Tabelog ratingKamisuwa Ashizawa (上諏訪 芦澤) opened in December 2024 and is run by a husband-and-wife team. The Suwa-born chef trained at the ryokan Asaba and at Iseki in Ginza, and cooks Tokyo-level kaiseki, a multi-course seasonal meal, for eight guests at a counter. Fish is sent from Kanazawa and Numazu, and the rest comes from the surrounding mountains. Spring brings sansai (wild mountain vegetables), autumn brings matsutake, and there is even tsukinowaguma (wild bear), served as shabu-shabu or sukiyaki.
The couple's warmth comes up in nearly every review. English-speaking visitors name the ankimo (monkfish liver) most often. Others single out these dishes:
- the bak kut teh-style braised pork on the cheaper courses
- the house-made karasumi (cured mullet roe)
- the charcoal-grilled fish
- the clay-pot rice with side dishes, which many go back for seconds of
- the kuzukiri, arrowroot noodles in black syrup made at the counter, often called the best reviewers have had
The criticism is specific. One English visitor found two or three courses unpleasantly bitter, and her special-occasion request produced nothing. A Japanese diner thought the ingredients modest and the meal lacking a high point. Others mention a silent room with no music, slow pacing and tuna weaker than in Tokyo.
Prices have risen. In 2026, reviewers paid ¥11,000, ¥16,500 and ¥27,500 for the three dinner courses, tax and service included. In 2025 the same courses were ¥8,800, ¥13,000 and ¥22,000 plus 10% service. Lunch is a single course at around ¥10,000. Reviewers paid about ¥900 for an Ebisu beer and ¥1,650–1,760 per flask of Nagano sake. Recorded totals were ¥15,290 for the ¥13,000 course with beer, and ¥30,910 for the top course with two flasks. Expect roughly ¥10,000 at lunch and ¥15,000–20,000 at dinner.
Reviewers repeatedly rate the value as high. One English visitor reckoned the same quality costs two to three times as much in Tokyo, and even the cheapest course is said to make no compromise on ingredients.
- Getting there: about 420 m, a 6–7 minute walk, from Kami-Suwa Station.
- Booking: reservation only, so walk-ins are not possible. Book by phone (0266-33-9022) or Instagram DM; a translation app works. The top course needs at least 3 days' notice, and one recent review says it is now limited to private bookings of 4 or more.
- Payment: credit cards accepted. Electronic money and QR code payments are not accepted.
- Seats: 8 counter seats and no private rooms. The whole restaurant can be booked for private use.
- Drinks: the restaurant focuses on sake and wine, and the listing says BYO drinks are accepted.
- Smoking: non-smoking.
- Parking: 4 spaces across the road.
- Time: allow 2.5–3 hours for the meal.
- Language and diet: the hostess speaks some English. Dietary needs and children's meals can be arranged in advance.
