IL GECO, a hidden Italian restaurant located a little up from Nishitoinin Ayanokoji, is a cozy spot worth visiting. Instead of the usual assorted appetizers, they offer a variety of small dishes that are all delicious and pair well with wine. The karasumi (bottarga) with cabbage and the Italian-style omelette were particularly tasty. The homemade pate and stewed pork were also excellent. The roasted ham, ordered separately, was a great match for the wine. For the main course, I had the domestic beef lamp tartare with sautéed mushrooms on the side. The meat was tender and flavorful, and the mushrooms were a perfect complement. I started with white wine but ended up adding a glass of red wine. The final pasta dishes were Sicilian-style bucatini with sardines and cacio e pepe. I really enjoy bucatini pasta, and the sardine sauce was a perfect match. Cacio e pepe, with just Pecorino cheese and black pepper, was simple yet delicious, allowing the flavors of the cheese and homemade pasta to shine through. I look forward to coming back for more of their enjoyable dishes.

The appetizer assortment is high quality, all delicious and great value. The ham and stewed dishes are tasty. The pasta is also delicious! I'm not very familiar with gnocchi, but it might not be to my liking. The meat was cooked perfectly and very tender.

Due to a memorial service, I stayed in Kyoto for a week. Besides the planned banquet, the highlight was definitely dinner time. When dining alone, I did some research and found an Italian restaurant near my hotel. The next day, I visited Il Geco again. I ordered the delicious tripe once more, along with the Kyoto Tanba highland pork roast and Italian white asparagus with carbonara sauce. The roast pork took 50 minutes to prepare due to the low-temperature cooking method, but it was worth the wait. It was tender, lean, and served with a red wine onion sauce. The white asparagus was in season and cooked perfectly in a rich carbonara sauce. The restaurant is small with only two staff members, but the atmosphere is great. I will definitely visit again on my next trip to Kyoto.

For work... I stayed in Kyoto for a week. Aside from the planned banquet, the highlight was dinner! During my solo nights, I did some research and found an Italian restaurant near my hotel ✨ IL GECO is located in the basement of a mixed-use building, making it a bit hard to find. It's a small restaurant with 6 counter seats and 2 tables. I arrived after 6 pm and sat at the counter. I ordered tripe, panelle, and a cheese platter. The tripe was delicious and the panelle had a unique taste ✨ I also enjoyed plenty of wine and finished with grappa. Since I had a lot of lunch meetings, it was just the right amount for me. It was really delicious (*'ω'*). It's a small restaurant run by a chef and two staff members. It has a great atmosphere, so I would love to visit again on my next stay in Kyoto. I'm glad I found such a good restaurant.

I certainly went in the late hours. We were having a good time with my friends. The female staff was talking loudly and laughing, and when she cleared the plates, she would make a loud noise by hitting them against the glasses and then return to the kitchen without saying anything... Maybe she thought we were troublesome customers, as she quickly took our menus away. It left a strange feeling and a lingering sense of dissatisfaction, despite the food being delicious. It's a shame because it's a place recommended by a famous person in Kyoto. Maybe it's fun if you're with friends? But I don't think that's very professional... I will never come back again, but if you value both taste and the atmosphere of the restaurant, be prepared when you visit.

I explored a new Italian restaurant and visited for the first time. I made a reservation by phone the day before, and since the early hours were fully booked, I decided to try again the next day. The restaurant opens from 6pm until 2am, so it seems that reservations can only be made after 4pm. The restaurant is located in the basement of a building at the corner of Shijo-Nishidori and Ayanokoji Street, with a sign as a landmark. The restaurant is run by a couple, with the owner handling the cooking and his wife in charge of service. What I had: - Ginger ale - Heartland beer - Red and white wine - San Pellegrino 1. Marinated natural sea bream with new onion puree 2. White asparagus and prosciutto 3. Linguine with clams and snap peas 4. Roasted Tanba Kogen pork The sea bream was fresh and had a refreshing taste with the new onion puree and dill. The white asparagus was thick and crunchy, complemented perfectly by the saltiness of the prosciutto. The linguine had a rich oil-based sauce that paired well with the clams, and the snap peas added a nice texture. The roasted pork was tender with just the right amount of fat, and the red wine reduction with onion sauce was a great match. The dishes were simple yet elegant, with a perfect use of salt. I didn't try the course menu this time, but I liked that I could enjoy a la carte dishes easily. I've been looking for this type of restaurant, so I'm glad I found it. I would like to visit again.

The pasta (linguine) was especially delicious. It had a crab sauce that was rich in flavor. I also tried the tripe stew and the T-bone steak, but the pasta was the most impressive. I want to try other dishes next time. The atmosphere was a bit difficult to navigate, but overall it was a great experience.

This Italian restaurant is like a hidden gem, not too flashy. The interior has table seating and counter seating. I decided to order individual dishes instead of a set course. I wanted to try the assorted appetizers, but also wanted some prosciutto...so I asked if they could include prosciutto in the assorted appetizers, and they said they could! The staff's service was great and the food was delicious! The meat and pasta were both tasty. They brought out the dishes at just the right timing based on how much we had eaten. They also explained the wines to us, and we enjoyed them. I ordered herbal tea for dessert, and it was really delicious! It was a lovely restaurant that warmed both my heart and body.

I made a reservation to celebrate my friend's birthday and visited this restaurant for the first time. It's easy to find with a sign outside. We started with an appetizer platter, with pickles, pate, and other small bites that went well with wine. For the main course, we ordered based on my friend's preferences. The most delicious dish for me was the basil risotto. It may look green and unusual, but once you take a bite, you won't be able to stop. I highly recommend trying it. For dessert, we had requested a special plate with a message and a candle, which was beautifully done. I didn't include a photo because it had our names on it.

I feel the momentum of new restaurants opening every week in the area around Shijo-Karasuma. In this area, a new restaurant called Il Geco has opened. The appetizer assortment menu is not listed by the number of items, but rather focuses on taste and volume. The menu includes Catalana, pate, amberjack carpaccio, pickles, prosciutto, and water eggplant. Each dish competes with the others. If you're unsure, go for this one. Cold pumpkin soup with four kinds of spices. You can confirm the four types of spices visually. I wanted to see the pumpkin and spices competing for the spotlight. Homemade pancetta and onion carbonara. I imagined a super-rich dish with pancetta and onions, but it quickly turned out to be unexpectedly light, like a soup. I saw a new form of carbonara. Roast shoulder loin of beautiful skin pork. They serve this colored pork? That color seems unusual. Is it okay? The taste was excellent. Pigs are full of mysteries. Catalana with blueberry sauce. Late-night Italian restaurants are trending.

Il Geco, located near Shijo Karasuma where new developments are taking place, is hidden away in the basement of a mixed-use building. The restaurant is situated just a little below the popular Hamburg Labo. Other notable eateries in the vicinity include CHACOAL. Here is a summary of the dishes we tried: - Assorted appetizers: A platter featuring prosciutto, water eggplant, chicken rillettes, pate, pickles, and more. The pate had a rich flavor without the off-putting smell that liver haters may dislike. - Cold pumpkin soup with 4 spices: The pumpkin flavor was so intense that the spices were barely noticeable. It was delicious and possibly the best pumpkin soup we've had in a while. - Homemade pancetta and onion carbonara: Despite the previous dishes being rich, this carbonara was surprisingly light and not overpowering. It maintained the essence of a true carbonara with the flavor of pancetta shining through. - Roasted shoulder loin of beautiful skin pork: This dish also had a gentle flavor like the carbonara. Served with orange jam and arugula sauce, the pork's natural sweetness stood out and was delicious. The "beautiful skin pork" was a new experience for us but had a distinct taste. - Chocolate terrine: Rich and decadent, with a hint of rum adding a fragrant touch. The balance between intense and milder dishes was excellent. The restaurant's late closing time of 2 AM may have influenced the dining experience, making it suitable for enjoying a meal even at a late hour. With a variety of pasta dishes on the menu, we look forward to revisiting Il Geco.

The shop in B1, Iljecko, means gecko in Italian, and it was named after the owner, Mr. Yamori. When I visited, there were people dining alone as well as families with young children, and I was impressed by how wide a range of customers the shop caters to. The dishes were all delicious and there were plenty of options that paired well with alcohol. The pate, seasonal white shrimp fritters, and cherry shrimp pasta that I ordered all exceeded my expectations. The service provided by the wife was exceptional and hard to put into words, so I recommend experiencing it for yourself. The people at the next table also praised it highly. I want to bring my family back and recommend this shop to everyone.

I went down to the underground shop instead of the street-level store. The entrance to the shop was a bit hard to find, but after going down the stairs and making a U-turn, I found it. The interior of the shop was relatively new and fully open, with a spacious kitchen and clean, well-organized decor. The lighting was bright and overall there was a sense of cleanliness. The seats were mostly full, except for the counter. I tried various dishes a la carte, including beer and wine. Unfortunately, I couldn't provide detailed menu information as I was late in posting this review. The food was creatively presented and the flavors exceeded my expectations. The cost-performance ratio was good, and the staff were friendly. I would like to try other items on the menu and definitely plan to visit again!

The restaurant is located underground and the operating hours are until 2 am. It has a cozy and simple atmosphere with a few counter and table seats, a monitor playing movies on the wall, and an open kitchen. The menu is clear and easy to understand, with a variety of wines and champagnes available by the glass. We ordered the chef's selection of appetizers, which included delicious homemade pate with mustard and basil sauce. The pasta with tomato sauce was simple yet flavorful. For the main course, we chose duck and lamb, both of which were elegantly prepared and tasty. There are also light snacks like fried potatoes and olives available. Overall, the menu offers sophisticated flavors, although a standout dish could enhance the dining experience even more.