Tabelog ratingGratin Senmon Ten Ami has served nothing but gratin since 1986, and the same elderly couple still runs it. The béchamel is cooked slowly from local highland milk. Reviewers keep describing it as fresh-tasting and milky rather than heavy or floury. You eat upstairs in a wood-trimmed, pension-style room that looks out over the mountains.
The white sauce is praised in nearly every review. The most-ordered dish is the signature Koshu chicken macaroni gratin (甲州鶏のマカロニグラタン), made with penne. The crab gratin, the ebi doria (shrimp rice gratin) and the hamburg-steak gratin also have loyal fans, as do seasonal dishes such as summer vegetable and sausage. Diners mention the house dressing on the included side salad surprisingly often, and regulars recommend the onion soup.
There are criticisms. Several diners found the gratin pleasant but ordinary, and not worth a long queue. Portions are small, especially for men. The add-on bread is a plain, sweet butter roll of the supermarket type. Some found the chicken under-prepared, and one reviewer found little crab in the crab gratin. A minority describe the hall service as curt, particularly towards families with toddlers.
The restaurant serves lunch only. A typical spend is ¥1,000–1,999 per person, and there is no dinner service. In 2025–2026 reviewers paid around ¥1,300 for the Koshu chicken gratin and ¥1,400 for the crab gratin. They paid ¥1,500 for new-onion and bacon gratin and ¥1,650 for the summer vegetable and sausage gratin. Each comes with salad, and bread (two rolls) or rice adds ¥200.
Value is fair rather than a bargain. Most reviewers feel the sauce justifies about ¥1,500, though some call it tourist pricing for the size. Add bread or rice to make it a full meal.
- Getting there: about 3 minutes' walk (192 m) from JR Kiyosato Station.
- Payment: cash only. Credit cards, electronic money and QR code payments are not accepted.
- Booking: no reservations and no sign-up sheet. You simply walk in and queue, keeping track of your own place in line. To make the first seating, arrive before 11:30. Weekend and holiday waits of 1–2 hours are common.
- Closing: the restaurant can close early when the sauce sells out.
- Ordering: once you have ordered, only bread or rice can be added. Order drinks and dessert at the start.
- Seating: 24 seats at six tables, reached by steep stairs. Groups of five or more are split across tables. There are no private rooms and no private hire.
- Children: staff are strict about small children's behaviour.
- Smoking: non-smoking.
- Parking: 10 spaces.
- Diet: a vegetarian option is available.
