Tableall
Regarding Tableall, when it was 4K JPY fee it wasn’t too bad. At 8K JPY I would say it’s only worth it to attempt to get something that’s really difficult and is an absolute must for you. For example, on my last trip I used Tableall for Ishikawa because I’d been to Hayato multiple times and definitely wanted to go where Brandon had trained at. Was a must-try and the 4K fee was worth it for the guarantee over trying to get a hotel concierge to book, especially because I was trying to find 4-star hotels that would do restaurant reservations for me (not all of them do). At 8K fee the relative value of using Tableall to make a reservation now are approaching zero.
FYI, Tableall operates completely different from other services. I believe they buy seats from the restaurant and then resell them with permission. If they don’t have an open spot for the date you want, they then act more like a concierge where you reach out, ask for dates, they respond, etc etc. The key is that they have strong relationships with the restaurants under them and could potentially get you in over other more equitable services. Again, whether that’s worth 8K is relative. I also kind of doubt even they could help with the ultra exclusive restaurants.
They do however make very nice write ups and I will sometimes refer to them for research just to try and get some background on the restaurant and chef where otherwise unavailable.
Online Reservations
The reservation services I am aware of and might consider using:
Tablecheck - Basically book online like Resy or Tock. No fee. Not a ton of restaurants on here but a good number are. Love when they get on here because of ease of use.
Omakase.in - Also book online like Resy or Tock. Takes a small token fee and lots of fancy restaurants. However, not everything is available to standard users.
Pocket Concierge - I believe they do take an unknown fee for booking. You can cross check if the restaurant has a website with publicly posted prices, though you’ll also have to do some math regarding VAT and service charge (VAT I recall is 10% and service charge can range up to an additional 10% at most). Not a lot of the places I have an interest in were on their but there were some and it can act like a Resy/Tock service.
JPNEazy - Used this pre-COVID and it was great. Sadly their fees have also increased to 10-15% of the meal. Better than Tableall but a last resort if I cheap out on hotels.
Note not all restaurants will take these 3rd party services but will take hotels so there’s a trade-off when trying to cheap out on hotels. If you’re doing nicer/5 star hotels with good concierges this won’t be a problem. Also, sometimes you can try emailing in if they have a contact page. You might get rejected but doesn’t hurt. Usually restaurants that are actually bookable are afraid of last-minute cancellations and seem to require use of a middle man as guarantor that damages will be recoverable.
Yes, going during an off hour can be a good strategy! But depends on restaurant open hours. For example, Curry Bondy was all day so no problem with off hours. But Tonta Tonkatsu I think was dinner only so you had to line up early or be stuck with a line whatever time you go. I remember the stories about Narikura, another Tonkatsu place, being really crazy years ago. Not that you need to go to the absolute best for some of these places. The lower rated places can be plenty good without the fame and lines.
I think for a first timer Kyoto is definitely recommended! My potentially bad thought is that Kaiseki in Kyoto is perhaps just more nuanced in a direction that I don’t really get as someone who hasn’t dived deeply enough into the topic. There’s supposed to be a lot of nuance and ritual with Kaiseki given its ceremonial origins and perhaps that is more greatly felt in its supposed birthplace. I’ve had it in mind to go back for some time to try other places though and see if I continue to strike out or find something I like more. I also really liked Shoraian, though I don’t know if that was full on Kaiseki. I’d definitely recommend it if you can get the reservation!
Kaiseki Suggestions
The Tokyo Kaiseki places I’ve been to are:
Tagetsu - Michelin stars and high Tabelog but apparently not as traditional a take on Kaiseki, though I enjoyed it a lot. Easy to book via Tablecheck. At lunch you can choose a cheaper menu along with the dinner menu. It’s on my list to return.
Kasumicho Yamagami - I wrote a post about this one ages ago so I’ll refer to that lol. They’re now bookable on Tablecheck but only for bookings of 2 and up. Needless to say I’ll be trying my hardest to return.
Ishikawa - Three stars, high Tabelog, place where Brandon of Hayato trained at. Awesome meal. Only problem is reservations. I would love to go back but reserviations are via Omakase and when I checked there it appeared very difficult to impossible to a casual user. Tableall also has it but that fee… You could try hotel concierge if you get a good hotel. They also have a lot of private rooms if you’re bringing your whole group with.
Ginza Toyoda - I had a nice lunch menu here. A star and good Tabelog. If I had to choose the weakest of the 4 it was this one but I still enjoyed it. Obviously hard to compare lunch menu to full dinner though. Easy to book via Tablecheck. Seems to be a bit overlooked as there were maybe 5 people in the whole place when I went for lunch (on a weekday I’d guess) so if you want an experience with a bit more quiet this might work well.
Short list of names I’m eyeing for my next trip based on ease of reservation, good Tabelog score, as well as write-ups I’ve seen elsewhere include:
Azabu Kai - new restaurant in 2022
Ichita
Kutan
I can’t vouch for any of these beyond that reservations look easy right now (Azabu Kai is new and that could change) and that their Tabelog scores look good (again Azabu Kai is an exception as they are too new to get a good score - see below on Tabelog weighting).
Keep in mind that none of these places might have English speaking staff on hand, especially so soon after reopening. They might try but don’t expect it. I do remember getting menus in English at Toyoda and Ishikawa but they won’t have perfect English and might be a bit simple in description for obvious reasons. That’s why even though I love Kaiseki in Japan I still really appreciate Hayato in LA because the food’s not only great but you can actually have a conversation in fluent English.
Oh one more note on Tabelog: Tabelog does weigh scores. A simple average of scores will typically lead to a different result from the stated score. This especially affects ratings of newer restaurants which could be significantly lower. I’ve generally found Tabelog useful and agreed or found value with the relative ratings but your mileage may vary. Just trying to say that Tabelog isn’t God and I always try to cross verify with something else if I can.
I remember @NYCtoLA also likes Kaiseki and might have some great recommendations too!
Edit: For tempura I went to Tempura Fukamachi and while I enjoyed it I think I have a me problem where I prefer tempura as a course in a set meal rather than being the entire meal. Also went to Yakitori Omino where I had a similar experience but then I had yakitori at a pop up here and my mind was changed (i.e., it was super enjoyable). Keep in mind I went to everything I listed out solo. I am aware of really good soba places but never did much research on them or went to them as I opted for other cuisines that trip, like more Kaiseki. My other picks were Japanese Chinese (great!) and Wagyu Yakiniku (amazing!). Can’t offer much either on ramen as I’ve never deep dived on that but there are some awesome resources out there for that, as referenced in the other thread.