MOTOÏ

The story

MOTOÏ Kyoto: French and Japanese Dining at Tawarayacho, Michelin Recommended 2026

MOTOÏ is a French and Japanese restaurant at 186 Tawarayacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, and it holds a Michelin Recommended distinction for 2026. The Gault&Millau guide also gave it 16 points that year.

Courses that follow the season

The menu changes with the ingredients, so the same dish rarely returns on a later visit. Lunch offers a course of about ten dishes, including fish and meat, for ¥13,200. The Gourmand version keeps the same structure but adds beef and a lobster starter for ¥18,700. Dinner, called Création, runs to about thirteen courses that bring seasonal produce together with Kyoto's culinary culture, priced at ¥25,300. A 10% service charge applies to lunch and dinner.

Hospitality and the private room

The restaurant's guiding idea is shujaku ittai, a term from the tea ceremony describing host and guest creating time and space together. A private room seats two to eight guests and has its own menu. Diners share allergies and past visits when booking, so the courses can be adjusted. The restaurant asks for elegant casual dress and does not allow strong perfume.