Villa Aida

In the quiet fields of Iwade City, Wakayama, Kanji Kobayashi guides Villa Aida with an ingredient-forward approach: daily harvests from the restaurant’s own orchards and vegetable gardens dictate the menu. A regular menu features coastal seafood and local ingredients, while a separate plant-based prix fixe showcases the vegetable-forward cooking that has earned Kobayashi acclaim. The restaurant cultivates more than 300 varieties of vegetables annually, and Kobayashi calls his concept “Agrigastronomy”, a cuisine centered around vegetables, deeply rooted in the region’s natural rhythms. The dining room is equally pared back, where wooden accents, minimalist tableware and soft lighting set a soothing stage for your meal.

Tatler Tip

Plan your visit well in advance. Reservations open on the 1st of the month, two months before your intended visit, and close three days before (or as soon as the restaurant is fully booked). With only six guests served per day for the omakase experience, tables disappear quickly.