Kiku Izakaya

Kiku Izakaya is a Japanese restaurant specializing in fresh seafood dishes and homemade sauces prepared according to classic Japanese recipes.

Kiku Izakaya seamlessly blends several concepts. During the day, guests come to enjoy a flavorful and hearty ebi ramen with a fish-based broth, shrimp, and miso paste. In the evening, people gather with friends and colleagues to relax and enjoy traditional Japanese cuisine and fresh seafood. As night falls, the izakaya bar welcomes guests with original appetizers and cocktails. The restaurant's kitchen is headed by Antonina Smirnova, whose professional career has primarily been focused on working at the Japanese restaurant Megumi in the Lotte Hotel St. Petersburg. Antonina diligently studied the intricacies of Japanese cuisine under the guidance of Munechika Bana, who considered her his best student. The menu features Japanese seafood dishes with signature sauces: a selection of sashimi, marinated tuna tartare in soy sauce with avocado; Japanese pancakes – okonomiyaki with crab and fruit sauce; gyoza with shrimp, citrus sauce, and truffle ponzu; beef tataki with shichimi sauce and pickled wasabi stem; duck breast with yuzu and black bean sauce. The dessert menu offers a blend of traditional Japanese flavors and delicate Asian-European fusion: miso crème brûlée and yuzu panna cotta. The bar is managed by Ilya Netsvetayev (COCOCO group, Four Seasons Hotel Moscow, BURO TSUM). The bar menu features a selection of traditional Japanese sake and whiskey, as well as a concise cocktail list that emphasizes the use of both traditional Asian flavors and seasonal, local ingredients. The project's designer, Ksenia Smirnova, has organically and elegantly combined the classic izakaya style with the atmosphere of a sophisticated bar in the interior of Kiku Izakaya: a clear layout, natural materials, and a focus on functionality. The dining room is finished with real barn wood, light granite, and textured plaster. The warm evening ambiance and sense of privacy are created by antique mirrors and red lighting. A long chandelier with two hundred frosted white glass pendants evokes the image of blooming cherry blossoms. The warmest element of the dining room is a wood-burning fireplace, around which guests gather.