Moritaya Kiyamachi

I stumbled on this place when I was looking for a steak dinner. Not what I expected, and I loved every minute of it. An amazing kobe beef meal served in a traditional manner by a restaurant that has been serving for almost 200 years. The meal was incredible. For the quality of kobe beef, I did not think the price was steep, around $ 80 for a steak. I’ve been to a lot of amazing steakhouses all over the world and have spent hundred of dollars on a good steak. This now pains me to know that the best steak I’ve ever had was under $ 100 :)

Great staff. They were nice enough to squeeze us in without even having reservations. Got put in a nice private room. The wagyu was top level stuff. Melted in your mouth. Even the melon as the end melted in your mouth! Definiteky splurge and get their highest quality beef, well worth it.

Down a narrow alley, between two office buildings is the secluded Moritaya Kiyamaki. Private tatami rooms facing sculpted gardens or overlooking the Kamo river. A hidden oasis and peaceful setting for one of the city’s best sukiyaki eateries where kimono clad servers cook and attend to a diner’s every need.
The restaurant is owned by a single family working with and serving Kyoto reared kuro wagyu beef since 1869.
The beef is excellent. Kansai style sukiyaki preparation does a lot to enhance its inherent sweetness and soft texture.
Ordering is simple. Choose between three different grades from F1 — A4. Choose a cooking technique (sukiyaki, shabushabu, oiruyaki) or as a beef steak if you must, and you’re set. It is worth opting for the A4, JPY 8,100 and sticking to the sukiyaki preparation.
The experience begins with a plate of small, chilled starters. All delicately flavored and excellent. Preparing the palate for the bold flavors to come.
A heavy cast iron pan is heated over an open flame. Beef fat is rendered before the addition of crystallized sugar. Then the first pieces of beef are added and rapidly cooked. House made warishita soy and a splash of sake are added then the meat is removed and served with a lightly beaten, über fresh, orange, raw egg. Dip the beef in the egg and enjoy. Each piece is tender, very rich with silky, melting beef fat. The egg, enhances the silky mouth feel while the soy’s inherent earthiness brings forth the umame and sweetness of the beef.
The quality of the meat sampled, the second round begins. More beef fat, more crystallized sugar then the addition of the Chinese cabbage, konyaku, Kyoto spring onions, tofu, shitake mushroom, chrysanthemum greens, and more beef. Soy and a generous pour of sake add moisture for the second round of beef that’s boiled rather than seared. It’s fat released to season and enrich the rest of the dish. Veg is fully cooked yet still possesses the vibrant freshness. The high quality A4, remains tender. Outstanding depth of flavor. Continuing to use the raw egg dip throughout the meal adds a velvety mouth feel.
Amazingly sweet, in season fresh fruit rounds out the meal and refreshes the palate.
Very well chosen but limited sake, beer, and shochu list.
Beautiful service; efficient, practiced and proper.
Dinner for two including service JPY 27,000. Very little English spoken. Advance reservations required (little chance for same day reservations). Credit cards accepted.
In a word, outstanding.

We discovered Morita-​ya on our first trip to Kyoto in the spring of 2014. We had been exploring the city and were staying at the nearby Kyoto Royal Hotel & Spa, and well, time had gotten away from us and we missed lunch. It was later in the afternoon and I was hangry, after finding most options we were interested in closed for the late afternoon break and having decided to head back to the hotel to have the concierge point us in the direction of something open, we literally stumbled across Morita-ya’s Kiya Machi-​ten location.
Luckily, they were open and still serving lunch. We took off our shoes, were offered slippers, and asked to sit on the summer patio. Moritay-​ya Kiya Machi-​ten looks as though it is a traditional Kyoto Machiya, or townhouse, with a narrow frontage that leads backwards to a the structure. There are several private rooms surrounding a garden, and furthest to the back is the summer patio which is a platform over the Takase River and overlooks the Kamo River.
Our first visit to Morita-​ya was during the late spring, early summer, and we sat on the summer patio. Our second visit was deep in the heart of winter and we were seated in one of the private rooms overlooking the garden.
Morita-ya’s Kiya Machi-​ten location is like stepping back into history, back to when Kyoto was the capital of Japan. The servers wear kimono that reflect the seasons, and attend to you very carefully. If you order a teppanyaki (flat grill), oiryu yaki (oiled grill) meal or a sukiyaki meal, they actually cook it for you. Staying with you until the majority, if not all, the cooking is done, serving you as different items become ready. Once the meal is well on its way, they take their leave to allow you to privately enjoy your meal. If you are in a private room there is a phone that you may use to call a server. If you are on the summer patio, they stand in the back, constantly turning to check on the tables without being intrusive. They seem to know when you are going to need some, because it wasn’t long before someone suddenly appeared at our elbow to refill water glasses or clear empty plates.
On our first trip we ordered the Specialty course for the oiled grill (not teppanyaki as this is distinguished as including seafood and we opted for beef only) for two. This came with 150g per person of Wagyu beef from Morita-ya’s personal ranch. Yes, they have their own ranch so they can be assured of the quality of meat. Our server stayed with us, asking us how we would like our meat cooked, and cooking all of our food as we sat and enjoyed the cool breeze on the summer patio. The summer patio is covered in a tatami mat and you sit on a cushion on the floor at a low table. If you have bad knees, have a hard time sitting on the floor, this may be difficult for you.
On our second trip, I ordered the Specialty Sukiyaki course and my husband ordered 170g Fillet meal. This time we were seated in a private room and came for dinner. Sukiyaki is served with raw egg dipping sauce, and our served stayed until all the meat was well on the way to cooking before taking her leave. The filet is cooked in their kitchen so it is served as is. The private rooms have shoji doors that can be opened to allow a breeze in, but as it was winter there was a heater in the room to keep us comfortable.
All dishes include rice and an appetizer, if you order a course meal then there is also a dessert.
The meat at Morita-​ya was the most succulent and tender Wagyu I’ve ever had. It also had a wonderful beef flavor that beef in America just doesn’t have. Finding out that they have a ranch that exclusively provides them with Wagyu, I am now not surprised at the high quality of meat that they serve.
Morita-​ya is on the pricier side, even for lunch. Their prices for lunch and dinner do not differ at all. Considering the service and meal quality, I have no qualms with the price. In fact, it was probably one of the more affordable high end meals we had in Japan, when everything was taken into consideration.
Please note, they do have English menus and some of the servers speak limited English. As anywhere in Japan, if you know rudimentary Japanese, this will be incredibly beneficial. They do take reservations, which can be made online using the website, or you can have your concierge make a reservation for you. This may be crucial in the summer months so that you can ask for a summer patio table, but one that is slightly shaded.

We were craving sukiyaki one day, did some research, and found Morita-​Ya.
However, we didn’t expect what we got, and that was a good thing! We were expecting to find a quick sukiyaki place, but Morita-​Ya ended up being a fancy one.
It’s a traditional, large honten. You take off your shoes and wear slippers inside. You are seated down on chairs within a tatami-​matted room. Your server will be dressed in a kimono and serve you well.
Your sukiyaki will be gourmet and delicious. Definitely the best sukiyaki I’ve had. Price point-​wise, it’s probably more expensive that you’d think. But either way, it was a good experience. FYI: I think they are also known for their shabu-​shabu and another style of cooking.