Kyoto: Private Whisky (Yamazaki, Hibiki & More) with a Local
Enjoy a private whisky tasting experience in Kyoto with a local guide. Savor the rich flavors of Japanese whisky in a local bar and chat with your guide about Kyoto’s ...
CuisineJapanese
Price¥¥
Neighborhoodkarasuma-kawaramachi
HoursWed-Mon 17:00-23:00; Tue closed
Phone+81 75-212-5039
Last verified
Why locals love it: Chef-owner runs his own Kyo-yasai farm and grills the day's pick on a Kiyamachi counter. Reservation-only, dinner-led.
Tip: Reservations open one month ahead. Counter eats nine, dinner only.
Hidden gems: tours, tastings and classes in Kyoto
Kyoto Hidden Bar Crawl: Pontocho & Gion with Food & Drinks
Join a local guide on a bar crawl through Pontocho and Gion. Visit hidden izakayas and bars, enjoy Kyoto-craft sake, Japanese whisky, and seasonal cocktails in lantern...
Kyoto Nishiki Market: 8-10 Tastings, 90 Min, Kyoto Local
Most travelers walk Kyoto's 400-year-old market guessing at signboards. Join a local guide for 8–10 hand-picked tastings in Nishiki Market, including yuba, wagyu, hamo...
Location
Address: Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
Also in karasuma-kawaramachi
Rokuyosha Chika-ten ★ 4.3
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.
Why locals love it: A red-walled 1950s kissaten basement on Sanjo-Kawaramachi in Kyoto, smoked-glass lamps, cinnamon-toast morning sets and no modern interruption.
Tip: Cash-only counter. Open from 09:00 through to 23:00 daily Word-of-mouth is the only marketing.
Yoramu Aged Sake Bar ★ 4.6
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.
More hidden gems in Kyoto
Rokuyosha Chika-ten ★ 4.3
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.
Why locals love it: A red-walled 1950s kissaten basement on Sanjo-Kawaramachi in Kyoto, smoked-glass lamps, cinnamon-toast morning sets and no modern interruption.
Tip: Cash-only counter. Open from 09:00 through to 23:00 daily Word-of-mouth is the only marketing.
Senmonten Gion ★ 4.5
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.
Yoramu Aged Sake Bar ★ 4.6
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.
Wife and Husband ★ 4.4
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.
Akatsuki Coffee No Laptops ★ 4.4
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.
Toseian Yudofu Nishijin ★ 4.3
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.