraku. For a broader look at eating and staying in the city, Pearl's Kyoto hotels guide, Kyoto bars guide, and Kyoto experiences guide are the logical next steps. If you are building a regional itinerary, akordu in Nara and 1000 in Yokohama are worth pairing. Heading further afield, Harutaka in Tokyo and 6 in Okinawa round out the wider Japan picture. Pearl also covers Kyoto wineries if wine is a priority alongside dinner.
| Detail | Hirosawa | Kyo Seika | Gion Sasaki |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | Modern Chinese | Chinese | Kaiseki |
| Price per person | JPY 30,000–39,999 | ¥¥¥ | ¥¥¥¥ |
| Seats | 10 (counter) | Not specified | Not specified |
| Private rooms | From July 2025 | Not specified | Available |
| Booking difficulty | Easy (process) / plan ahead | Not specified | Difficult |
| Saturday lunch | Yes (12:00) | Not specified | Not specified |
| Closed | Sun + public holidays | Not specified | Not specified |
| Tabelog score | 4.39 (Silver 2026) | Not specified | Not specified |
| Michelin | Plate 2024, 2025 | Not specified | Not specified |
Yes, at JPY 30,000–39,999 per person, the tasting format is the right vehicle for what this kitchen does. The cooking philosophy , twice-cooked pork fillet, layered hot pot stocks, Japanese vessel presentation , only makes full sense across a sequence of courses. If you are spending this much on a single meal in Kyoto, Hirosawa's Tabelog Silver Award and Michelin Plate recognition are meaningful validation that the quality is there to justify it.
For modern Chinese cooking at a serious level in Kyoto, yes. JPY 30,000–39,999 is the same bracket as high-end kaiseki, and Hirosawa competes credibly at that tier. The progression from Tabelog Bronze (2024) to Silver (2025, 2026) in two years suggests the kitchen is performing consistently. For a lower-cost Chinese option in Kyoto, Kyo Seika at ¥¥¥ is the comparison to consider.
The entire restaurant is a counter, so yes , all 10 seats are counter seats. There is no separate bar or walk-in option. Every visit requires a reservation, and the counter-only format means you are always facing the kitchen. This is a benefit if you want to watch the cooking; it is worth knowing if you expected a table setting. Solo diners and pairs are well-suited to the format.
Yes, provided the occasion suits a counter setting. The machiya townhouse, the focused 10-seat room, and the level of cooking make this a strong choice for a milestone dinner. Private rooms on the second floor open from July 2025 for parties of 2 or 4, which gives more privacy options going forward. At JPY 30,000–39,999 per person, budget expectations should be set clearly before booking.
The format is set-menu only, so there is no à la carte ordering. The kitchen decides the sequence. Based on documented preparation methods, the twice-cooked roasted pork fillet and the layered hot pot are central to what Hirosawa does , expect these or variations of them to appear. The wine program is treated seriously, so pairing is worth considering rather than ordering ad hoc.
The 10-seat counter is the limiting factor for groups. Full private hire of the venue is available, which works for a group of up to 10. Private rooms for 2 or 4 people become available from July 2025. For larger groups, full buyout is the practical route. Contact the restaurant directly at +81-75-200-9783 to confirm group availability and terms.
Four things matter most. First, reservations are the only way in , walk-ins are not possible. Second, the Saturday lunch session at 12:00 is a good entry point: it frees up your afternoon and the daylight suits the machiya setting. Third, the cuisine is modern Chinese with Japanese and French influence, not traditional Chinese cooking , come with that expectation. Fourth, the price runs JPY 30,000–39,999 per person; credit cards are accepted but electronic payments and QR codes are not. For more on eating in Kyoto, see Pearl's full Kyoto restaurants guide.
Yes. The 10-seat counter is one of the better solo dining formats at this price level in Kyoto. You face the kitchen, the pacing is handled by the chef, and there is no social awkwardness of a table-for-one. Solo diners eating serious food in Japan will find the counter format at Hirosawa more comfortable than a formal table setting. Book as early as possible , a single counter seat can be easier to secure than a pair at busy services.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Hirosawa | ¥¥¥ | — |
| Gion Sasaki | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| cenci | ¥¥¥ | — |
| Ifuki | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Kyokaiseki Kichisen | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Kyo Seika | ¥¥¥ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes, if modern Chinese with Japanese and French influence is what you are after. The kitchen is known for fish-focused cooking, twice-cooked pork preparations, and hot pots that layer Chinese stock with seafood dashi — a format that rewards the full progression rather than a partial order. At JPY 30,000–39,999 per head, the price is in line with Kyoto's serious counter restaurants, and three consecutive Tabelog Awards (Bronze 2024, Silver 2025 and 2026) plus Michelin Plate recognition suggest the kitchen is consistently delivering at that level.
At JPY 30,000–39,999 per head, Hirosawa is priced at the upper end of Kyoto's Chinese dining options, but the Tabelog score of 4.39 and back-to-back Silver Awards in 2025 and 2026 give it more external validation than most restaurants at this price point that opened in 2023. The Saturday lunch service tends to run JPY 20,000–29,999 based on review averages, making it the better entry point if budget is a consideration. For that price in Kyoto, you are getting a 10-seat counter in a machiya townhouse with a chef cooking an ingredient-led modern Chinese menu — the value case is solid.
The entire ground-floor dining room is a 10-seat counter, so counter dining is the primary format here, not an option. Private rooms on the second floor seat 2 or 4 people and are available from 18:00, but if you want the counter experience, the ground floor is the full restaurant. Solo diners and pairs are well served by the counter setup.
Yes, particularly if the group is two or four people. Private rooms on the second floor become available from July 2025, giving you a more intimate option for celebrations. The machiya townhouse setting, reservation-only policy, and price point (JPY 30,000–39,999) make it feel like an occasion by default. For larger parties, the 10-seat counter and small private rooms mean Hirosawa is not set up to handle groups of six or more for a private event.
Hirosawa does not operate an à la carte menu in the conventional sense — the format is a set course, so ordering is not a decision you make at the table. The kitchen's documented focus is on fish-forward dishes, twice-cooked pork fillet, and hot pots built on layered Chinese and seafood stocks. The restaurant also has a considered wine list. Come expecting a chef-led progression rather than a menu you choose from.
Only up to four people in the private rooms, or up to 10 if your party can take the full counter. The restaurant can be booked for private use, which makes it workable for a small group that wants exclusive access to the space. For groups larger than four who want a private room, Hirosawa is not the right venue — look at Kyoto kaiseki restaurants with dedicated banquet rooms instead.
Book well in advance — this is a reservation-only, 10-seat counter restaurant with a Tabelog Silver Award and no walk-in policy. The Saturday lunch session (12:00 and 17:00) is the most accessible entry point and tends to come in at JPY 20,000–29,999 based on reviewer spending data, lower than the evening average. The restaurant is a 9-minute walk from Shijo or Karasuma stations. No parking is available on site, and payment by credit card is accepted (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, Diners, UnionPay); electronic money and QR code payments are not.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
