Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune
Enjoy sukiyaki as you’ve never done before, with local Nara ingredients like the vaunted Yamato Ushi kuroge wagyu black beef.
Restaurant Details
Nara is known for its historic streets, castles and temples, and overall possesses an image of being one of Japan’s cultural and historic strongholds. This makes it all the more surprising that just a seven-minute walk from Kintetsu-Nara Station, tucked away in a back alley, one restaurant — Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune — is reinventing one of Japan’s most enduring culinary icons: sukiyaki.
Dating back to the Meiji Era, sukiyaki remains one of Japan’s most enduring culinary icons, a hotpot dish of thinly sliced beef, chrysanthemum greens, tofu and green onions simmered in a broth of soy sauce, sugar and sake. While the preparation method remains much the same at Kitsune, the restaurant offers three different dips in which to enjoy the hotpot.
Guests have a choice of dipping their sukiyaki in an “odorless” egg from Nasu Farm in Kumamoto Prefecture, in an egg mixed with shichimi seven-spice mix from spice maker Yamatsu Tsujita, and finally in the restaurant’s original sauce with seasonal ingredients. By constantly changing up the dips in which the sukiyaki is immersed, Kitsune hopes that each bite will remain fresh and novel, letting guests discover new dimensions in each mouthful, all the way to the last drop of broth.
Kitsune also takes particular pride in the ingredients it uses, showcasing local ingredients unique to the Nara locality to give diners a taste of the prefecture’s beauty. The beef used, Yamato Ushi, is Nara’s special brand of Japanese kuroge wagyu black beef, while locally-made rice syrup is used to sweeten the sukiyaki broth.
But even with its focus on local ingredients, Kitsune is still a sio group restaurant, meaning that it, too, is hallmarked by culinary innovation. Sure enough, European influence also permeates the menu offerings, with the appetizers and desserts taking a leaf out of French culinary tradition. It’s this unique proposition — witnessing and tasting the evolution of the sukiyaki tradition, even as it stays true to its roots — that can be enjoyed only at Kitsune, and nowhere else.
Available for a limited time only, this menu option offers the Kitsune Full Course — a sukiyaki course menu with 100 grams of Nara’s pride and joy, Yamato Ushi kuroge wagyu black beef, simmered in mirin and soy sauce sukiyaki-style — at a special price. This course also comes with a souvenir of shichimi seven-spice mix from famed Kansai spice company Yamatsu Tsujita. ※ Additional servings of meat are available for an additional fee.
Available for a limited time only, this menu option offers the Kitsune Full Course — a sukiyaki course menu with 100 grams of Nara’s pride and joy, Yamato Ushi kuroge wagyu black beef, simmered in mirin and soy sauce sukiyaki-style — at a special price. This course also comes with a souvenir of shichimi seven-spice mix from famed Kansai spice company Yamatsu Tsujita. ※ Additional servings of meat are available for an additional fee.
Kitsune puts its own spin on the eel dish hitsumabushi — grilled eel laid over rice — with its gyu-mabushi offering, replacing the eel with Nara-raised Yamato Ushi kuroge wagyu black beef. Normally available only for dinner, this byFood-exclusive menu offering allows guests to enjoy this dish at lunch as well. Much like regular hitsumabushi, guests are encouraged to try the meat on its own first, before dipping subsequent pieces in the accompanying condiments. ※ The course content is subject to...
Kitsune puts its own spin on the eel dish hitsumabushi — grilled eel laid over rice — with its gyu-mabushi offering, replacing the eel with Nara-raised Yamato Ushi kuroge wagyu black beef. Normally available only for dinner, this byFood-exclusive menu offering allows guests to enjoy this dish at lunch as well. Much like regular hitsumabushi, guests are encouraged to try the meat on its own first, before dipping subsequent pieces in the accompanying condiments. ※ The course content is subject to...
The Kitsune Lunch Course puts two of Japan’s best kuroge wagyu black beefs head to head: Nara’s famed Yamato Ushi versus the legendary Kumamoto Amakusa. Guests can decide which is superior for themselves by dipping them in two different sauces. The perfect course for lovers of wagyu beef. ※ Additional servings of meat are available for an additional fee. The course content is subject to change based on seasonal availability.
The Kitsune Lunch Course puts two of Japan’s best kuroge wagyu black beefs head to head: Nara’s famed Yamato Ushi versus the legendary Kumamoto Amakusa. Guests can decide which is superior for themselves by dipping them in two different sauces. The perfect course for lovers of wagyu beef. ※ Additional servings of meat are available for an additional fee. The course content is subject to change based on seasonal availability.
The most popular course at Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune, the byFood-exclusive Kitsune Full Course is an offering that features Nara’s pride and joy, Yamato Ushi kuroge wagyu black beef, simmered in mirin and soy sauce sukiyaki-style. This course also comes with a souvenir of shichimi seven-spice mix from famed Kansai spice company Yamatsu Tsujita. ※ Additional servings of meat are available for an additional fee. The course content is subject to change based on seasonal availability.
The most popular course at Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune, the byFood-exclusive Kitsune Full Course is an offering that features Nara’s pride and joy, Yamato Ushi kuroge wagyu black beef, simmered in mirin and soy sauce sukiyaki-style. This course also comes with a souvenir of shichimi seven-spice mix from famed Kansai spice company Yamatsu Tsujita. ※ Additional servings of meat are available for an additional fee. The course content is subject to change based on seasonal availability.
Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune Remarks
Guests with dietary restrictions and/or food allergies should inform the restaurant beforehand. The restaurant might not be able to accommodate guests who make same-day requests.
The restaurant reserves the right to refuse reservations to guests who have excessive dietary restrictions, particularly those of fish or vegetables.
The course menu content listed below is an example, and is subject to change based on seasonal availability.
The restaurant cannot always guarantee that it can provide guests with their preferred seating options after a reservation due to availability.
The pictures provided are for illustrative purposes.
Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune Business Days
Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune Address
Shikasarukitsune Building 1F, 22 Ganriincho, Nara, 630-8221
Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune Access Info
Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune can be accessed via a 7-minute walk from Kintetsu-Nara Station.
Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune Phone Number
Sukiyaki Kappo Kitsune Cancellation Policy
Cancel your reservation at least 2 days before the dining start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.
Restaurant location
The historic seat of power and faith in Japan, Nara has some of the most authentic and breathtaking culture in the entire country — and also friendly deer!
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