Japanese Food Spots in Kyoto Area

Area

Kyoto
- Japan
- Hokkaido / Tohoku
  
  Hokkaido
  
  Aomori
  
  Iwate
  
  Miyagi
  
  Akita
  
  Yamagata
  
  Fukushima
- Kanto
  
  Ibaraki
  
  Tochigi
  
  Gunma
  
  Saitama
  
  Chiba
  
  Tokyo
  
  Kanagawa
- Koshinetsu / Hokuriku
  
  Niigata
  
  Toyama
  
  Ishikawa
  
  Fukui
  
  Yamanashi
  
  Nagano
- Tokai
  
  Gifu
  
  Shizuoka
  
  Aichi
  
  Mie
- Kinki
  
  Shiga
  
  Kyoto
  
  Osaka
  
  Hyogo
  
  Nara
  
  Wakayama
- Chugoku
  
  Tottori
  
  Shimane
  
  Okayama
  
  Hiroshima
  
  Yamaguchi
- Shikoku
  
  Tokushima
  
  Kagawa
  
  Ehime
  
  Kochi
- Kyushu / Okinawa
  
  Fukuoka
  
  Saga
  
  Nagasaki
  
  Kumamoto
  
  Oita
  
  Miyazaki
  
  Kagoshima
  
  Okinawa

Category

Gourmet / Alcohol

Japanese Food

Nanzenji Junsei

4.0

292 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Sakyou-ku Nanzenji Front of the gate

The Nanzen-ji Zen Temple is the head temple of Rinzai Buddhism. This restaurant located in front of the temple serves traditional Kyoto kaiseki course cuisine such as its famed boiled tofu. Diners can enjoy seasonal kaiseki dishes and boiled tofu while enjoying the view of the restaurant’s garden. After your meal, why not take a stroll in the garden of the Junsei Shoin, a registered Tangible Cultural Property originally built as a space for the study of medicine in the Edo period.

I really dont like writing this, but this restaurant was such a disappointment. Just not the care and quality you come to expect in Japan. The tofu was nice, but Bream was very overcooked and...
Hirobun

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Sakyou-ku Kuramakibunechou 87

A restaurant and traditional inn just a minute's walk away from a sub shrine belonging to the Kifune-jinja Shrine famed as a power spot which brings luck with love. The inn has a total of eight rooms available to parties of two or larger. The inn takes particular pride in its highly seasonal cuisine, and diners can enjoy “riverbed cuisine” while listening to the murmurs of a stream fed by the Kifune River in summer. In winter, the inn serves wild boar hot pot rich in collagen and nutrients said to give beauty and good health. No matter what season you visit, you are sure to find unique seasonal charms.
Kyogoku Kaneyo

3.5

209 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku Hexagon Tong New Shin Kyogendo Entrance Matsukeba-machi 456

A venerable eel restaurant founded at the end of the Taisho period located in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. The warm and retro looking exterior looks the same as when the restaurant was established and stands out all the more amongst the throngs of buildings in Shinkyogoku. The key to the shop’s flavor is a secret sauce passed down for one hundred years which brings out the savory deliciousness of plump eels from Lake Hamana. Particularly popular are the standard eel rice bowl and the restaurant’s famous “kinshi-don”—eel rice bowl topped with an egg fried Kyoto style. One of the restaurant’s customs is the “Kaneyo Yose” held each month, an event which includes live entertainment with a meal.

The grilled eel was absolutely fantastic. Tastes great! The food presentation was top notch. Quality service, nice food and traditional decoration, it is worth to visit!
Pontocho Robin

3.5

32 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku Pontono-machi 137-4 Wakamatsu-machi

A restaurant housed inside a 150 year old Kyoto townhouse in a back alley along the Kamogawa River in the Ponto-cho neighborhood serving Japanese cuisine prepared with select, seasonal ingredients from around the country. The restaurant’s signature kamameshi vegetable and meat rice pots make a perfect closer to any evening and are prepared in special order earthenware pots with koshihikari rice and high quality dashi. In May and September, the restaurant prepares a traditional wood deck on the bank of the river for diners to enjoy their meals from. Patrons can dine on delicious seasonal cuisine while gazing out over the Kamogawa River.

Thousands of miles away from Hong Kong compare over 20’s restaurants. I thought it was a fine dining dinner, but unfortunately from the second course was not finished. The waiters keep catching up...
Hanaikada

4.0

91 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nishikyou-ku Arashiyamanakaoshitachou 57

Hanaikada is a traditional Kyoto-style restaurant located in the inn of the same name at Arashiyama Hot Spring. The chef goes to the Central Wholesale Market every day to select seasonal ingredients according to strict criteria. The food at Hanaikada brings out the true flavors of the ingredients. The yudofu, steamed tofu, made with soy milk is especially noteworthy. The restaurant has package deals for all sorts of day trips, including celebrations and business entertainment.

We didn’t speak almost any Japanese and I’m a vegetarian but we didn’t have any problems staying at this Ryoken. They catered to us extremely well and we felt like honored guests the entire time. We...
Awomb, Nishikiya-machi

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Shimogyou-ku Nambachou 405

Seating at Awomb, a sushi restaurant located in Kyoto's Shimogyo Ward, is by reservation only. This restaurant is noted for its typical Kyoto atmosphere and the painstaking care it takes with fresh fish. Sitting in a remodeled traditional machiya townhouse building, customers can enjoy a so-called Koromo meal, a selection of seasonal local vegetables, seafood, and fruit for making do-it-yourself sushi. This is a favorite spot for both local residents and tourists.
Kiyomizu Junsei Okabeya

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Higashiyama-ku Kiyomizu Temple Mae Shimizu 2

This Kaiseki restaurant which uses tofu as a main ingredient in their cuisine is located near Kiyomizu Temple. The refurbished traditional townhouse restaurant can be found a little off the road approaching Kiyomizu Temple. There is a tofu factory on the premises, and freshly made tofu and yuba are included in the menu. The main dish on the course menu is boiled tofu, but there are a la carte dishes such as tofu-don (rice bowl topped with tofu) and nama-fu tempura (wheat-gluten tempura baked and coated with miso) as well. In addition, occasionally there are limited menus related to festivals, so many customers visit according to the season.
Moritaya JR Kyoto Isetan Branch

4.0

116 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto Downtown Shimogyo-ku Karasumaru Salt Allufuro Down Close Higashi Salinkocho Town 901JR Kyoto Isetan 11 F in Eat Paradise

Moritaya is an old sukiyaki restaurant established in 1869 in the Meiji period before Japan’s Westernization movement was fully underway. It is distinctive for its beef which comes in from a directly-managed ranch in Tanba, Kyoto Prefecture. Since it handles everything from production to sales, it can take responsibility and provide safe meat for its customers. The meat is so high in quality that it was selected as one of the offerings for the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Taisho. The restaurant is in the “Eat Paradise” on the 11th floor of the Isetan Kyoto store in the JR Kyoto Station building, and from the window one can see Kyoto Tower as well as Kyoto’s Five Zen temples.

Bad experience, staffs attitude shows they are not welcoming customers or maybe I’m tourist? I never met any Japanese rude like this. At first, the reception don’t allow us to get the ticket for...
Yudofu Okutan Kiyomizu

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Higashiyama-ku Kiyomizu 3-340

A venerable Buddhist vegetarian cuisine restaurant located in the Kiyomizu neighborhood of Higashiyama Ward founded in 1635 in the early Edo period. The tofu used in the restaurant’s famed boiled tofu is made with organic soybeans and natural brine extracted in a special room below ground. The tofu is made fresh each morning in a workshop situated under the 2000 square meter garden visible from the dining areas.
Yamayoshi Shijo Kawaramachi Store

3.0

25 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto-shi Shimogyo-ku Nishikiya Machi Tooru Matsubara Kami 2-chome Temmachi 272

This crab restaurant is located in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto. You can taste dishes centered on fresh crab that is not frozen. They feature a rich menu using the entire crab, including hot pot dishes, tempura, chawan-mushi (savory egg custard) and kani-miso (crab paste). They also offer plans for lunch-only set meals and for banquets. In addition, the Shijo Kawaramachi store is open only in the winter during the crab season from October to March.

We did not have time to go to Fukui, so we went to Yamayoshi in Kyoto to try the Matsuba crab. The service was reasonably good. The waiter explained to us our options and tailored the courses to...
Temari-zushi and Japanese Tea SOUDEN

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Shinmachi-dori Sanjo Agaru Cho Kashiracho 110-1

This stylish restaurant is on Shinmachi-dori avenue. The shop interior is redolent with the scent of Japanese tea, and offers deeply flavorful tea with healthy sushi for elegant dining. The colorful temari sushi is a lunchtime hit. They serve nine seafood toppings with five delicacy toppings for 14 cute, bite-sized sushi that avoid interfering in conversation. Additionally, it includes monaka sweets. In the evening, they add a variety of foods to accompany drinks like charcoal grilled foods, sashimi, drink snacks and more. They also offer their own original cha-shu, a cocktail made with fresh tea leave, for a seasonal delight.
Ganko Takasegawa Nijoen

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Kiyachou Toichuzu town descending two ordinances 484 - 6

This Japanese restaurant is in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City. Takasegawa Nijoen is a historic Japanese garden constructed by the merchant Suminokura Ryoi in 1611. The restaurant is used for celebrations and receptions, and focuses on elegant kaiseki course dining, as well as dishes like shabu shabu made with Omi beef. Lots of tourists come to dine while taking in the seasonal view.
Tenryu-ji Shigetsu

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Ukyou-ku Sagatenryujisusukinobabachou 68

A Buddhist vegetarian cuisine restaurant located inside the Tenryu-ji Temple’s garden, a World Heritage Site, in Kyoto City. Buddhist vegetarian cuisine was originally developed for monks who were prohibited from eating meat. It is made without any animal-derived products, instead using highly seasonal ingredients with a focus on vegetables and emphasizing the “five flavors,” the “five colors,” and the “five laws.” The restaurant offers three courses which change with the seasons—a 3,000 yen course, 5,000 yen course, and 7,000 yen course. No matter which course you choose, you will be able to enjoy delicate flavors that make maximum use of the individual ingredients involved.
Hanbey-fu

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto-shi Higashiyama-ku, wholesale town Gojo Gojo Leisure town 433

A long-established shop selling ‘fu,’ a bread-like food made of wheat gluten, from the Edo period. The shop opened in 1689, and introduced the secret method of how to make “fu” which had until then been treated as a high-class food in the palace. The shop is a traditional wooden building, but the sales area inside is a modern Kyoto-style decorated with stained glass, making you aware of the changes over time. In the tea shop “Hanbei,” there is a course menu of ‘fu’ and ‘yuba’ (tofu skin), and you are able to dine here as well.
Gion Izuju

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Higashiyama-ku Gionmachikitagawa 292-1

A venerable sushi restaurant located in front of Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto City’s Higashiyama Ward founded in the late Meiji period. Specializing in Kyoto sushi, a unique variety of sushi which evolved in an area far from the sea, the restaurant’s saba mackerel sushi, made with cub mackerel from Tsushima Bay, is particularly famous. The thick, fatty meat of the shimesaba vinegar soused mackerel goes perfectly with the sumeshi vinegared rice. Other excellent choices include the makizushi rolled sushi, inarizushi fried tofu sushi, and hamonoko young pike conger narezushi fermented sushi. Diners even travel from overseas to enjoy a meal at this popular establishment.
Gion Gyuzen

4.0

103 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Higashiyama-ku Gionmachikitagawa 323 Gion Hall 4F

This Japanese cuisine restaurant close by the Kyoto sightseeing spot of Yasaka Shrine mainly serves shabu-shabu, sukiyaki and other nabe (hot pot) dishes. They are choosy about the quality of their meat, and offer a set where guests can simultaneously enjoy shabu-shabu and sukiyaki. There are plenty of all-you-can-eat options from reasonably priced menu offerings to those which allow you to eat Japanese Black beef to your heart’s content, while the course offerings where guests can try food including Kyoto’s obanzai cuisine and fried foods are popular. Despite the fact that the interior has been designed with a Japanese ambience, the ceilings are high to provide a sense of spaciousness. They also have private rooms with horigotatsu (recessed, heated floor seats) and counter seats available. The closest station is Gion-Shijo Station.

A bit difficult to find as they located inside the building, they do variety of beef selection with combination of Suki-Shabu. I think its worth the price you pay, but nothing special.
Kyoto Ichinoden Main Store

4.5

53 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku Yanagi Baba street Nishiki Uruifango 435

A Saikyo-zuke (fish pickled in Kyoto sweet miso) shop located along Yanaginobanba-dori Avenue traveling north from Nishiki Market. The shop’s kuramiso-zuke is made with a secret Saikyo-zuke recipe handed down since the shop’s founding in 1927. Beloved by many for years, it has a delicately sweet, melt-in-your-mouth flavor. The first floor of the shop sells Saikyo-zuke and other products, while the second floor is a restaurant serving a monthly changing menu of traditional Kyoto kaiseki course cuisine with a focus on Saikyo-zuke dishes.

西京焼きの、老舗オススメします！前日の予約で14時半が予約できてとても楽しみにしてました。コース料理なのでどれを食べても美味しいです
Kyo-Kaiseki Minokichi Main Restaurant: Takeshigero

4.5

55 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Sakyou-ku Awataguchitorichou 65

Takeshigero has specialized in traditional Kyoto cuisine featuring fresh water fish since its founding over 300 years ago. It is also renowned for having river fish dishes accompany its kaiseki (traditional Japanese cuisine brought in courses). Elegant and inviting, the restaurant consists of a sukiya-zukuri style main building and gassho-zukuri annex.

We went to Kyoto in mid October to celebrate my birthday and we picked this restaurant to have our first ever Kaiseki cuisine. The restaurant looks very traditional Japanese style, decorated with...
Gion Mametora

4.0

25 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Higashiyama-ku Gionmachiminamigawa 570-235

A traditional Japanese ryotei restaurant located in front of the Kaburenjo Theater on Hanamikoji Street in Gion. Diners here can enjoy traditional kaiseki course cuisine made with seasonal ingredients such as mamezara ryori designed to be enjoyed a little at a time and bite-sized sushi made to be eaten even by maiko without disrupting their makeup. At lunch, the restaurant serves bite sized sushi and sushi/mamezara sets meals.

Gion Mametora is everything you wished for and a little bit more. I had the most mesmerizing dining experience with them earlier in May 2023. I had found the Restaurant on this platform itself and...
Moritaya Kiyamachi Branch

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Kiyamachisanjou Uelu top Osaka cho 531

Located only two minutes by foot from Keihan Main Line’s Sanjo Station along the Kamogawa River, this is a long-standing ryotei (Japanese restaurant) which was established in 1869. This branch is set deep in a backstreet alley with a long cobblestone approach that is typical of Kyoto and has a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. In addition to the small rooms facing the Kamogawa River, guests can enjoy platform seats overlooking the Kamogawa River in summer. On the menu are sukiyaki, shabu-shabu and oil-yaki (slices of meat fried in oil) which use carefully selected Kyoto meat. In particular, the sweet Kansai-style sukiyaki which they will cook one slice at a time is quite popular, and has earned them many repeat customers.

Gourmet / Alcohol Japanese Food

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Kyoto Areas

Its wooden tea houses, shuffling geisha, and spiritual sights have seen Kyoto hailed as the heart of traditional Japan, a world apart from ultramodern Tokyo. Despite being the Japanese capital for over a century, Kyoto escaped destruction during World War II, leaving behind a fascinating history which can be felt at every turn, from the fully gold-plated Kinkakuji Temple down to traditional customs such as geisha performances and tea ceremonies, which are still practiced to this day.