Nijo Minami

The chef honed his craft at a kappo in Gion for a quarter of a century. “I’m grateful to my mentor, who was a man of culture as well as a chef”, he explains. Appetiser platters, soup dishes and takiawase are all part of a lineup that pays homage to old-school cooking. The chef’s first job in the culinary world was to wring out the hot cloths for guests, and he squeezed them with all his might. His favourite saying, passed down to him from that time, is “kindness, freshness, feeling”.

• Chef Minami Kengo’s 25 Years of Training at Gion Kawakami: The chef behind Nijo Minami trained for a quarter-century under two of the greatest modern Japanese cuisine masters, Matsui Shinshichi and Kato Hiroyuki, at the prestigious Gion Kawakami. This deep apprenticeship influences the restaurant’s high culinary standards and refined techniques.

• Highly Customizable Menu Catering to Specific Needs: Unlike many Michelin-starred restaurants that follow fixed menus, Nijo Minami offers a famously customizable menu. This flexibility attracts a significant number of women and elderly guests who prefer smaller portions or have particular dietary requirements, emphasizing personalized hospitality.

• Seasonal and Visually Artistic Rice Dish Before Dessert: A unique highlight is the rice dish served just before dessert, which changes seasonally and is crafted with local ingredients such as cherry salmon and thin beans in spring. This dish balances umami-rich dashi with elegant seasonal flavors and presents a visually refreshing palette, embodying the essence of the season in both taste and appearance.

• Cherry Salmon: Used in a seasonal rice dish, the cherry salmon is combined with thin beans and dashi, highlighting the umami of the salmon oil and the sweetness of the beans.
• Pike Conger: Featured in summer dishes, such as thin-sliced pike conger, which is often served with whale boiled in white miso.
• Simmered Burdock: Used in spring rolls wrapped in perilla leaves, flavored with salt or sansho vinegar, showcasing creativity and simplicity.
• Whole Female Red Crab: A signature winter dish from northern Hyogo Prefecture, emphasizing the restaurant's seasonal offerings.

Tasting Menu

• Kaiseki (tasting menu): ¥26,000 per person

Signature Dishes

• Seasonal rice dish served before dessert (varies by season; example includes rice cooked with seasonal cherry salmon and thin beans harvested in the Kansai region, including Kyoto), with a dashi-based flavor.