Meshi Dokoro Pochi
Order Daily fish teishoku with side plates
A teishoku counter near Karasuma-Oike in Kyoto. Daily-changing fish set, simmered vegetables and rice; cash, fast turnaround for the office lunch.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Kyoto actually eats.
Where to eat well, no fuss
23 places
Issen Yoshoku
Order Issen yoshoku, the single menu item
A 1925 Gion counter selling one dish only in Kyoto: issen yoshoku, a pancake of batter, green onion, meat scraps and Worcestershire sauce. Kitsch decor.
Tentenyu Shijo-Karasuma
Order Tokusei chicken paitan with chashu and ajitama
A chicken-paitan ramen counter on Karasuma in Kyoto. House-raised Kyotamba bird boiled to a milky broth and finished with bright grated yuzu skin.
Eat your way around Gion
2 of the casual dining on this list are in Gion. So are these tours and tastings.
Ramen Muraji
Order Wonton ramen with extra menma
A cleaner-broth ramen counter in Nakagyo, Kyoto. Light dashi shoyu, hand-folded wonton and the kind of bowl locals order between meetings at lunch.
Senmonten
Order 30-piece gyoza order with a draft beer
A Gion counter on Hanamikoji that sells one item: pan-fried gyoza orders, paired with cold Asahi. Wood-finished room, cash only. Priced at ¥.
Katsukura Kyoto Station Porta
Order Premium loin katsu set with sesame sauce ground tableside
Katsukura's Kyoto Station basement outlet, perched in Porta's depachika. Born in Kyoto in 1992, this chain runs ground-sesame sauce and free-flow cabbage.
Kyo Yakiniku Hiro Kyoto Station Front
Order Black wagyu sirloin set with tongue salt for two
The Kyoto Station tower outlet of the Hiro yakiniku family, five minutes from the platforms. Japanese black wagyu, family-style charcoal grills, 200 seats.
Tori-ryori Sumiyaki Akari
Order Six-skewer assortment with tsukune and yolk dip
A yakitori counter on Teramachi in Kyoto using Omi-jidori and Kyoto-duck. Signature tsukune comes with a yolk-bath dip, all grilled over binchotan.
Sumibikushiyaki Torito
Order Rare-cut omakase skewer flight
A binchotan-grill yakitori counter near Karasuma in Kyoto. Specialises in rare cuts: furisode shoulder, sankaku-nankotsu cartilage and chicken hotpot sets.
Yakiyasai Isoya
Order Tableside grilled-vegetable course with sashimi
A vegetable-led counter on Kiyamachi in Kyoto, the chef-owner running his own farm in north Kyoto. Morning-picked Kyo-yasai, charcoal-grilled and lacquered.
Where to stay in Kyoto
A sample of Kyoto hotels from our booking partner, who list 2,260 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Khaosan Kyoto Guesthouse
With a stay at Khaosan Kyoto Guesthouse, you'll be centrally located in Kyoto, steps from Kawaramachi and w...
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EN HOTEL Kyoto
With a stay at EN HOTEL Kyoto in Kyoto (Central Kyoto), you'll be steps from Shijo Omiya and 6 minutes by f...
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Kyoto Guesthouse - Hostel
Located in Kyoto (Central Kyoto), Kyoto Guesthouse - Hostel is within a 5-minute drive of Nij Castle and Ka...
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Connect Hotel Kyoto
With a stay at Connect Hotel Kyoto in Kyoto (Central Kyoto), you'll be steps from Shijo Omiya and 5 minutes...
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Kawamichi-ya Kosho-an
Order Kamonanban duck soba with smoked-yuzu broth
Kawamichiya's adjacent Kosho-an counter in Kyoto, a renovated 110-year machiya. Cleaner soba menu than the Sohonke parent, faster-paced lunch trade.
Kotowari
Order Five-plate obanzai set with a clay-pot rice option
An obanzai counter near Hankyu Kawaramachi in Kyoto, with a daily-changing five-plate set built on seasonal Kyo-yasai. Cash-friendly weekday lunch.
Nomura Kyoto
Order Three-plate showcase set with grilled fish
An obanzai showcase three minutes from Hankyu Karasuma in Kyoto. Pick plates from a glass case; the set comes with rice and miso for under 1,200 yen.
Inoue Arashiyama
- ★ 4.5
- Japanese Obanzai
- ¥¥
- Arashiyama
Order Five-plate obanzai assortment with simmered yuba
A small obanzai room near the Arashiyama tram in Kyoto, dinner-only and locals-favoured. Yuba simmer, Kyo-yasai plates, the chef-owner runs the room solo.
Ponshya Santoku
Order Chicken paitan oden and sake flight of three
A standing-counter sake bar and oden room in a renovated Kyoto machiya. Chicken-paitan oden broth, 30-sake list and the Japanese-only blackboard menu.
Gono Go Kawaramachi Sanjo
Order Toroton pork trotter with house oden
A rare late-night izakaya in Kyoto that runs until 05:00 most days. Slow-cooked pork trotter, oden plates and the after-shift crowd from Pontocho counters.
Niyasai Onikai
Order 10-dish simmered vegetable course with sake flight
A vegetable-focused kappo counter on a Kawaramachi second floor in Kyoto. Daily-changing simmered Kyo-yasai across a 10-dish course with drink pairings.
Tempura Yoshikawa Counter
Order Lunch tempura course with sea bream and prawn
The walk-in counter of the Yoshikawa tempura ryokan in Kyoto, an alternative to the full kaiseki room. Eight seats, garden window, lighter price tag.
Azuma Sushi
- ★ 4.5
- Japanese Sushi
- ¥¥
- Higashiyama
Order Tokujo nigiri lunch with side of saba bo-zushi
A mid-range Edomae sushi counter in Higashiyama, Kyoto. The chef trained in Tsukiji; lunch sets sit around 3,500 yen, and the saba-zushi is exemplary.
Mensho Takamatsu Kyoto Ramen Koji
Order Chicken-and-seafood tsukemen with thick dipping noodles
Tokyo's Mensho with a Kyoto Ramen Koji counter on the station building's 10th floor. Chicken-seafood tsukemen and a daily-rotating Japanese ramen tour.
Kaidashimen Kitada
Order Kaidashimen shellfish ramen with extra noodles
A shellfish-broth ramen counter near Kyoto Station, founded 2020. Rich uni-and-bivalve umami broth, a precise eight-seat counter and a slow-pour service.
Ramen Tomomura
Order House ramen with extra char siu and ajitama
A single-bowl ramen counter five minutes from Kyoto Station's Hachijo exit. One menu item, dense pork-bone shoyu ramen, eight-seat counter eaten in silence.
Arashiyama Tenryuu Ramen
- ★ 4.2
- Japanese Ramen
- ¥
- Arashiyama
Order Kujo negi ramen with extra menma
An Arashiyama ramen shop in Kyoto near Togetsukyo Bridge. House Kujo-negi green-onion ramen, served at a tree-shaded outdoor counter from 11:00.
Nothing matches.