Tabelog ratingFAON (FAON) serves inventive seasonal French cooking built on Nara produce, and it charges a fraction of big-city prices. The small, low-ceilinged room sits on the slope by Sarusawa Pond below Kofukuji, and window tables look out over the park and its deer. Standout dishes include angel shrimp marinated with aubergine under a ginger ice, and ayu (sweetfish, a summer river fish) with watermelon and tomato sorbet. Mains feature local Yamato beef and Nara venison, and the bread comes to the table hot from the oven.
Nearly every review praises the cooking. Repeated favourites are the bacon madeleine amuse-bouche, the warm foie gras starter, the soups, the duck, the venison (which reviewers say has no gaminess) and the desserts. Service is described as kind and attentive. Guests mention custom menus for allergies, a surprise birthday plate, and a staff member who drove rain-soaked guests back to their hotel.
The most common criticism is salt. About five Japanese reviewers found some dishes or sauces too salty. When lunch groups fill the room it gets loud. Two reviewers thought the wines by the glass were weak next to the food, though the bottle list is well chosen. A couple found a sauce forgettable or the cooking uneven.
Reviewers in 2024–2026 paid more than the listed budget bands suggest. Lunch courses ran around ¥3,000, ¥4,000 and ¥5,000, with a B course at ¥5,500 in 2026. Dinner was ¥7,500–8,500, rising to ¥8,000–9,000 by late 2026, and about ¥10,000 per person with drinks. Main-course supplements were roughly +¥440 for lamb, +¥550 for duck and +¥880–980 for Yamato beef. A glass of white wine cost ¥900 and a Heartland beer ¥770. Expect around ¥3,000–5,500 at lunch and ¥8,000–10,000 at dinner.
Value is the point. Japanese diners call a full dinner course under ¥10,000 unthinkable in Tokyo, and French visitors compare it favourably with home. Portions are refined but leave people full.
- Access: 500 m (about 10 minutes' walk) from Kintetsu Nara Station, near Sarusawa Pond.
- Booking: a reservation is needed and walk-ins are unlikely to get a table. Lunch is often fully booked, especially during Nara festivals and exhibitions. Phone 0742-25-3009, or ask your hotel to book for you. Mention allergies when booking.
- Payment: credit cards accepted (JCB, AMEX). Electronic money and QR code payments are not accepted. Reviewers report that lunch is cash only.
- Menu: set courses only, no à la carte.
- Rooms: no private rooms; the whole restaurant can be booked for private use.
- Smoking: entirely non-smoking.
- Parking: none.
- Language: staff help guests with limited Japanese.
