Ponshya Santoku is a japanese izakaya restaurant in Karasuma Kawaramachi, Kyoto.
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.
Signature dishes: Chicken paitan oden, Sake flight
Must order: Chicken paitan oden and sake flight of three
Tip: Open until 01:00 weekdays, late dinner spot. Standing only, no reservations.
Address: Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8077, Japan
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.
Signature: Toroton slow-cooked trotters, Late-night oden
Order: Toroton pork trotter with house oden
Tip: Cash and card accepted. Walk-in seats easiest 03:00-05:00; closed lunch.
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.
Signature: Simmered vegetable course, 10-dish vegetable plate
Order: 10-dish simmered vegetable course with sake flight
Tip: Course-only after 19:00. Lighter set-menu lunches under 1,500 yen.
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.
Signature: Tempura counter lunch, Sea bream tempura
Order: Lunch tempura course with sea bream and prawn
Tip: Lunch counter under 7,000 yen, dinner course 14,000-22,000. Counter seats eight.
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.
Signature: Toroton slow-cooked trotters, Late-night oden
Order: Toroton pork trotter with house oden
Tip: Cash and card accepted. Walk-in seats easiest 03:00-05:00; closed lunch.
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.
Signature: Simmered vegetable course, 10-dish vegetable plate
Order: 10-dish simmered vegetable course with sake flight
Tip: Course-only after 19:00. Lighter set-menu lunches under 1,500 yen.
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.
Signature: Tempura counter lunch, Sea bream tempura
Order: Lunch tempura course with sea bream and prawn
Tip: Lunch counter under 7,000 yen, dinner course 14,000-22,000. Counter seats eight.
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.
Signature: Edomae sushi set, Saba-zushi
Order: Tokujo nigiri lunch with side of saba bo-zushi
Tip: Lunch is best value; book a counter seat to watch the rice-vinegar pressing.
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.
Signature: Chicken-seafood tsukemen
Order: Chicken-and-seafood tsukemen with thick dipping noodles
Tip: Located on the station building's 10th-floor ramen alley. Lines move quickly.
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.
Signature: Shellfish ramen, Kaidashimen
Order: Kaidashimen shellfish ramen with extra noodles
Tip: Open 07:00-22:00 with a lunch break. Cash counter, walk-in only.
