For many decades we observe the Sushi scene in Munich, at some point we started to open our own restaurant. But because good Japanese cuisine is close to our hearts, here is one of the restaurants, which we can generally also recommend for sushi & Japanese cuisine in Munich.
Kitcho Wurzererstrasse - insider tip?
The Kitcho has been on the scene of sushi restaurants in Munich for at least 25 years - but always inconspicuous, it does not talk about itself through any special features or events. Many overlook the Kitcho therefore and also we had to go after long years again for a retest to check our old impressions. One thing can be said: the Kitcho remains true to itself.
Ambience at Kitcho
The ambience at Kitcho makes you feel Japan. Beautiful shoji with carvings, as well as dark wood paneling and a touch of antiquity, in the form of a shrine hanging in the corner and in the shop window a miniature Yoroi (traditional Japanese armor). At the sushi counter we even believe that Japanese wood craft Kumiko to recognize.
Also unfortunately very Japanese: A lot of plastic and a lot of stuff standing around. We assume that this is due to the pandemic period and that all conceivable contact surfaces were covered with plastic during this phase in order to be easily wiped off. However, there is also a typical Japanese tendency to just functionally put everything possible in the room, which is evident here.
Covering everything, really everything, with plastic and completely sealing off the bar from the guest room as if it were a laboratory gives a strange feeling.
The stagnant air in the store, even at moderate temperatures, is countered by a fan placed on one of the guest tables - as a Japanese, you tune out this standing-around chaos and focus on pretty little things like a Japanese vase hanging on the wall or the ever-beautiful, lovely dishes.
For German guests, this is sometimes an irritating ambience and does not seem representative, but holds a treat for connoisseurs.
Sushi & hot cuisine at Kitcho - open for lunch and dinner
In terms of food, Kitcho offers down-to-earth home cooking plus sushi and sashimi. The sashimi at Kitcho was served on very nice dishes and visually skillfully arranged. Unfortunately, on the first of three visits, a certain sandy bite around the hokkigai mussels remained in distinct memory.
We were also not completely impressed by the gunkan and the in-house signature roll. Although the gunkan were filled in a balanced way, the nori sheet was so loosely formed that the boat almost threatened to fall apart while we were eating it. In addition, the bite of the nori sheet was rather tough, lacking the nice crunchy texture of the nori in the Kaito.
Overall, the uramaki seem clearly too thick to us, even if that has been the house style for many years: a sushi roll should always be pleasant to chew in a normal-sized mouth. The house signature roll, meanwhile, offered nothing special, being just another Uramaki.
However, if you compare Kitcho's sushi with some other "Japanese" restaurants in Munich, one of the special features of Kitcho is that you can basically enjoy Japanese taste and sometimes also Japanese charm in the service. That's worth a lot!
Conclusion: the kitcho has its own hidden qualities
Kitcho is a small, somewhat aging restaurant where you can feel Japan - one of the last opportunities in Munich! Among Japanese it is considered cheap, not particularly exclusive.
The strength of the kitcho lies on Sashimi and the warm kitchen.
It is nice to admire the beautiful Japanese tableware in the kitcho and to take pleasure in apparent trifles, such as the finely chopped Japanese tsuma radish, which is served as a garnish in the sashimi.
At this point, real Japan feeling can arise in the Kitcho and for this it is almost a little insider tip in Munich!
If you keep your expectations in check and aren't looking for upscale cuisine, we can definitely recommend Kitcho.
You'd rather go here and get involved in a few apparent quirks than go to one of the Pseudo sushi storeswhere there is nothing Japanese behind it!
Opening hours & accessibility Kitcho Munich
Visitable at lunchtime as in the evening, but number of guests reduced, probably due to lack of kitchen staff.
Contact: Kitcho | Wurzerstraße 14, 80539 Munich | 089 22 83 882| No website, only one Facebook page, which is not maintained.
✓ Reservation recommendation by phone - remember, Japanese cuisine is best when it can prepare for you!
If the Kitcho is closed, too far away or fully booked, we can recommend the following four restaurants, which are also run by Japanese chefs:
J-Bar - Izakaya in the Glockenbachviertel
JapaTapa Toshibar - near Münchner Freiheit
And of course our own Restaurant sansaro in the Amalienpassage.
As a general rule, it's always a good idea to make reservations in advance at any real Japanese restaurant, as Japanese cuisine (done right) requires a lot of preparation!
