Senmonten Gion is a restaurant in Gion, Kyoto.
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.
Why locals love it: A counter on Hanamikoji that locals defend. Wood-finished room, single one-item menu of pan-fried gyoza paired with cold beer.
Tip: Queue forms by 18:30. Cash only, no reservations.
Address: Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0085, Japan
Yoram Ofer's koshu sake bar in a Nakagyo machiya in Kyoto. Six-seat counter, aged-sake flights, no walk-ins, the city's reference koshu room.
Why locals love it: An Israeli-born owner runs the country's most-cited aged-sake bar from a six-seat machiya. No sign, no English menu, no walk-ins.
Tip: Open Wed-Sat only. Call 15 minutes ahead from the corner phone box.
A Showa-styled coffee roastery in Kita, Kyoto, run by a married couple. Hand-drip beans, homemade cake and picnic-basket loans for the nearby Kamogawa banks.
Why locals love it: A husband-and-wife Showa-era roastery in north Kyoto that lends out picnic blankets and baskets for the Kamogawa banks.
Tip: Picnic-basket programme runs at lunch. Best on a sunny Saturday morning.
A husband-and-wife pour-over cafe in north Kyoto's Ichijoji neighbourhood. Weekenders Coffee beans, homemade cakes and a no-laptops policy at the counter.
Why locals love it: A no-laptop cafe in the Ichijoji ramen district run by a couple, with Weekenders beans and homemade cake.
Tip: No laptops policy; come for the cake and stay for the slow drip.
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.
Why locals love it: A yudofu room set in a former silk warehouse in Nishijin, two minutes from a regular bus stop and overlooked by Kyoto's temple-tour crowd.
Tip: Closed Mondays and Thursdays. Walk in from the back garden path.
Yoshihiro Imai's wood-fired pizza counter on the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto. 12 seats, daily 12-course Italian-Japanese tasting; the chef-pick of town.
Why locals love it: Yoshihiro Imai's 12-seat wood-fired counter on the Philosopher's Path that books out 60 days in advance.
Tip: Reservations open online 60 days ahead, on the 1st of each month at 09:00 JST.
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.
Why locals love it: A standing-counter oden room with chicken-paitan broth, hidden in a Shimogyo machiya. Blackboard menu in Japanese only.
Tip: Open until 01:00 weekdays, sake list runs to 30 producers, standing-only.
