RIGOLETTO SMOKE GRILL & BAR

I was not a fan of most of the food and would not really go back to eat. But the prices are reasonable for the serving size and quality.

The appetizers were just okay with the best one being the smoked fish. The rest felt lackluster and lacking in flavor and texture.

For the pasta, the best and the unique one is the mustard cream pasta. This one is a 4/5 alone. Would recommend ordering and trying this dish! The wagyu bolognese pasta was just the usual tasting bolognes. There was nothing special to it.

The tiramisu was just okay with most of the flavor being very light.

We frequent Huge Club restaurants, so we had to try the Kyoto venue while visiting from Kanagawa. As expected: Rigoletto Smoke Grill & Bar provided high quality affordable dishes, exceptional service and a comfortable yet fancy atmosphere.

First the food: we ordered dishes that were unique to the area. The chicken meatballs & kujoh leek with mozzarella was fantastic! The Josper-grilled Kyoto chicken was extremely flavorful. The portion size was large (in my opinion) - perfect for sharing. We also tried the calamari which was perfectly seasoned. I am sure all the menu items are on point, but these were the items we ordered that we had not seen on other Huge Club menus.

We were seated at the bar which is always enjoyable, but our bartender, Dinarte, made our experience fabulous! Because we were dining at off-hours, we had the opportunity to chat and he made our visit extra special. The manager on duty that day (December 23) was also extremely attentive and personable.

Rigoletto Smoke Grill & Bar is in a prime location - Gion - very near to some popular tourist sights. Since the restaurant is open 11am till late, it’s a perfect spot to take a break from walking and recharge with some tasty food and beverages.

100% recommended. Reservations suggested. The Huge Club app is a great help in that.

We had amazing food accompanied by poor service from Dinarte the bar tender who made our experience quiet uncomfortable. We asked for salt for our starter after tasting it and he wasn’t happy and made snooty remarks, also said jokingly said we were bothering a couple sat next to us which made us extremely uncomfortable as they initiated the conversation and were asking what we ordered. After our starter they brought our main before they had cleared the plates from our starter and we were made to feel like we had done something wrong. Overall wouldn’t come back due to the barman.

So really enjoyed the drinks and the ambiance at this bar / restaurant, but our bartender was rude, which was surprising and my first experience like this in Japan. He wasn’t local (i.e. not Japanese), and just had an ‘I’m better than you’ attitude about him. Took a long time to get any service and then some really snooty comments. Definitely won’t be back.

Amazing restuarant , staff and food. Wide selection of wines and drinks. Very reasonable prices. It was that good that we went 2 nights in a row. We went at 5pm and were seated without a reservation. Not overly busy. The young waitress that attended our table was extremely friendly , knowledgeable and quick with a genuine smile. We tried 6 different starters and main dishes on both occassions , all were excellent. Looks small from the outside but is big inside , very stylish with atmospheric decor and music. Highly reccommended. Sorry no pictures , not a fan of taking photos in intimate places like this.