We love Japanese cuisine and are enthusiastic about Japanese culture- That's why we founded SUSHIYA in Munich to offer good Japanese food at a fair price. But there is not only our restaurant sansaro, but also other good and bad sushi restaurants and Japanese restaurants in Munich.
Here are our impressions of the restaurant Kaito in Gabelsbergerstrasse, which is definitely one of the more recommendable Japanese restaurants in Munich.
Japanese flair in Gabelsbergerstrasse
In the premises with a lot of heavy wood used to reside the restaurant "Shoya", the "Honten" (head office) of the Shoya Group.
The restaurant Kaito has been located there for a few years - and since around 2018 has been considered by individual food editors as the pinnacle of sushi in Munich. We have never been able to agree with this opinion, even though we have been visiting Kaito again and again since Shoya times and definitely appreciate it.
Classic for Japanese atmosphere in Munich
The essential point here is the atmosphere in the restaurant.
Kaito is one of the few restaurants where it suits when classical Japanese music is playing, where Japanese learners can cautiously try to exchange a few brokens of the Japanese language with the service staff or with the chef right at the counter.
The constant splashing of the water at the sushi counter does its part to the beautiful atmosphere and you get - also this is now a regrettable rarity - a Oshibori, a seasonal warm or cold small cloth to clean the hands and in the worst case the face at the beginning.
Kaito under new management since 2021
Incidentally, at the turn of the year 2021/2022, the business and also the position behind the sushi bar was taken over by the young chef Tsuyoshi Watahiki, who only came to Munich not so long ago and worked for a short time in a large Vietnamese business.
So the Kaito has actually been under completely different management since the end of 2021.
Sushi & hot cuisine at Kaito
Japanese atmosphere and proper sushi craftsmanship are Kaito's strengths. The rice could use a bit more "direction", the selection of material for sushi a bit more depth.
But at least the Kaito is one of the very few restaurants that offer sushi & appetizers with Natto at all. The nori are nice and crunchy, the toro of fine quality.
Kaito sashimi
The Sashimi is among the better in Munich, but despite occasional peculiarities not quite at the level we would like.
Pleasant ambience at Kaito
What is wonderful about Kaito is the Japanese atmosphere, which is expressed from the very beginning when you make your reservation requests on the homepage.
So Kaito lends itself to either dining in on a busy evening with Japanese-clad service staff scurrying around you, or on a very quiet evening listening to classical Japanese music and letting your eyes wander off into the distance somewhere, feeling for a moment as if you're in a Japanese pub somewhere in the countryside outside Tōkyō or perhaps a small coastal town.
Conclusion: the Kaito is recommendable!
Kaito is a restaurant that makes you think of Japan and which we can thoroughly recommend.
Along with only one or two other Japanese restaurants in Munich, it's a gem for immersing yourself in a moment of Japanese tranquility. Solid quality sushi and an appetizer selection that invites you to try! Visit and enjoy!
Contact: Kaito | Gabelsbergerstraße 85, 80333 Munich | Tel. 089 52059455 | https://de.kaito-restaurant.com
Disclaimer:
Always remember why we express our opinion about other Japanese restaurants in Munich: because there is an incredible amount of crap and because it is difficult to distinguish good, real Japanese from fake Japanese!
More about the background and context can be found in the main article Sushi in Munich
