Heartbreaking, heartwarming, and cozy all at once. The idea of being able to fix your regrets with a loved one who's passed is one that should resonate with everyone, and the way its laid out here is so incredibly touching.

In this beautiful little book, we meet a range of characters largely unrelated to one another, but who share one particular characteristic: they all suffered loss.

One by one, we meet this pensive cast, each in need of finding closure with their lost loved ones.

Kai, a young chef at a remote restaurant outside Tokyo, serves one guest at a time. He prepares a final meal for the living to share with the dead, and with that meal, a chance to start fresh.

Thank you to Viking Penguin | Penguin Books and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions my own.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. People are given a chance to reconnect briefly with their loved ones. How Kai knows exactly what dish to prepare and he gets a chance as well. I like that the cat is a calming presence for the customers. Kai even finds the unexpected.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the e-book copy!

I finally got around to reading this and it has now become of my favorite books. The premise may seem silly with the fact that the characters can eat a meal and see their loved ones that have passed. However, I think the author did a great job making those scenes very poignant and heartwarming. I also liked the subtle hint of romance as well as friendship between the two main leads it was done well. I am happy that this is apart of a series as I left this feeling like more could be done with this concept. I will be awaiting the sequels as they get published in english.

Whimsical with a touch of magic, but also emotional and heartfelt . I love the sense of yearning the characters feel, and the emotional healing they experience from the chance to connect briefly with a loved one who has passed away. Lovely!

The pace of this starting out felt meandering and I couldn't find any investment in it. I know that slow-pacing is often a part of these cozy fantasy reads but this was too slow for me to feel engaged or interested. I think it's probably a great fit for some, but just didn't hit for me.

This was such a sweet little book. I think if you were a fan of Before the Coffee Gets Cold & The Kamogawa Food Detectives this would be right up your alley. I think the stories were interwoven perfectly to make a complete story that didn't feel lacking. It was equal parts cozy and heartbreaking and just one of those books that makes you nostalgic of memories of loved ones who have passed away.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was touching and beautifully written. It has a light and wistful air to it, even while dealing with the complexity of grief. Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read.

3.5 stars. A delightful story about a café that allows patrons to have one last visit with a lost loved one while eating a remembrance meal for them. The different depictions of grief through the four narratives were heartwarming, while the descriptions of the food were absolutely mouthwatering! Overall this cozy magical realism story was worth the read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the book.

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC in return for an honest review.

Mourning the loss of her brother, Kotoko finds her way to the seaside and a cozy restaurant that her brother spoke highly of. Wanting to be close to something that was special to him, she visits the Chibineko Kitchen. The chef makes the meal her brother would cook for her and while she eats it she is reunited with him, able to heal her sorrow and find happiness once again.

This is a feel good novella with a bit of magical realism that takes place in Japan.

The concept is similar to Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. Chibineko Kitchen is a restaurant that serves remembrance meal that give the customer a chance to talk with the ghost of someone they knew.

Bruh I’ve had enough of Japanese magical realism😩 they all follow certain pattern with no originality anymore at this point. This the story was just okay, mainly about regret or missed chance. Just like that famous series.

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen is the sweetest little story—tender, a bit sad, but deeply comforting. It’s short enough to read in one cozy sitting, and it left me feeling wistful. There's something cathartic in the way it explores grief through food, memory, and a magical little kitten named Chibi.

If you're coming off a heavy read or just need something soothing to the soul, this is a lovely palate cleanser. It’s heartfelt, redemptive, and quietly beautiful. I’ll definitely be picking up the rest of the series when I need a soft reset.

One of my favorite pieces of Japanese literature. I love the story of Kai and Kotoko. And how food connects us to people and memories, it’s so heartwarming.

Magical realism is one of my favorite genres. The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen does a great job at bringing magical realism to life. The idea that loved ones could get closure and reunite with the deceased is heart warming.

This is one of those books I have a feeling I will think of often. This book felt like a warm, bittersweet last hug, and left me crying into my blankets. This book is broken up into four short stories that are all connected to each other in some way. The story didn't try pack too much in the short page length it has, which I appreciate. It is a fairly simple, yet beautiful story that is perfect for a cozy read. While the story is short, the impact from it is long lasting.
I can't wait to read more in this series as they are translated.

This gentle story warmed my heart and quietly tugged at my emotions. The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen isn’t just a cozy tale—it’s also a tender exploration of grief, memory, and the longing to reconnect with those we’ve lost. It made me reflect deeply: what would I say if I had just one more chance to speak with a loved one?

Much like Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the book uses a warm, comforting setting to frame emotional goodbyes. The rule about the meal needing to stay hot added a quiet tension that made those moments feel even more fleeting and precious. I did find myself wondering about the role of the café cat—was it simply there for whimsy, or was it something more, maybe a bridge between the living and the dead?

While not every detail is fully explained, the story still left me with a full heart and a lot to think about. It’s a cozy read with emotional depth—perfect for a quiet, reflective afternoon.

If a warm bowl of sukiyaki and a heartfelt goodbye had a love child, it would be Chibineko Kitchen. This little book is like slipping into a dream you didn’t know you needed—where grief simmers gently on the back burner, and every meal is a love letter to the ones we’ve lost.

We meet Kotoko, hat-chasing and heart-heavy, who stumbles into a seaside restaurant that serves kagezen—traditional remembrance meals that might just reconnect you with your dearly departed. Enter Kai, the quiet, kind chef (and 10/10 hat retriever), and Chibi, the resident kitten who is clearly the emotional support animal we all deserve. What follows is a magical, melancholic, and mouthwatering journey that somehow feels like therapy served with pickled plum jam.

Now, full transparency: I loved this cozy read. It’s tender, food-forward, and full of that misty, slightly surreal vibe that hits just right on a rainy afternoon. That said, the writing didn’t always blow me away. A few passages felt a little clunky—noticeable, but not deal-breaking. Like when the rice is a little overcooked, but the flavors still make you go, “Mmm, yes. More, please.”

Final thoughts? Chibineko Kitchen is comfort lit with a side of tears and a garnish of kitten cuteness. Highly recommend if you enjoy magical realism, emotional closure, and stories where food means something. Just maybe eat first. Trust me.

Kotoko Niki is a young woman who recently lost her beloved brother. He pushed her forward to save her life when a car was racing at high speed towards her at a crossroad, instead of her, the car hit him, and he died instantly. Kotoko learns of a restaurant, the Chibineko Kitchen in the remote seaside town of the Chiba prefecture not far from Tokyo, where rememberance dinners are served, to memorize someone you love who passed away. Not knowing that the secret of the restaurant is that the passed loved one will appear for one last time to the mourning person, to talks things over one last time. What also is magical about the place is that the restaurant owner, a charming man named Kai, exactly knows what the passed one used to cook or eat with the person left behind. The restaurant also has an adorable kitten, who doesn't have a major part but just walks throigh the storyand accompanies the guests. Chibineko means actually tiny kitten.
Dining at the Chibineko Kitchen for this rememberance dinner works good for Kotoko, as she is relieved of the burden of the deep mourning and give it a place in her life, as her brother dreamed of becoming an actor, he now passed the dream on to her.

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen is a short but beautiful Japanese novel. It is cute and very moving, and altough it felt realistic there was this very good hint of magic into it, just perfectly dosed and not too much. I found the story of Kotoko very moving and beautifully portrayed. Altough the book is shortt and the characters don't have much depth and you don't really get to know them because it is such a short story, the author gives just the right depth to the glimpse of their life you read about in this short story. It was still moving and entertaining to read. This is a book that is perfect for fans of Japanese fiction, it is great that more and more fantastic Japanese novels are translated into English, and this one not to miss!

What an absolutely delightful surprise of a book. This book was such a warm hug. I immersively read this (followed along the ebook by listening to the audiobook) and highly the narrator and the story as a whole. This looks to be the first translated in a longer Japanese series and I will be reading them all as they are published in English. I will also be purchasing and recommending this book to just about everyone I know.

Heart warming & magical… a retreat for soul!
Yuta Takahashi transports readers to the Chibi Prefecture in Japan using long forgotten storytelling skills that immediately pull you into this three part tale.

I couldn’t put this book down. The characters are so real I felt like I was watching a movie. The stories so deep, beautiful and in some way healing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.