Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Nine seats, repeat-visitor reward, serious nigiri.
Kiyota is a nine-seat Ginza sushi counter with a Tabelog Award in every year from 2017 to 2026 and a consistent presence in the OAD Japan top 100. Dinner runs JPY 50,000–80,000; lunch is available at roughly half that. Booking is relatively accessible by Ginza standards, and the fish-focused sourcing approach gives regulars a reason to return.
Kiyota is the right call if you are returning to Tokyo's Ginza sushi circuit and want a counter that rewards repeat visits rather than first-timer spectacle. At a dinner average of JPY 50,000–60,000 (with review-based spend running closer to JPY 60,000–80,000), it sits at a price point that is serious but not the ceiling — Kiyota Hanare, its sibling room, runs JPY 100,000 and up. If you have done one Ginza omakase and want to understand what keeps regulars coming back, Kiyota is the more considered choice over louder marquee names.
Chef Norihiko Yoshizawa's nine-seat counter in Ginza 6-chome has accumulated a Tabelog Award every year from 2017 through 2026 — Bronze in most years, Silver in 2018 and 2019, which marks a level of sustained peer recognition that few counters in the city match. It also appears in the Tabelog Sushi Tokyo "Top 100" for 2021, 2022, and 2025, and Opinionated About Dining ranked it among Japan's leading restaurants: 44th in 2023, 58th in 2024, and 70th in 2025. The trajectory is worth noting , the OAD ranking has softened slightly year on year, but the Tabelog floor remains solid.
The room is built around a counter. Nine seats, no private room, and the format is sushi-counter dining in the Edomae tradition where what you see in front of you , the chef's hands, the fish on the board, the rice being pressed , is the full experience. The Tabelog record notes a particular emphasis on sourcing: the fish selection is called out explicitly as an area of focus, and the sake list is treated with the same seriousness. This is a counter where the ingredient arrives first and the technique follows, which is the distinction that separates Yoshizawa's approach from restaurants where the reverse is true. At this price tier in Ginza, sourcing specificity is the expected baseline, but the consistency of Kiyota's award record over nearly a decade suggests the execution holds up.
Lunch is available Monday through Saturday, 12:00–14:00 (last order 13:45), at JPY 30,000–40,000 , roughly half the dinner spend. If you have been for dinner and want to return without the full outlay, the lunch sitting is the practical answer. The room is the same counter, the chef is the same, and the format likely mirrors the evening omakase at a compressed price. For a first visit, dinner gives you the full sequence; for a return, lunch is worth testing.
Kiyota Hanare operates separately at a Ginza address on the 9th floor of Ginza Fujiko-Nishi. Seven seats, reservation-only, dinner from JPY 100,000. The Hanare was added to the Tabelog Award list in 2025 and 2026 (Bronze), which suggests it has found its own standing rather than coasting on the main counter's reputation. If you are planning a significant occasion and the Kiyota counter is unavailable, the Hanare is the logical escalation , same kitchen philosophy, higher price, smaller room.
Booking at the main Kiyota counter is rated Easy by Pearl's booking difficulty assessment, which is relatively accessible by Ginza omakase standards. The website is ginza-kiyota.com and the phone is +81-3-3572-4854. Credit cards accepted include JCB, AMEX, and Diners; VISA and Mastercard are not listed. Electronic money and QR code payments are not accepted. No parking on site. The nearest transit access is Tokyo Metro Ginza Station, C2 exit, approximately five minutes on foot.
Solo dining is specifically flagged as a recommended occasion on the Tabelog record, which makes sense given the nine-seat counter format. A party of two fits naturally at the counter; groups larger than that should confirm availability directly, as the maximum seating party is not listed for the main counter (the room can be taken for private use for up to 20 people, though that is a separate arrangement from a standard reservation).
Reservations are available directly , Pearl rates booking difficulty as Easy relative to the Ginza omakase category, where counters like Sushi Kanesaka or Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongiten require significantly more lead time. Contact via ginza-kiyota.com or +81-3-3572-4854. Closed Sundays and public holidays. Both lunch (12:00–14:00) and dinner (18:00–22:00) sittings run Monday through Saturday.
| Detail | Kiyota | Harutaka | Edomae Sushi Hanabusa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | Sushi (Edomae) | Sushi | Sushi (Edomae) |
| Dinner avg. | JPY 50,000–60,000 | ¥¥¥¥ | ¥¥¥¥ |
| Lunch available | Yes (JPY 30,000–40,000) | Check directly | Check directly |
| Seats | 9 | Counter | Counter |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate–Hard | Check directly |
| Solo friendly | Yes (recommended) | Yes | Yes |
| Closed | Sun + public holidays | Check directly | Check directly |
| Payment | JCB, AMEX, Diners | Check directly | Check directly |
No dress code is listed in the available data. For a Ginza counter at JPY 50,000–80,000 per head, smart casual is the safe call , clean, considered dress without being formal. The room is a counter, not a banquet setting, but the price tier and neighbourhood (central Ginza) set an expectation. Avoid anything you would wear to a casual izakaya.
Kiyota runs omakase , there is no a la carte menu to select from. You are eating what Chef Yoshizawa has sourced that day, which is the point: the Tabelog record specifically notes a focus on fish sourcing, and the sake list is treated with equal seriousness. If sake pairing is available, it is worth taking , the record notes the restaurant is "particular about sake." Come hungry, and do not request modifications unless you have a genuine dietary restriction.
Book dinner for a first visit. The full dinner sequence (JPY 50,000–80,000 based on review spend) gives you the complete picture of what Yoshizawa is doing. Kiyota has held a Tabelog Award every year since 2017 and appears in the OAD Japan top 100 across multiple years, so the standard is consistent , this is not a restaurant where you need to time your visit carefully to catch a good night. Come with a reservation (it is reservation-only), arrive on time, and note that VISA and Mastercard are not accepted , bring JCB, AMEX, or Diners. If you want to explore comparable Ginza sushi, Sushi Kanesaka and Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongiten are the obvious reference points in the same area.
Dinner is the primary experience. The lunch sitting (JPY 30,000–40,000, last order 13:45) is a real option and represents meaningful savings , roughly half the dinner cost at the same counter with the same chef. If you have already done dinner at Kiyota and want to return, lunch is the efficient choice. For a first visit, go at dinner. The evening sitting runs until 22:00, which gives the meal room to breathe.
Yes, with caveats. The nine-seat counter format is intimate and the price point (JPY 50,000–80,000 dinner) signals occasion dining clearly. Kiyota's Tabelog record flags solo dining as a recommended occasion, and parties of two work naturally at a counter this size. For a larger group, the room can be taken for private use (up to 20 people), but that requires a separate arrangement. If the budget allows and the occasion calls for something further up the register, the Hanare sibling room (JPY 100,000+, seven seats) is the escalation option. For a celebration where the sushi counter format matters more than sheer exclusivity, Kiyota at dinner is the right answer.
No dress code is specified in Kiyota's venue data, but the setting is a nine-seat counter in central Ginza with a Tabelog Award track record stretching back to 2017 — the neighbourhood context and price point (JPY 50,000–80,000 per head at dinner based on reviews) suggest understated, neat clothing is the practical call. Avoid anything casual enough to feel out of place at a focused counter omakase. If in doubt, business casual reads correctly for this category.
Kiyota operates as a reservation-only counter, which means the format is omakase — you eat what chef Norihiko Yoshizawa serves, not what you select from a menu. The venue's Tabelog profile notes a particular focus on fish quality. Lunch runs JPY 30,000–50,000 and dinner JPY 50,000–80,000 based on reviewer data, so the meal structure and pacing are set by the kitchen, not the diner.
Kiyota is a nine-seat counter — solo diners are explicitly flagged as a recommended occasion on Tabelog, so first-timers going alone will not feel out of place. Reservations are required; walk-ins are not an option. The counter is a few minutes' walk from Ginza Station (C2 exit) and has held a Tabelog Award every year from 2017 through 2026, which puts it in consistent company among Tokyo's serious sushi destinations. Budget JPY 50,000–80,000 for dinner.
Lunch is the value entry point — JPY 30,000–50,000 versus JPY 50,000–80,000 at dinner based on Tabelog reviewer data. If budget is a factor, lunch makes sense. Dinner likely offers more courses and a longer seating, which is the format most associated with Kiyota's Tabelog Award standing. For a first visit where you want the full picture of what the counter delivers, dinner is the stronger case.
Yes, with one constraint: the counter seats nine and private rooms are unavailable, so this is not suitable for group celebrations. For a one-on-one dinner — anniversary, milestone, business — the format works well; Tabelog explicitly flags solo dining as a recommended occasion, and the price point and award history support treating it as a deliberate, considered booking. Groups wanting privacy should note that private use is available for up to 20 people for full venue hire.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
