Kikunoi Honten 3 ★ ★ 4.9
The defining three-Michelin-star kaiseki room in Kyoto. Third-generation Yoshihiro Murata runs Kikunoi Honten, a 1912 ryotei below Kodaiji. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Signature: Kaiseki, Hamo, Ayu
Tasting menus, Michelin stars, and the kitchens redefining what fine dining means in Kyoto.
Top tables
Hyotei 3 ★ ★ 4.9
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.
Signature: Morning gruel, Hyotei tamago, Hassun
Kitcho Arashiyama Honten 3 ★ ★ 4.9
Three-Michelin-star kaiseki on the Hozugawa river bend in Arashiyama, Kyoto, run by chef Kunio Tokuoka in a sukiya-style garden tatami room.
Signature: Kaiseki, Hassun, Hamo
Mizai 3 ★ ★ 4.9
Hitoshi Ishihara opened Mizai in a corner of Maruyama Park, Kyoto, after years at Kitcho Arashiyama. One nightly seating, all guests served in sync.
Signature: Kaiseki omakase
Kichisen 2 ★ ★ 4.7
Chef Yoshimi Tanigawa's kaiseki room beside Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto. Two Michelin stars in the current guide, formerly three. Monthly seasonal menus.
Signature: Kaiseki, Sesame tofu, Hassun
Gion Sasaki 3 ★ ★ 4.8
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.
Signature: Kaiseki, Crab, Charcoal-grilled wagyu
Kikunoi Roan 2 ★ ★ 4.7
Murata's casual-counter spinoff on Kiyamachi, opened for Kikunoi's 60th anniversary. Two stars, easier reservations than Honten, river views in season.
Signature: Kaiseki, Counter service
Gion Nishikawa 2 ★ ★ 4.7
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.
Signature: Kaiseki, Sesame tofu
Muromachi Wakuden 1 ★ ★ 4.5
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.
Signature: Kaiseki, Mukoita
Tempura Tenyu 1 ★ ★ 4.6
A nine-seat tempura counter in central Kyoto run by Tawaraya, the ryokan operating since the early 1700s. Located in Karasuma Kawaramachi. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Signature: Tempura omakase, Sea bream tempura
Tempura Endo Yasaka ★ 4.5
Tempura in a converted teahouse near Yasaka Pagoda, Kyoto, an ochaya from the early 1900s. Sweetcorn tempura opens each course in early summer.
Signature: Tempura course, Sweetcorn tempura
Kyo Tominokoji Yoshikawa 1 ★ ★ 4.5
A 1952 ryokan and tempura counter in Kyoto set around a sublime Japanese garden, downtown. One Michelin star, garden lunches across all four seasons.
Signature: Tempura course, Garden lunch
Sushi Wakon ★ 4.7
Edomae sushi inside the Four Seasons Kyoto, in Higashiyama. Eight counter seats and a ten-course omakase from the team that opened the original Sushi Wakon.
Signature: Edomae sushi omakase
Hassun 1 ★ ★ 4.4
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.
Signature: Kaiseki, Hassun course
Kyoyamato ★ 4.3
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.
Signature: Kaiseki, Tofu courses
Book food experiences in Kyoto
Kyoto Gion Cultural Walk & Geisha Show with Dining Options
Discover the culture and life of being a geisha hidden behind the sliding doors of Gion on a walking tour. Watch a live geisha show and enjoy dinner, lunch or tea with...
Kyoto: Geisha Dinner & Gion Cultural Walk
Immerse yourself in Kyoto’s vibrant geisha culture with a captivating tour featuring dinner and fascinating history.
Kyoto: Ramen, Gyoza, and Onigiri Cooking Class
Discover how to make homemade rich and flavorful soy sauce and miso ramen, acquire the perfect gyoza filling, and master the technique of wrapping gyoza for the ideal ...
Fine Dining in Kyoto, FAQ
Where should I eat fine dining in Kyoto?
Editor picks in Kyoto include Kikunoi Honten, Hyotei, Kitcho Arashiyama Honten, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.