Restaurant in Kyoto, Japan
Spanish technique, Kyoto produce, easy to book.
A Michelin Plate-recognised contemporary restaurant in Kyoto's Kita Ward, Raiz applies Spanish techniques to seasonal produce sourced directly from farmers in Nara and Kyoto. At ¥¥¥, it sits below the top kaiseki rooms in price but delivers a serious, producer-driven meal. Booking is straightforward, making it one of the easier quality commitments on Kyoto's dining calendar.
Getting a table at Raiz is direct by Kyoto standards, which makes it an easier entry point into the city's contemporary dining scene than most spots at this price tier. Bookings are available without months-long waits, but that accessibility should not be mistaken for a lack of ambition. Raiz earned a Michelin Plate in 2025, placing it in the company of restaurants the Michelin inspectors consider worth a visit, and its 4.7 Google rating across 26 reviews suggests consistent execution rather than a single celebrated meal. For a first-time visitor to Kyoto looking for something beyond kaiseki tradition, Raiz is worth your time and budget.
Raiz sits in Kita Ward, in the Murasakino district, north of the central tourist corridors around Gion and Kawaramachi. That address matters practically: you will not stumble across it on an evening walk from your hotel near the Shinkansen station. Plan your route before you go, and factor in travel time from central Kyoto. The neighbourhood is quieter and more residential, which shapes the atmosphere inside. This is not a room designed to be seen in; it is a room designed to eat in.
The name itself is the clearest description of the restaurant's intent. Raiz is Spanish for 'roots', and the kitchen operates on the principle that the ingredient relationships built with farmers in Nara and Kyoto are not a marketing angle but the actual architecture of each menu. Vegetables sourced from those producers carry the character of their growing environment, and the kitchen's job, working through Spanish techniques, is to make that character legible on the plate. The approach is contemporary rather than traditional, and the cooking format sits somewhere between a Spanish-influenced tasting progression and a produce-led Japanese sensibility. For a first-time visitor unfamiliar with this category, think of it as Spanish technique applied to the leading seasonal vegetables and seafood from the surrounding region, presented with the precision that Kyoto dining culture demands.
The spatial experience at Raiz is intimate in scale. Without a confirmed seat count in the public record, it would be imprecise to specify exact numbers, but the address, neighbourhood, and the nature of a kitchen working this closely with individual producers all point toward a small-room format. Expect a dining environment where tables are not crowded together and where the service-to-guest ratio allows for proper attention. For a first-timer, this matters: you are not entering a large, buzzing operation where you can disappear into the room. The meal will feel curated, and the pace will be set by the kitchen rather than by the clock.
Editorial angle for Raiz in Kyoto's contemporary dining context is worth addressing directly: the Spanish technical backbone of the kitchen creates a natural bridge to wine pairings that go beyond the sake-first default of most Kyoto restaurant experiences. A kitchen working Spanish techniques with Japanese produce is structurally compatible with European wine pairings, and specifically with wines from Spain and from the natural wine producers increasingly present in Japan's restaurant import market. If you are the kind of diner for whom the wine pairing shapes the value equation of the meal, Raiz's culinary framework gives a sommelier considerably more to work with than a traditional kaiseki room would. That said, specific wine list details are not confirmed in available data, so enquire when booking about pairing options if this matters to your decision.
For comparison within the contemporary dining category across Japan, kitchens blending European technique with Japanese produce have found strong footing at places like akordu in Nara and, at a higher price and profile tier, HAJIME in Osaka. Raiz operates at ¥¥¥, making it a more accessible price point than either of those while sharing the producer-relationship philosophy that defines the category. If you are building a multi-city Japan itinerary around contemporary European-Japanese cooking, Raiz fits that arc well.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Raiz does not require the weeks-in-advance planning that defines the leading kaiseki rooms in Kyoto. A reservation a few days to a week ahead should be sufficient in most periods, though popular travel seasons in Kyoto (cherry blossom in late March to early April, autumn foliage in November) will compress that window. Check availability and book as soon as your Kyoto dates are confirmed. Phone and online booking details are leading confirmed via current listings, as these are not included in available data.
The price tier is ¥¥¥, which in Kyoto's contemporary restaurant context sits below the ¥¥¥¥ kaiseki rooms and roughly in line with cenci, Kyoto's well-regarded Italian option at the same tier. For a first-timer managing a Kyoto dining budget, ¥¥¥ means you are spending seriously but not at the level of a full kaiseki dinner at Gion Sasaki or Kyokaiseki Kichisen.
Dress code details are not confirmed in the available record, but a contemporary Kyoto restaurant at this price and positioning warrants smart casual at minimum. Err on the side of neat. For broader Kyoto dining and travel planning, see our full Kyoto restaurants guide, our full Kyoto hotels guide, our full Kyoto bars guide, and our full Kyoto experiences guide.
Within Kyoto, MASHIRO, COPPIE, middle, shiro, and TOKI cover adjacent territory for diners interested in contemporary cooking at this tier. Outside Kyoto, the producer-driven contemporary format connects to akordu in Nara (closely comparable in philosophy), Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa. For the broader contemporary category internationally, César in New York City and Jungsik in Seoul share a European-technique-meets-local-produce framework. See also our full Kyoto wineries guide if the wine angle is a priority for your trip.
For contemporary European-inflected cooking at a similar price, cenci (Italian, ¥¥¥) is the closest peer. If you want to step up to traditional kaiseki at ¥¥¥¥, Gion Sasaki and Ifuki are the serious options, though both require more lead time and a larger budget. Kyo Seika (Chinese, ¥¥¥) is worth considering if you want a change of register entirely.
Yes. A small-room contemporary restaurant built around a set menu format is well-suited to solo diners. You will not be occupying a table that the kitchen would prefer to fill with a group, and the intimate scale means solo guests are not isolated. If the room includes counter seating, request it when booking.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so a few days to a week is typically sufficient outside peak travel periods. During cherry blossom season (late March to early April) and autumn foliage season (November), book as soon as your Kyoto dates are set. Raiz is significantly easier to secure than the leading kaiseki rooms in the city.
Smart casual is the safe call for a contemporary Kyoto restaurant at ¥¥¥. No confirmed dress code is on record, but the neighbourhood, price tier, and Michelin Plate recognition all point toward a room where jeans and trainers would feel underdressed. A neat, put-together look is appropriate.
At ¥¥¥, Raiz delivers a Michelin Plate-recognised contemporary menu built around direct producer relationships in Nara and Kyoto, at a price point well below the ¥¥¥¥ kaiseki rooms. For diners who want a serious meal without the full kaiseki commitment, the value equation is good. If you are comparing it to cenci at the same tier, the choice comes down to whether you prefer Spanish-influenced contemporary cooking or Italian.
The Michelin Plate recognition and 4.7 Google rating suggest the kitchen delivers consistently at this format. The produce-led approach, where recipes are built from specific farmer relationships rather than a fixed canon, means the menu reflects what is actually in season. That is the argument for committing to the full experience rather than eating selectively. If tasting menus are your preferred format, this is a good one at an accessible price for Kyoto.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raiz | Contemporary | ¥¥¥ | Easy |
| Gion Sasaki | Kaiseki, Japanese | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown |
| cenci | Italian | ¥¥¥ | Unknown |
| Ifuki | Kaiseki | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown |
| Kyokaiseki Kichisen | Japanese | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown |
| Kyo Seika | Chinese | ¥¥¥ | Unknown |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
For contemporary cooking at a similar tier, cenci and MASHIRO cover the most comparable ground in Kyoto. If you want more formal Japanese structure alongside modern technique, Ifuki is worth considering. Raiz's specific angle — Spanish methods applied to Nara and Kyoto produce — is distinct enough that none of these are direct swaps, but cenci is the closest in spirit.
Yes. Raiz's contemporary format and producer-led, vegetable-forward menu works well for solo diners who want to engage with the cooking rather than manage a shared-plates negotiation. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which removes the stress of solo reservation logistics that plagues higher-demand Kyoto rooms.
A few days to a week out is typically sufficient. Raiz is one of the easier contemporary Kyoto restaurants to book — nowhere near the weeks-in-advance planning required for top kaiseki rooms. If you have a fixed travel date, book early anyway, but last-minute availability is realistic here.
The venue data doesn't specify a dress code, and the restaurant's contemporary format in Kita Ward — away from the formal kaiseki corridors of central Kyoto — suggests a relaxed approach is fine. Neat, put-together clothing is appropriate; there is no evidence of a strict dress requirement.
At ¥¥¥ with a Michelin Plate in 2025, Raiz sits in a price band where the cooking needs to justify the spend against Kyoto's deep competition. The producer-relationship model — sourcing vegetables from specific farmers in Nara and Kyoto — gives the menu a concrete identity that goes beyond generic 'modern cuisine', which makes the price defensible. If you are weighing Raiz against a comparable kaiseki room, Raiz offers more flexibility and less ceremony for similar money.
The menu at Raiz is built around the kitchen's direct relationships with specific producers, meaning the vegetable-forward dishes have a clear sourcing rationale rather than just seasonal gesture. The Spanish technical backbone applied to Kyoto and Nara produce is the main reason to choose the format here over a la carte alternatives elsewhere in the city. It is worth it if producer-driven, contemporary cooking appeals to you — less so if you want traditional kaiseki structure.
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