Japanese Food Spots in City Center 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

City Center

Category

Gourmet / Alcohol

Japanese Food

Masaki

4.0

1 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Mibubanbacho 15-20

This restaurant is found in a Kyotoesque narrow alley about eight minutes' walk from Nijo Station. It offers luxurious cuisine with seasonal ingredients flavored to bring out their natural taste. The shop has only nine counter seats and is reservation-only. The shop is in a renovated old family house, and the owner runs it alone. There is no menu, the shop offers a multi-course meal matched to your budget. It brings in seasonal ingredients from all over Japan, and so each meal is only found for a limited time. It also supplies famous sake labels from all over Japan for the perfect marriage with their meals.

大きな看板などなく分かりにくいところに店はありました。少し口下手なご主人ですが質問すると色々教えて頂けました。料理は派手さは全くありませんが丁寧な仕事振りでした。
Yuzugen Pontocho

4.0

28 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Pontomachi Shijo Agaru Nabeyacho 212

Just as the name suggests, this restaurant offers food and drinks made with yuzu citrus. It is notable for the imposing exterior of its reformed Kyo-machiya (Kyoto-style home cooking) and door curtains that depict the yellow fruit that is its namesake. The first floor features counter seating suitable for a casual dinner alone while the second floor features tatami mat seating for relaxing with amiable company. The restaurant's specialty is their exquisite yuzu-gyoza, which is mentioned by name on the door curtains. These pot stickers feature handmade dumpling wrappers filled with a stuffing that is fragrant with the refreshing scent of yuzu citrus. Some of the other dishes featuring yuzu citrus include their yuzu-nabe (yuzu citrus hot pot), yuzu-daikon (daikon radish pickled in yuzu citrus), and honey and yuzu citrus chicken saute.

Decided to randomly drop in to a sukiyaki shop, ordered the beef set and it was awesome. Got lucky we didn’t had to queue. If you’re visiting order the beef!
Motsu-nabe Toraya

3.5

14 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Pontomachi Dori Shijo Agaru Shimokorikicho 205-1

The motsunabe offal hotpot restaurant is located eight minutes' walk from Kawaramachi Station, almost right in the middle of Pontocho. They've been featured in magazines and a variety of other media, and often have a line going down the block. They steep their fresh, collagen-rich ingredients in a special broth that stews for over 10 hours for an elegant flavor finish. The hotpot can be steeped for 18 minutes for a light flavor, 20 minutes for the standard flavor, and 22 minutes for a richer taste, meaning the cooking time requires strict management. Finishing off their hotpot with udon noodles, and sansho Japanese pepper-rich high quality shichimi seven-spice and grated yam with dashi soup for Shichimi udon is a popular treat.

At first, when I read the review about this place, I was a little concerned about trying it out, but this experience completely blew our expectations out of the water. I had had motsunabe about 10...
Umemura

4.5

22 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Kiyamachi Sanjo Agaru Kamiosakacho 515-1

This restaurant is about five minutes' walk from Sanjo Station and Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station. It offers elegant Kyoto Kaiseki cuisine evoking the flavors of the seasons from land and sea. The shop building is outfitted with cedar bark fences, cobble stones, and lattice doors for a traditional Kyoto atmosphere to the old building where Ito Hirobumi, the first prime minister of Japan, once stayed. Cherry trees planted by the important man are still in good health. The wooden deck over the Kamogawa river opens in summer, and every year a number of Geisha gather for the deck's opening. The sashimi arranged on boat-shaped servers and delicate kaiseki dishes positively gleam with the skill of expert chefs.

I had the lunch set there and it was well prepared and presented by the staff. Love their great service. If you want to have a quiet and comfort lunch around Gion, this place is just perfect for you.
AWOMB

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Ubayanagichou 189

A sushi restaurant located in the Ubayanagi-cho neighborhood of Nakagyo Ward. The restaurant is famed for its obanzai, a type of Kyoto cuisine in which numerous bite-sized dishes are served together; and its hand rolled sushi, in which diners are provided with the ingredients and condiments to roll their own sushi combinations as they like. Located inside a renovated old Kyoto townhouse, lines form outside the door even before the restaurant opens.
Taro-ya

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo Ward Shijyo Town Shinchoncho Kaeru First Eye East Entrance Kannondo Town 473

This izakaya is located a four-minute walk from Karasuma Station in Kannondo-cho, Nakagyo District, Kyoto City. It features a wide selection of Kyoto-style home cooking, from standards to seasonal recommendations, and of course the “obanzai” in large pots lined up on the counter. In particular, the croquette with special demi-glace sauce is popular.
Kokoraya Pontocho Branch

2.0

1 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Shijoupontochou Kamiya Nabeya-cho 209 - 12 House number 51

A popular machiya izakaya (traditional Japanese-style pub) located quietly in the elegant town of Ponto-cho, where you can enjoy a variety of Japanese dishes using Kyoto vegetables, yuba (bean curd), tofu, etc., and a wide selection of Japanese sake, including Kyoto's locally brewed sake, at reasonable prices in a relaxing atmosphere unique to machiya.

Nos llamó la atención el encanto del local y que apenas había turistas. Cuando entramos, por ser extranjeros, solo nos ofrecieron dos “menus típicos” que consistían en sashimi, tempura y arroz...
Yubanzai Komame-ya Nishiki Branch

4.0

41 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Nishikikoujihigashinotouin Nishi Ogiya cho to the east 619 Libertas Nishikiji 3F

A yuba (tofu skin) restaurant located in the Nishiki Market. Produced by the renowned Ueda Yuba-ten, famed for its handmade yuba, the restaurant serves yuba cuisine made with Kyoto vegetables and 100% domestic soybean yuba. All of the tables in the shop are sunken kotatsu-style. In the daytime, the shop serves yuba set meals. At night, it offers courses and a la carte menu options. Either way, diners can stretch their legs, relax, and enjoy delicious yuba cuisine.

夕食に4人家族で最安の雪コースをオーダーしましたが、ボリューミーで湯葉の食感だけでなく味にも大変満足できました。掘りごたつのテーブルで隣席とも十分離れていると感じました。
Mukadeya Main Restaurant

4.0

14 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku Nishi-Toryu Nishikido Koji Kamiru Hakodate Town 381

Mukadeya is a traditional restaurant offering “obanzai” Kyoto home cooking as kaiseki (course) meals. It is located eight minutes on foot from Karasuma Station in a 160-year-old machiya (townhouse) restored to look like something from the mid-Meiji period, and is a pioneer in terms of the recent machiya renovation trend. The obanzai menu changes by month and features seasonal foodstuffs selected by the head chef. Their motto is “we wish to leave everyday culture and food culture as it was lived”,” and one can indeed taste the hospitality in the food made with Kyoto ingredients.

祇園祭の山鉾町で京町家をリノベーションした建物で京都のおばんざいを懐石風に食べました。祇園祭が終わった後だったですが、何となく残り香があるような気配を感じながら約１時間で京都を満喫したような気がしました。
Kyoto Mimasuya Okudohan

4.5

4 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku 318-3 Maruya-cho Kamiya-cho Kyoji Sanjo Tooru-cho

Mimasuya Okudohan has a calming atmosphere true to its renovated Kyoto machiya (old townhouse) origins. It is located south of Gokomachi-dori Street towards Sanjo-dori Street from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station. Its specialty is “obanzai” Kyoto home cooking. The particularly famous “Okudohan Gozen” is a luxurious menu full of seasonal Kyoto vegetables and fish. Here one can certainly get the fill of Kyoto cuisine with a la carte options featuring Kyoto foodstuffs and table course dishes too.

カウンターこしに、調理しているのがよく見える。コースで注文したので何が出てくるのかワクワクして待っていたが期待にたがわずおいしいものが出てきました。提供されたものは京都を感じられるものでした。
Kyoto Cuisine Takeshima ICHIGO

4.0

9 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Kiyamachioike Kaeru Uesaki Town 496 Ayr Takeshima Building 1F

A venerable Japanese restaurant located on Kiyamachi Street in Kyoto City’s Nakagyo Ward founded in 1897 as a ryokan inn. Taking great care in using only domestic organic vegetables, the shop’s various dishes, made with special attention to seasonality, are the traditional flavors of Kyoto and sure to make even the pickiest gourmand groan with delight. The A4 rank Hiroshima wagyu sirloin steak, sautéed tobanyaki-style on a ceramic plate and included in some courses, is particularly popular. The restaurant offers a variety of seating options, including counter seating, tables, and tatami mat private rooms. The restaurant also erects a traditional wooden deck over the river from May to September.

I was in Kyoto during summer when Kawadoko could be experienced at some Kamo River facing restaurants. I booked a table for two with the special Kawadoko set menu ahead of time using a Japanese app...
Kappo Saraku

5.0

7 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku Yanagi Bamabori Izawa Northeast corner 5-239-1

This traditional Japanese restaurant south of the Kyoto Imperial Palace is around a six-minute walk from Marutamachi Station. Based on the concept of “a refuge for those who love sake,” the owner - who earned his stripes at a famous Kyoto establishment - displays his skills at the counter. He has dedicated himself to making food that goes well with select sake, and offers course menus featuring Kyoto seasonal vegetables and fresh seafood from the Sea of Japan. The relaxed atmosphere of the cozy modern Japanese interior is equally suited to relaxing with friends or entertaining business associates.

Was taken to Sato-sans restaurant by a friend who had been there before. What a wonderful experience it was! Its a small place, only a few tables, not on a main street. Sato-san the owner cooks...
Pontocho Idumoya

3.5

52 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku Pontono-machi 173-2 Kashiwaya-machi which rises to Shijo-machi

This is a Kyoto cuisine restaurant in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto. This window glass enclosed restaurant situated on the Kamo River provides a spacious atmosphere for dining. Popular for their secret Tokyo-style broiled eel sauce and other seasonal Kyoto cuisine, during the months of May through September one can enjoy your meal 'on the river', with seating on the deck erected over the river.

Saw this along the main tourist drag, and found their window display captivating. Note that Japanese window display often shows the single serving price but when you’re seated you’d find out the...
Morita-ya, Shijo Inokuma Main Restaurant

4.0

38 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku Nikyo Inukuma Town rising in Inokuma Dori Article 5212 F

Morita-ya is a restaurant in Kyoto's Nakagyo Ward. It serves Kyoto meat from animals raised in the Tamba Wachi Highlands and Japanese black beef. Customers can enjoy dishes such as sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, and oil yaki accompanied by seasonal vegetables. The restaurant is also equipped with private rooms and a banquet room for groups, as well as barrier-free private rooms.

The food is amazing. This is a place which doesn’t cost a lot and well worth it. Everyone got three pieces of beef, which is the right amount, because there will be lots of vegetables and rice too...
Ikemasatei

3.5

9 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku Nishiki Shoji Tsuyoshi Baba East Toyofiya Machi

This Japanese restaurant is run by a veteran fruit and vegetable shop in the Nishiki Market in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City. In addition to set meals made with fresh seasonal Kyoto vegetables, they also have rice bowls and more. It opens as a pub in the evening, where guests can try the Kyoto dish obanzai with seasonal vegetables.

元々は八百屋さんの料理屋さん。京都のおばんざい定食や丼もの、があります。夜の営業は週末のみ湯葉丼がちょっと他所では食べられないお味。ちょっといかつい店長が、予想外に優しい。
Kyoto Nishiki Uoriki

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Higashiuoyachou 176

Nishiki Market, also known as Kyoto's kitchen, is home to this grilled seafood shop that serves a variety of fish including conger, sea bream, and eel. Their savory Tokushima conger teriyaki is a popular gourmet take-out item. Besides individual grilled fish dishes at dinner, they also offer special items like whole sea bream for celebrations. They have an eat-in space too where you can try well-known delicacies cooked to perfection like their conger tempura and conger cutlets. Shijo is the closest station.
Kappo Roko

3.5

13 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Kamikorikichou 491-6

Kappo Roko is a traditional Japanese restaurant located on an alleyway in Kyoto's Nakagyo Ward. The building is a remodeled machiya townhouse more than a century old, attractive for its rich traditional Kyoto atmosphere. The owners use only the finest seasonal ingredients, serving classic Kyoto cuisine on antique dishes, and its flagship menu, the Roko Kaiseki, is a vibrant treat for the eye as well as for the palate. Fatty mackerel caught off the coast of Yaizu in Shizuoka Prefecture forms the base of another famous dish, Grilled Mackerel Sushi (reservations are required). In the evening, the interior of the restaurant is illuminated by lanterns, imparting a slightly dark, subdued mood. In the summer, the terrace that overlooks the Kamo River is open, so that customers can dine in a relaxed atmosphere by day or night.

9月の終わり、9月末までの川床ランチ2500円をいただきました。リーズナブルに鴨川を眺めながら京都らしい雰囲気を味わえました。暑い日は床ランチは暑すぎてキツイので、9月末でちょうど良かったです。茶碗蒸しではなく、チーズたっぷりのグラタン風料理だったり、洋風も混じっていてカジュアルで親しみやすいです。
Tobeian

4.5

4 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Higashi-uoyacho 196-1

Although located in a narrow street from crowded and noisy Nishiki market Tobeian is very quiet and charming place. Traditional Japanese style restaurant. Clean and simple design. Nice presentation...
Kani Douraku Kyotohonten

4.0

65 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Article 3 Teramachi 525, Tenshojimaechou, Nishi-iru, 604-8081

My wife and I were at the restaurant around 2 p.m., so there was no que waiting. We were taken to the 2nd floor which is decorated in Japanese style, the table and seat are quiet low because they...
Mirei

4.5

3 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Kameyachou 143-2

と言うべきか、比較的新しいお店、かつ店主もお若い。で、お料理。使われてる食器も料理も季節を彩っていて目にも味にも爽やかに活きる。アラカルトでオーダー。白和え。おかださんでも修行されていた？と聞く、流石のバランス。火の通った大豆が口の中でフワッと香り、他の食材も尖らず火入れがされている。造りも鯛、鯵、イカ他をいただいたが、鯛は明石か？特有のハリ、甘み。アジは極めて新鮮。角が立っている...

Kyoto City Center

Gourmet / Alcohol Japanese Food

Sushi / Conveyor Belt Sushi Kaiseki/Kappo Traditional Japanese Cuisine Eel Yakitori Grilled Chicken / Chicken Dishes Charcoal/Fireside/Teppan Grilling Okonomiyaki / Monjayaki / Takoyaki Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets Tempura Kushiage/Kushikatsu Fried Skewer Cuisine Crab / Blowfish / Seafood Sukiyaki / Shabu-shabu Hot Pot Cuisine / Oden Hot Pot Creative Cuisine Local Cuisine Kyoto Cuisine Okinawan Cuisine Gyutan Beef Tongue Other Japanese Food

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.