63 japanese places in Kyoto we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Kyoto | Japanese across every city.
This is the heart of how Kyoto eats: kaiseki, kyo-ryori and the seasonal traditions that built the city's reputation. The high end runs through Kikunoi Honten and Mizai in Higashiyama, Hyotei in northern Higashiyama and Gion Sasaki and Gion Nishikawa in Gion, with Kitcho Arashiyama Honten out west. Around it sits the everyday city: tofu houses like Tousuiro Kiyamachi in Pontocho and Nanzenji Junsei, obanzai at Menami and AWOMB Karasuma Honten, and shojin-ryori at Shigetsu in Arashiyama.
Tousuiro Kiyamachi ★ 4.4
pontocho · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8014, Japan
Tofu-kaiseki on a Kamogawa riverside terrace, hidden down a narrow Kiyamachi alley in a preserved Taisho-era townhouse just steps from Pontocho.
Nanzenji Junsei ★ 4.3
northern-higashiyama · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8437, Japan
A long-running garden-side yudofu room beside Nanzen-ji, set on a 1,200-tsubo strolling-garden plot in Kyoto that changes with every season.
Nanzenji Sando Kikusui ★ 4.4
sakyo · 31 Nanzenji Fukuchicho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8435, Japan
Nanzenji Sando Kikusui in Sakyo in Kyoto is a sukiya inn near Nanzenji with a Jihei Ogawa garden, yudofu kaiseki featuring Hattori tofu, seasonal courses.
Toseian ★ 4.2
kamigyo-nishijin · Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8378, Japan
A Nishijin yudofu room set in a former silk-warehouse machiya, opened in the 1970s. Quiet, courtyard-view tatami; locals know the Matsu Gozen set.
Omen Ginkakuji ★ 4.3
northern-higashiyama · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8413, Japan
A hand-cut udon counter beside Ginkaku-ji, opened in Kyoto in 1967. The Omen bowl pairs wheat noodles with sesame, vegetables and a dipping dashi.
Kane-yo ★ 4.3
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8064, Japan
Charcoal-grilled freshwater eel on Kyogoku Shotengai since the Taisho era. Lacquered chests, tatami rooms upstairs, the smoke spilling onto Sanjo.
Unagi Hirokawa ★ 4.4
arashiyama · Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8385, Japan
A Michelin-listed unagi specialist on the main Arashiyama lane since 1967, rebuilt 2009. Steamed-then-grilled Kanto-style, with a generations-deep tare.
Pontocho Izumoya ★ 4.3
pontocho · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8016, Japan
A Pontocho unagi room above the Kamogawa in Kyoto, founded 1916. Edomae-style grill-then-steam, with a kawayuka deck May to September. Priced at ¥¥¥.
Shigetsu ★ 4.5
arashiyama · Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8385, Japan
Bib Gourmand-listed shojin-ryori inside Tenryu-ji's precinct in Arashiyama. Three-course set lunches eaten facing the temple's Sogen garden.
Izusen Daiji-in ★ 4.4
kita-daitokuji · Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8231, Japan
Daitoku-ji shojin-ryori served in nested vermillion lacquer bowls modelled on a Buddhist begging bowl. Garden-view tatami inside the Daiji-in sub-temple.
Kyo Yakiniku Hiro Sanjo ★ 4.3
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
The Sanjo flagship of Kyoto's largest yakiniku family, run from a Kyoto Sanjo shopping-street site since 1997. Japanese black wagyu cuts grilled tableside.
Katsukura Sanjo Honten ★ 4.2
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8094, Japan
Tonkatsu born in Kyoto and exported nationally. The Sanjo flagship still grinds its own sesame for the dipping sauce; both loin and fillet plates.
Menami ★ 4.3
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8004, Japan
The grandmother of Kyoto obanzai counters. Daily-changing seasonal dishes set in clay pots along a tatami room since 1958, three minutes from Sanjo Station.
Mamehachi ★ 4.1
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8087, Japan
An obanzai counter five minutes from Hankyu Kawaramachi in Kyoto where the tofu plates outshine the rest. Daily set lunches, no reservations needed.
AWOMB Karasuma Honten ★ 4.2
nakagyo · 189 Ubayanagicho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8064, Japan
AWOMB Karasuma Honten in Nakagyo in Kyoto is the original teori-zushi machiya, around 50 seasonal vegetables and obanzai to assemble hand-rolled sushi.
Kyoto Kushidokoro Azumaya Honten ★ 4.1
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8024, Japan
Yakitori and kushikatsu on a Kiyamachi second floor, the house tare on its 20th year of topping-up. Three dipping sauces, late-night counter trade.
Robin Pontocho ★ 4.2
pontocho · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8016, Japan
A modern kappo on Pontocho serving 10-course kaiseki anchored by Maizuru seafood and Tamba wagyu. Counter seats face the river through sliding shoji.
LURRA ★ 4.7
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
A 10-seat modern Japanese counter from chef Jacob Kear (ex-Noma) and Stuart Brioza. Open-fire technique meets Kyoto produce in a 12-course menu.
Meshi Dokoro Pochi ★ 4.1
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8062, Japan
A teishoku counter near Karasuma-Oike in Kyoto. Daily-changing fish set, simmered vegetables and rice; cash, fast turnaround for the office lunch.
Issen Yoshoku ★ 4.1
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0073, Japan
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.
Senmonten ★ 4.8
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0085, Japan
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 ★ 4.4
kyoto-station · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8216, Japan
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 ★ 4.6
kyoto-station · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8216, Japan
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 ★ 4.7
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8042, Japan
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 ★ 4.5
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8044, Japan
A binchotan-grill yakitori counter near Karasuma in Kyoto. Specialises in rare cuts: furisode shoulder, sankaku-nankotsu cartilage and chicken hotpot sets.
Yakiyasai Isoya ★ 4.7
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
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.
Kawamichi-ya Kosho-an ★ 4.7
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8094, Japan
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 ★ 4.1
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8042, Japan
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 ★ 4.4
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8131, Japan
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
arashiyama · Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8384, Japan
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.
Niyasai Onikai ★ 4.3
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
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 ★ 4.8
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8093, Japan
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.
Kikunoi Honten ★ 4.9
higashiyama · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0825, Japan
The defining three-Michelin-star kaiseki room in Kyoto. Third-generation Yoshihiro Murata runs Kikunoi Honten, a 1912 ryotei below Kodaiji. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Hyotei ★ 4.9
northern-higashiyama · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8437, Japan
An Edo-era teahouse at the gate of Nanzen-ji in Kyoto, restyled as a ryotei in 1837. Located in Northern Higashiyama. Led by chef Yoshihiro Takahashi.
Kitcho Arashiyama Honten ★ 4.9
arashiyama · Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8385, Japan
Three-Michelin-star kaiseki on the Hozugawa river bend in Arashiyama, Kyoto, run by chef Kunio Tokuoka in a sukiya-style garden tatami room.
Mizai ★ 4.9
higashiyama · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0071, Japan
Hitoshi Ishihara opened Mizai in a corner of Maruyama Park, Kyoto, after years at Kitcho Arashiyama. One nightly seating, all guests served in sync.
Kichisen ★ 4.7
demachiyanagi · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0805, Japan
Chef Yoshimi Tanigawa's kaiseki room beside Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto. Two Michelin stars in the current guide, formerly three. Monthly seasonal menus.
Gion Sasaki ★ 4.8
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0811, Japan
Hiroshi Sasaki runs a teacher-and-apprentice kitchen on Komatsu-cho. Counter seats deliver a 12-course kaiseki with a freer hand than the old ryotei.
Kikunoi Roan ★ 4.7
pontocho · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8012, Japan
Murata's casual-counter spinoff on Kiyamachi, opened for Kikunoi's 60th anniversary. Two stars, easier reservations than Honten, river views in season.
Gion Nishikawa ★ 4.7
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0825, Japan
Masayoshi Nishikawa earned a star a year after opening at 33 in Kyoto. A quiet sukiya counter on a Yasaka Shrine alley with two stars for over a decade.
Muromachi Wakuden ★ 4.5
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8106, Japan
The Muromachi outpost of the Wakuden group, set in a Karasuma machiya with open charcoal braziers in the dining room. One star and a classical hand.
Tempura Tenyu ★ 4.6
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8071, Japan
A nine-seat tempura counter in central Kyoto run by Tawaraya, the ryokan operating since the early 1700s. Located in Karasuma Kawaramachi. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Tempura Endo Yasaka ★ 4.5
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0811, Japan
Tempura in a converted teahouse near Yasaka Pagoda, Kyoto, an ochaya from the early 1900s. Sweetcorn tempura opens each course in early summer.
Kyo Tominokoji Yoshikawa ★ 4.5
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8093, Japan
A 1952 ryokan and tempura counter in Kyoto set around a sublime Japanese garden, downtown. One Michelin star, garden lunches across all four seasons.
Hassun ★ 4.4
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0074, Japan
Named for the central kaiseki course, Hassun runs a quiet ryotei in Gion, Kyoto, a block south of Hanamikoji. One Michelin star, intimate counter only.
Kyoyamato ★ 4.3
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0826, Japan
A Meiji-era kaiseki house on the Kodaiji grounds, established in Kyoto by the third-generation Yamato proprietor in 1949 and rooted in an 1877 Osaka original.
Azumaya Honten Late ★ 4.1
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8024, Japan
Azumaya's late-night yakitori counter on Kiyamachi in Kyoto runs until 01:00, Saturdays to 02:00. House tare on its 20th year of topping-up and three sauces.
Senmonten Gion ★ 4.4
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0085, Japan
Senmonten's one-item gyoza counter on Hanamikoji stays open through 01:00 in Kyoto. Pan-fried gyoza orders paired with cold beer, cash only.
Ponshya Santoku Late ★ 4.1
karasuma-kawaramachi · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8077, Japan
Ponshya Santoku's standing oden counter in Shimogyo, Kyoto, runs until 01:00. Chicken-paitan broth and a 30-sake glass list; standing-only, no reservations.
Senmonten Gion ★ 4.5
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0085, Japan
A small counter on Hanamikoji in Gion, Kyoto, with one item only: pan-fried gyoza by the order. Queue forms by 18:30. Cash only, no reservations.
Toseian Yudofu Nishijin ★ 4.3
kamigyo-nishijin · Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8378, Japan
A yudofu room set in a former silk-warehouse machiya in Nishijin, Kyoto. The Matsu Gozen set is half the price of Nanzen-ji's better-known yudofu houses.
Ponshya Santoku Standing Oden ★ 4.1
karasuma-kawaramachi · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8077, Japan
A standing oden counter in a Shimogyo machiya in Kyoto, with chicken-paitan broth. Japanese-only blackboard menu, 30-sake list and a late-bar opening run.
Aoonigiri ★ 4.4
northern-higashiyama · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8412, Japan
A handmade onigiri counter near the Philosopher's Path in north Kyoto. 12 daily fillings, Niigata Koshihikari grains and a side of dashi-poached miso soup.
Izusen Zen Temple Lunch ★ 4.3
kita-daitokuji · Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8231, Japan
A shojin-ryori room inside Daiji-in sub-temple at Daitoku-ji (founded 1585) in Kyoto. Seven nested vermillion bowls in a garden-view tatami room.
Kawamichi-ya Kosho-an Soba ★ 4.3
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8094, Japan
Kawamichiya's quieter Kosho-an soba counter in a 110-year Kyoto machiya. Cleaner menu than the Sohonke parent, kamonanban duck soba and fast lunch turnaround.
Yakiyasai Isoya Vegetable Counter ★ 4.3
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
A vegetable-led counter on Kiyamachi in Kyoto run by a chef-farmer. Morning-picked Kyo-yasai charcoal-grilled on a binchotan brazier; nine-seat dinner room.
Rokuyosha Chika-ten ★ 4.3
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
A red-walled basement kissaten on Sanjo-Kawaramachi in Kyoto since 1950. Cinnamon-toast morning sets, smoked-glass lamps and a Showa-era hold on time.
Issen Yoshoku Budget ★ 3.9
gion · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0073, Japan
Gion's 1925 single-dish counter selling issen yoshoku pancake for 680 yen in Kyoto. Pre-war Showa atmosphere; eat-in counter or takeaway from the corner.
Katsukura Lunch Set ★ 4.0
kyoto-station · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8216, Japan
Katsukura's tonkatsu set in Kyoto Station Porta basement at 1,300 yen lunch. Free refills of rice, miso and cabbage; pork loin or fillet on a single ticket.
Kane-yo Unagi Lunch ★ 4.0
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8064, Japan
Kane-yo's lunch unaju is the cheapest eel lacquer-box in Kyoto around 2,000 yen. A Taisho-era counter on Kyogoku Shotengai with grilled-eel smoke.
Omen Ginkakuji Udon ★ 4.2
northern-higashiyama · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8413, Japan
Omen's hand-cut udon under 1,600 yen at the Ginkaku-ji branch in Kyoto. Cold sesame Omen with a seasonal vegetable plate; the easiest northern lunch.
Demachi Futaba Mame-Mochi ★ 4.5
demachiyanagi · Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-0822, Japan
Salted-bean and azuki mochi for 220 yen at the city's most famous wagashi shinise in Demachiyanagi, Kyoto. Eat fresh on a Kamogawa bench across the road.
Kotowari Obanzai Lunch ★ 4.1
karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8042, Japan
Kotowari's obanzai set in Kyoto under 1,500 yen lunch. Daily-changing five-plate, clay-pot rice option and the reliable downtown vegetable lunch.