Restaurant in Nagoya, Japan
Reservation-only kaiseki with a decade of Tabelog wins.
Kaiseki Hachisen is Nagoya's most consistently awarded Kyoto-cuisine counter, holding a Tabelog Bronze Award every year since 2017 and three Tabelog 100 selections through 2025. The 12-seat counter runs JPY 30,000–39,999 per person for both lunch and dinner, reservation-only. Book it for serious kaiseki in a quiet residential setting away from the city centre.
Expect to spend JPY 30,000–39,999 per person before the 15% service charge — and that applies to both lunch and dinner. At that price point, Kaiseki Hachisen in Nagoya's Chikusa Ward is earning its keep: a Tabelog score of 3.96, a Bronze Award every year from 2017 through 2026 (with a Silver in 2020), and three consecutive selections for the Tabelog Japanese Cuisine East "Tabelog 100" list in 2021, 2023, and 2025. This is a Kyoto-style kaiseki counter with a verifiable decade-long track record. Book it for a special occasion dinner or a serious lunch if you want the most rigorously awarded Japanese cuisine experience currently operating in Nagoya.
Hachisen seats 12 at a counter, with reservations capped at 8 people in principle. The room is described as a relaxing space with counter seating — the format that defines the kaiseki experience here. Chef Masayoshi Amano runs a kitchen that, per the venue's own framing, is particular about fish, which is consistent with traditional Kyoto cuisine's emphasis on seasonal seafood as the core technical challenge. Photography has been prohibited since 2022, which is a meaningful signal: this is a room built around the meal, not around content creation.
The Tabelog 100 designation places Hachisen among the top 100 Japanese cuisine restaurants across eastern Japan , a peer group that includes kaiseki rooms in Tokyo with far larger profiles and higher reservation demand. Holding that position from a 12-seat counter in Nagoya's Chikusa Ward, rather than in Ginza or Omotesando, says something concrete about the kitchen's consistency. The 2020 Silver Award is the only break from Bronze in a ten-year run, suggesting the kitchen operates near a sustained ceiling rather than fluctuating with chef changes or menu reinventions.
The Tabelog ranking from Opinionated About Dining places Hachisen at #436 nationally in 2024, rising to #478 in 2025 , competitive movement within Japan's most densely ranked fine dining ecosystem. For context, Japan lists hundreds of kaiseki rooms that never approach a national ranking. Reaching the top 500 from a residential Nagoya neighbourhood, operating seven days a week across both lunch and dinner services, is not a common outcome for a room this size.
Drink options include sake, shochu, and wine , a standard pairing menu for kaiseki at this level. No electronic money or QR code payments are accepted; credit cards (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, Diners) are. Parking is available on site, which matters in a neighbourhood that is a 10-minute walk from Motoyama Station on the Higashiyama Subway Line. The restaurant operates seven days a week, 12:00–14:30 for lunch and 18:00–22:00 for dinner, with no fixed closing day , confirm directly before booking.
If you are travelling Japan's kaiseki circuit and have already visited Gion Sasaki in Kyoto or HAJIME in Osaka, Hachisen represents the Nagoya tier of that tradition: smaller, quieter, and in a residential setting that removes the ambient pressure of tourist-district kaiseki. Compared to Sakamoto in Kyoto, another Kyoto-cuisine specialist, Hachisen offers a shorter travel burden for visitors already in the Chubu region. For those coming from Tokyo, Harutaka operates in a different format but at a comparable awards tier , the comparison is useful for calibrating expectations on what a 3.9-plus Tabelog score actually delivers in a counter setting.
Private room use is unavailable for regular bookings, but full private hire is available for up to 20 people. The maximum party size for seated dining is 10. Groups planning a private event should contact the restaurant directly at +81-52-783-0600.
Yes , Hachisen is a counter-only restaurant. All 12 seats face the kitchen, so the counter is the dining room. There is no table seating. This format works well for solo diners and couples; for groups of five or more, confirm in advance since reservations are in principle capped at 8 people.
Groups of up to 10 can be seated for regular service, though the standard reservation limit is 8. For larger events, the restaurant is available for full private hire for up to 20 people. Contact the venue directly at +81-52-783-0600 to discuss private bookings. Note that reservations are required , no walk-ins.
For a different style within Nagoya, Cucina Italiana Gallura covers the sushi category, while Hanaichi and Hama Gen offer further Japanese dining options. For French, French Ryori Kochuten is a Nagoya-based alternative at a different price point and format. Hachisen is the most consistently awarded kaiseki room in the city by Tabelog data; if kaiseki is not your priority, the alternatives above offer more format variety at potentially lower spend.
Yes, with qualifications. The Tabelog Bronze Award (held every year since 2017, with a Silver in 2020), a score of 3.96, and three Tabelog 100 selections give it the credentials for a high-stakes dinner. The 12-seat counter creates an intimate setting. The spend of JPY 30,000–39,999 per person plus 15% service charge makes this a deliberate choice rather than a casual splurge. No photography is allowed, which keeps the room focused on the meal rather than the moment , factor that in if documentation matters to your occasion.
Three things: first, it is reservation-only , you cannot walk in. Second, the price is JPY 30,000–39,999 per person before service charge, for both lunch and dinner, so there is no lower-cost entry point. Third, photography has been banned since 2022. The format is Kyoto kaiseki at a counter, with particular emphasis on fish. Come prepared for a meal-focused experience in a quiet residential part of Nagoya, not a high-energy city-centre restaurant. See our full Nagoya restaurants guide for broader context on the city's dining options.
The price is the same for both (JPY 30,000–39,999), so cost is not a differentiator. Lunch runs 12:00–14:30 and is marginally easier to book at most kaiseki counters of this tier in Japan. Dinner (18:00–22:00) gives you a full evening format. If you are combining Hachisen with other Nagoya plans, the lunch slot is more efficient logistically. For a dedicated occasion dinner, the evening service is the more considered choice. Either way, book in advance , this is not a spontaneous stop.
The kitchen is described as particularly focused on fish, which is central to the Kyoto kaiseki format. Kaiseki menus are typically fixed and seasonal, which means they are not structured for significant substitutions. If you have serious dietary restrictions, contact the restaurant directly at +81-52-783-0600 before booking to confirm whether the current menu can be adapted. Do not assume flexibility , kaiseki at this level is built around the chef's seasonal selection.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hachisen | Easy | — | |
| Cucina Italiana Gallura | Unknown | — | |
| il AOYAMA | Unknown | — | |
| Tokusen | Unknown | — | |
| Unafuji | Unknown | — | |
| Reminiscence | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes — Hachisen's 12-seat counter is the only dining format available. There is no separate bar or table seating, so every guest eats at the counter. Photography has been prohibited since 2022, so plan accordingly.
Groups of up to 8 are accepted under standard reservation policy, and the venue can be taken over privately for up to 20 people. Parties of 9 or 10 may be seated, but 8 is the practical ceiling for a shared reservation without a full buyout. check the venue's official channels at 052-783-0600 to confirm availability for larger bookings.
For kaiseki at a comparable price tier, Tokusen is the most direct alternative in the city. If you want Japanese cuisine with a different format or a lower per-head spend, Unafuji offers a focused option worth considering before committing to the JPY 30–40K range at Hachisen.
It is a strong choice: Tabelog Bronze every year from 2017 through 2026, a Silver in 2020, and three consecutive selections for Tabelog's Japanese Cuisine East Top 100 list give it verifiable standing. The 12-seat counter format makes it intimate, and private use is available for up to 20 people if you want exclusive access. Factor in the 15% service charge on top of JPY 30–40K per head when budgeting.
Reservations are mandatory — walk-ins are not an option. The counter seats 12 but bookings are capped at 8 in principle, so securing a table takes planning. Photography has been banned since 2022, and a 15% service charge applies on top of the JPY 30–40K per-person spend. Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners) are accepted; electronic money and QR payments are not.
The price range is identical for both — JPY 30,000–39,999 per head — so the decision comes down to preference rather than value. Lunch runs 12:00–14:30 and dinner 18:00–22:00, seven days a week. If you want to make a day of Nagoya, lunch gives you the afternoon free; dinner suits those arriving later or combining it with evening plans.
Hachisen's kitchen is noted for a particular focus on fish within a Kyoto cuisine framework. No dietary accommodation policy is documented in available sources, so check the venue's official channels at 052-783-0600 before booking if you have restrictions. At JPY 30–40K per head in a kaiseki format, it is worth confirming in advance rather than assuming flexibility.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
