Tempura Yoshikawa Counter is a japanese tempura restaurant in Karasuma Kawaramachi, Kyoto.
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 dishes: Tempura counter lunch, Sea bream tempura
Must 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.
Address: Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8093, Japan
A teishoku counter near Karasuma-Oike in Kyoto. Daily-changing fish set, simmered vegetables and rice; cash, fast turnaround for the office lunch.
Signature: Yokai teishoku, Daily fish set
Order: Daily fish teishoku with side plates
Tip: Cash only, no reservations. Counter seats 12, lunch crowds turn over fast.
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.
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.
Signature: Tonkotsu shoyu ramen
Order: House ramen with extra char siu and ajitama
Tip: Sundays lunch-only. Cash counter, no reservations and no laptops.
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.
Signature: Kujo negi ramen
Order: Kujo negi ramen with extra menma
Tip: Lunch only and weekends close at 16:30; cash counter, no reservations.
A teishoku counter near Karasuma-Oike in Kyoto. Daily-changing fish set, simmered vegetables and rice; cash, fast turnaround for the office lunch.
Signature: Yokai teishoku, Daily fish set
Order: Daily fish teishoku with side plates
Tip: Cash only, no reservations. Counter seats 12, lunch crowds turn over fast.
