I visited Kikuchi Fugu with close friends from Australia and Japan, (im from south korea!) and the four of us ordered the ¥7,700 tiger pufferfish course. From beginning to end, it was absolutely worth the price. The course consisted of six dishes. To begin, the table was prepared with a homemade pufferfish skin jelly and a side dish made with pufferfish meat. Both were excellent. I especially loved the skin jelly—the flavour of the Katsuobushi -based broth matched beautifully with the unique texture of the pufferfish skin. Next came the pufferfish sashimi and deep-fried pufferfish. The sashimi was presented so beautifully that it almost felt like a work of art. It was served with spring onions and a homemade spicy sauce, which was honestly amazing. Everything worked perfectly together. The freshly fried pufferfish was also wonderful. In my opinion, freshly cooked pufferfish is one of the best fried dishes you can possibly eat. The next dish was the pufferfish shabu shabu. Until this meal, I never knew that such a rich and delicious broth could be made with only kombu, pufferfish bones and vegetables. I also tried the fascia served for the shabu shabu for the first time, and it is genuinely something everyone should try at least once in their life XD!! Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the final rice porridge because it was so delicious that I was too busy enjoying it AHAHAHA. Beautifully developed broth was seasoned before rice, egg and spring onions were added. Even though I was already completely full, we finished every last bite. I also NEED to mention the service, because the restaurant had such a warm and comfortable atmosphere. It did not feel like a simple relationship between customers and staff. Everyone was so kind that it almost felt like returning to a family home. The two female staff were also extremely professional. Whenever a new dish was served, they kindly explained how it had been prepared, what flavours we could expect and the best way to enjoy it. Their explanations were easy to understand but still detailed and professional. One of my Australian friends had never tried pufferfish before, but he enjoyed everything. He also said that the service felt so comfortable that it was like eating an amazing home-cooked meal at his grandmother’s house. This course was more than just a meal. It was a complete experience that helped us understand pufferfish more deeply—how it is carefully prepared, cooked and finally presented at the table. At times, it almost felt as though we were inside a food documentary. Thank you so much to everyone at Kikuchi Fugu for providing us with such a wonderful experience. Every dish was truly delicious, and we are deeply grateful for your hospitality. We will definitely visit again the next time we have the opportunity. Please take care and stay healthy!

+1

The Fugu (puffer) fish is so versatile! Masterfully prepared, every part has a different taste and texture. This is a small family-owned restaurant. Reservations essential. We had a set menu, which was great value but almost too much food. The chef may be shy, but his family will look after you well!

This is the Japanese traditional restaurant. The chef seems grumpy, I think, so you guys should act locally. When you read my review, you don't think you wanna go, right? But it's definitely delicious.

Our guide took us there to eat Fugu and we did not like It at all. Perhaps It was a bad day but the truth is that the following day we went to a different nearby restaurant to try more fugu because we were dissapointed with Kikuchi and we liked the other much more.

If you can’t speak Japanese or do not have a Japanese tour guide with you, don’t bother coming here. My wife and I was politely rejected (hence the 2 stars instead of 1) for not being able to speak Japanese. The restaurant was empty then. There is a nice lady staff in there that can actually speak decent English but still we were rejected by the chef. No idea why... ... my wife and I spent money on train and walked there just to get this reply... we were disappointed so we quickly looked for another fugu restaurant as it was our last night in Tokyo. We ended up walking a bit north (about 400 meter) to another fugu place (google Tettiri Ueno) and their price is decent too and they have English menu and will cater you even if you don’t speak Japanese. Just a heads up.