My aunt brought my family to this beautiful Japanese restaurant on one of our last visits to Irvine. The elegance of Kitayama is evident as soon as you approach the entrance from the parking lot, walking across a stone path surrounded by a calming landscape. Inside the windows look out to either a decorated courtyard or the front waterscape where traditional drummers come out to perform on and around the bridge. Patrons are seated at little tables for smaller parties or partitioned rooms for larger ones. The surroundings add to the food itself, which is delicious.
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