cenci

“Ingredients” are the most important thing in the cuisine at cenci.

By adding a personal touch to premium ingredients sourced from local producers, bringing out their best qualities and serving them to guests, the restaurant believes that it is its mission and role to raise the standard of innovative Italian-based cuisine in Kyoto.

Owner and Head Chef Ken Sakamoto states, “I was raised within a culture of ‘dashi’ and surrounded by vegetable fields. So even when seasonal Kyoto vegetables are unavailable, I can work with local farmers to produce the type of vegetables I need and by refining these through the culinary ideas I have within myself, I can express my identity to its fullest extent.”

The cuisine at cenci breaks down traditional Italian cuisine and reconstructs it together with Kyoto’s identity which is added through ingredients and cooking methods. The reason each dish is created, the reason why it’s delicious, and the reason why such food combinations are put together all lie in the fundamental act of “thinking” at cenci.

Chef Sakamoto’s cuisine has garnered high praise and in 2022 was ranked 43rd in the Asian version of “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants,” also known as “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants”. It further leapt up to 20th place in the 2023 edition. cenci has also been awarded a Michelin star consecutively, and continues to enchant guests who always return to experience its cuisine multiple times.

While it is housed in a nearly 100 years-old traditional Japanese-style building, the interior of the restaurant offers an aesthetic which is completely different from its exterior appearance, in which all the bricks were meticulously placed by hand. The team of staff work together to create a charming and warm atmosphere which welcomes all those who visit.

The chef highly recommends savoring cenci’s cuisine together with drink pairings.
Both alcohol pairings and tea pairings are available to be selected and this helps guests of all inclinations to enjoy cenci to the fullest.