Kyoto Japanese Restaurant

We were a party of six ordering 3 Tempura/Teriyaki Dinners, and 3 of us ordering Sushi. The 3 dinners had their soup, then the salad and were 3/4 of the way through their dinner before we saw one piece of sushi. The hot food arrived at least 15 minutes before the sushi. Very poor service and bad planning of the courses of the meal. I won't be back. more

Simply deliciousssss. My family and I go back all the time its become a habit more

It's sad to partake in the decline of one of Salt Lake's most venerable, and my traditionally favorite, sushi bars: Kyoto. Since back in the day, over ten years ago, when dear old Rocky oversaw the sushi chefs, Kyoto has been, for me, the standard of excellence in sushi. Make no mistake, the restaurant's tempura is still the best to be found. But their sushi, under the current guidance of Akira, Old Rocky's protegee, has suffered from a lack of enthusiasm and care. Much the way a seemingly bored Akira treats his guests. Tonight we started with 4 dishes: seaweed and squid salad, baked mussels, mussel shooters and raw oysters. Every dish was drenched in chili spice. Even the oysters. It was as if chili or hot spice is now the fallback flavor in all their sushi recipes. Unfortunately, hot spice mangles the delicate flavor of most fish, and certainly oysters. When I had the temerity to ask about the liberal use of chili spice, I was treated to hastily and resentfully prepared sushi the rest of the evening. Including a broiled fish appetizer that was the consistency of shoe leather. I've been going to Kyoto's for 15 years. Sadly, it's time to move on. Thanks for the great meals and memories, Kyoto. more

It's sad to partake in the decline of one of Salt Lake's most venerable, and my traditionally favorite, sushi bars: Kyoto. Since back in the day, over ten years ago, when dear old Rocky oversaw the sushi chefs, Kyoto has been, for me, the standard of excellence in sushi. Make no mistake, the restaurant's tempura is still the best to be found. But their sushi, under the current guidance of Akira, Old Rocky's protegee, has suffered from a lack of enthusiasm and care. Much the way a seemingly bored Akira treats his guests. Tonight we started with 4 dishes: seaweed and squid salad, baked mussels, mussel shooters and raw oysters. Every dish was drenched in chili spice. Even the oysters. It was as if chili or hot spice is now the fallback flavor in all their sushi recipes. Unfortunately, hot spice mangles the delicate flavor of most fish, and certainly oysters. When I had the temerity to ask about the liberal use of chili spice, I was treated to hastily and resentfully prepared sushi the rest of the evening. Including a broiled fish appetizer that was the consistency of shoe leather. I've been going to Kyoto's for 15 years. Sadly, it's time to move on. Thanks for the great meals and memories, Kyoto. more

My friends and I went here to eat. We called ahead about a week before to see if we needed reservations and we were told no. I went in to get a table and the hostess told me we could get in at 7, I called the others and they said this was great. I told the hostess that 7 would be great, she told me that they didn't have one at 7pm, the next was 9. So I called everyone back relayed this. To cut a long story short the hostess said 7 would be good. We got in and yes some of our party arrived later. Our food arrived late, some was over cooked and the steak was undercooked ( I ordered medium not Steak tartar). Some of the food was cold. The spicy Tuna was very very fishy tasting, made some gag with the strong flavor. Once the food arrived the chef and the hostess kept walking around our table checking out our progress and telling us we had to hurry and eat then leave. Only the busboy was worth it. more

My friends and I went here to eat. We called ahead about a week before to see if we needed reservations and we were told no. I went in to get a table and the hostess told me we could get in at 7, I called the others and they said this was great. I told the hostess that 7 would be great, she told me that they didn't have one at 7pm, the next was 9. So I called everyone back relayed this. To cut a long story short the hostess said 7 would be good. We got in and yes some of our party arrived later. Our food arrived late, some was over cooked and the steak was undercooked ( I ordered medium not Steak tartar). Some of the food was cold. The spicy Tuna was very very fishy tasting, made some gag with the strong flavor. Once the food arrived the chef and the hostess kept walking around our table checking out our progress and telling us we had to hurry and eat then leave. Only the busboy was worth it. more

I only good things to say about Kyoto. Great service, great food, and great pricing. This place is a Sugarhouse jewel that is worth a visit no matter where you live in the valley. more

Better get to lunch early the Chicken Katsu Curry is a traditional Fave!!! And believe me they do run out!!! more

Better get to lunch early the Chicken Katsu Curry is a traditional Fave!!! And believe me they do run out!!! Reasonably priced for such a large portion!!! YUM! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! The staff is wonderful and attentive!!! I hope to continue the Kyoto tradition for years to come!!! more

We love sushi, and have tried lots of local places and this one is our favorite! The rolls are huge, there are so many to choose from, and they have their own unique and wonderful creations. And they taste Fantastic! Oh and don't pass up having some tempura shrimp YUM! But if you're having sushi, just get one shrimp, you'll need to save room for the rolls. I thought the staff was wonderful the sushi chefs at the bar are very attentive, and especially one waitress - we were on only our second visit and she not only recognized us but remembered the wine we had, AMAZING. Yes, it is always very busy and you may have to wait, it's worth it. We don't usually make reservations and go rather early on weeknights, but we've never had to wait much longer than 10-15 minutes. more

We love sushi, and have tried lots of local places and this one is our favorite! The rolls are huge, there are so many to choose from, and they have their own unique and wonderful creations. more

I've been to Kyoto a number of times, and each time it has been a relatively positive experience. The only time were I was disappointed was when there was a ridiculously long wait for a table. The atmosphere, is casual and authentic. I really enjoy their little booths with the dividers and mats. The restaurant is very diverse with a number of various clientele. Though I am not a big fan of the iceberg lettuce with sweet dressing as a part of the meal, the miso soup is just perfect, not too salty, or bland. They have a pretty good selection of food. Their tempura is divine. I would suggest that people try either the Ebi(Shrimp) Tempura, or the Seafood Tempura. Their Lunch Box is a great sampler of Japanese cuisine, though it is more on the expensive end. The Udon Tempura is delicious, and great to have on a chilly winter afternoon. I would advise people who are watching their sodium intake to avoid ordering the gyoza, because they are too salty. The setting is wonderful. There are intimate booths throughout the entire restaurant. Kyoto also has an outdoor patio dining area. They have more authenticity than some of the other local Japanese restaurants. Overall, Kyoto is a great place for people looking for an authentic Japanese restaurant. Pros: Atmosphere, food, service Cons: waiting time more

I love dining at Kyoto! It's a great neighborhood restaurant with authentic japanese cuisine. The price point is also very reasonable. Pros: Yummy sushi, plentiful dinner entrees Cons: lighting is too bright more

At Kyoto restaurant, older Japanese female servers are very mean to younger Japanese/Asian female customers (my Chinese and Korean girl friends agrees)?.They have the worst bunch of older Japanese women ?hating? to serve a customer like myself. They are very nice to Americans -- White men -- though. At the same table, my husband was treated very nicely and I was treated like crap. Is Japan still occupied in their mind??? I will try Kyoto again when all the mean ""Obachan"" are sent back to Japan. Pros: Food is OK Cons: Racial, gender & age discrimination against Asian female more

This is one of two excellent truly japanese restaurants I have been eating at in SLC for over 25 years. It has always been a shining star to me for great dining experiences. Food and service has always been excellent. I really don't like waiting in lines for anything, but I definitely make an exception to that rule when I want to eat here... it really is worth waiting for... very yummy! Pros: Excellent Food and Service Cons: Parking when crowded more

The overall presentation was unattractive; by that I mean that the rolls were oddly shaped, not symmetrical, and unevenly sliced. They even decorated the plate with that fake plastic grass you see in supermarket sushi (red flag!). The taste was sub-mediocre, the fish was especially bland and they used far too much rice; our rolls literally had half an inch of rice on the nori. During the course of our meal we were first greeted by one waitress, then another waitress took our sushi order, and yet another waitress brought us our sushi. Despite all the waitress-swapping we were never actually asked how we were or if we were enjoying our food. Afterwards our check was brought to us by another new face and brought back to us by yet another person. Having interacted with 5 different people we had no idea who we were actually tipping. So just to sum it up; bad sushi, bad service, bad experience. Pros: Reasonabily priced Cons: Low quality sushi & service more

The overall presentation was unattractive; by that I mean that the rolls were oddly shaped, not symmetrical, and unevenly sliced. They even decorated the plate with that fake plastic grass you see in supermarket sushi (red flag!). The taste was sub-mediocre, the fish was especially bland and they used far too much rice; our rolls literally had half an inch of rice on the nori. During the course of our meal we were first greeted by one waitress, then another waitress took our sushi order, and yet another waitress brought us our sushi. Despite all the waitress-swapping we were never actually asked how we were or if we were enjoying our food. Afterwards our check was brought to us by another new face and brought back to us by yet another person. Having interacted with 5 different people we had no idea who we were actually tipping. So just to sum it up; bad sushi, bad service, bad experience. Pros: Reasonabily priced Cons: Low quality sushi & service more

Kyoto offers some of the best sushi and sashimi in town, as well as some excellent non-sushi dishes. The tempura is very good, and the Beef Sukiyaki is outstanding. The service is always great and the atmosphere is a nice alternative to the common trendy sushi bars. Highly recommended. Pros: Great sushi, wonderful traditional Japanese atmosphere more

My husband enjoyed his nagiri selections, but my meal was rather disappointing. My salad was essentially iceberg lettuce drowned in yellow dressing - I'd hoped for something more authentic, maybe seaweed or pickled cucumber salad. My entree was the seafood/vegetable soup, which was just plain bad. The seafood in it was overcooked, chewy and fishy smelling - with the exception of the imitation crabmeat. The only vegetables in it were scallions, undercooked mushrooms, and tons of unwashed cabbage (I could SEE the dirt!!) Maybe I just ordered the wrong entree? Perhaps this restaurant is better known for its sushi - which I normally love, but I am currently pregnant so that's out for now. The only other cooked options (other than my bad soup) are something Teriyaki, or something Tempura - both very Americanized versions of Japanese cuisine. Pros: ample parking during peak hours Cons: limited non-sushi menu, overcooked/unfresh fish more

My husband enjoyed his nagiri selections, but my meal was rather disappointing. My salad was essentially iceberg lettuce drowned in yellow dressing - I'd hoped for something more authentic, maybe seaweed or pickled cucumber salad. Pros: ample parking during peak hours Cons: limited non-sushi menu, overcooked/unfresh fish more