Mid-Range in Kyoto

Iolite Coffee Roasters ★ 4.8

nakagyo · 422 Ikesucho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8242, Japan

Iolite in Nakagyo in Kyoto is Daisuke Yoshida's roaster inside his grandfather's old wagashiya, cedar beams, single-origins, light-roast V60 and espresso.

Tip: Tiny back nook seats four; mornings are calmest. Cuppings by appointment.

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.

Tip: Reservations open online 30 days ahead, dinner-only counter seats six.

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.

Tip: Reservations open one month ahead. Counter eats nine, dinner only.

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.

Tip: Open lunch 11:00-15:00 and dinner 17:00-21:00. No reservations.

Unir Coffee Roasters Kyoto ★ 4.7

karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8123, Japan

Unir's downtown Kyoto cafe-roaster, the husband-and-wife founders chasing Panama Geisha lots. Long-fermented coffees, kettle brew, slow service.

Monk Pizza Counter ★ 4.7

northern-higashiyama · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8412, Japan

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.

Tip: Reservations open online 60 days ahead, on the 1st of each month at 09:00 JST.

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.

Tip: Reservations needed for parties of 4+ on weekends. Open until 23:00 daily.

Wife and Husband Coffee ★ 4.6

kamigyo-nishijin · Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8132, Japan

A Showa-styled hand-drip roaster in north Kyoto, married-couple run with house-roasted beans. Picnic baskets to take to nearby Kamogawa banks.

Yoramu Aged Sake Bar ★ 4.6

karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0831, 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.

Tip: Open Wed-Sat only. Call 15 minutes ahead from the corner phone box.

Ippodo Kaboku Cha-shitsu ★ 4.6

karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0915, Japan

Ippodo's adjoining cha-shitsu in Kyoto, behind the tea shop. Self-whisk a bowl of matcha at the counter with a seasonal namagashi pair, walk-in any day.

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.

Tip: Two-hour all-you-can-drink option after 21:00. Reserve a counter seat to see the bird.

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.

Tip: Reservation strongly recommended; doors open 17:00 and the counter eats six.

Azuma Sushi ★ 4.5

higashiyama · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0811, Japan

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.

Tip: Lunch is best value; book a counter seat to watch the rice-vinegar pressing.

% Arabica Higashiyama Roastery ★ 4.5

higashiyama · Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0853, Japan

% Arabica's roastery cafe in Higashiyama, Kyoto, on the Yasaka Pagoda slope. Their global beans roasted on-site for the city's 23 sister bars.

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.

Tip: Queue forms by 18:30. Cash only, no reservations.

Inoda Coffee Honten Morning ★ 4.5

karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8118, Japan

Inoda's 1940 machiya kissaten in Karasuma, Kyoto, opens at 07:00. The Kyoto Morning set with egg, sausage, toast and Arabian Pearl blend at 1,100 yen.

Iolite Coffee Roasters Morning ★ 4.5

nakagyo · 422 Ikesucho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8242, Japan

Iolite in Nakagyo in Kyoto opens early; the morning is a hand-drip and toast set, cedar-beam machiya counter, single-origin pour-over from the in-house roast.

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.

Tip: Walk-in only; expect a 20-minute queue at peak lunch in Porta basement.

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.

Tip: Open from 07:00 for breakfast. Counter seats 12, no reservations.

Kyoto Brewing Company Taproom ★ 4.4

fushimi · Minami-ku, Kyoto 601-8211, Japan

The original Kyoto craft brewery in Minami-ku, opened 2014 by three foreign founders. Belgian ales, rice lagers and a glass list rotating weekly.

Kyoto Beer Lab Brewery ★ 4.4

karasuma-kawaramachi · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8138, Japan

A canal-side craft brewery and tap room on the Takasegawa in Kyoto. Eight on-site taps and a beer-and-pizza programme; the city's most-visited counter.

Honke Daiichi Asahi Late Night ★ 4.4

kyoto-station · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8214, Japan

Kyoto's reference shoyu-tonkotsu ramen counter, open until 01:00 since 1947. Five-minute walk from Kyoto Station, queues thin out around midnight.

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.

Bar Rocking Chair ★ 4.4

karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8042, Japan

Bar Rocking Chair's late-night cocktail counter in Nakagyo, Kyoto, open until 02:00. Smoked old fashioned and a single-malt back-bar, nine seats.

Wife and Husband ★ 4.4

kamigyo-nishijin · Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8132, Japan

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.

Tip: Picnic-basket programme runs at lunch. Best on a sunny Saturday morning.

Akatsuki Coffee No Laptops ★ 4.4

demachiyanagi · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8182, Japan

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.

Tip: No laptops policy; come for the cake and stay for the slow drip.

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.

Tip: Closed Mondays. Counter eats six, queue forms by 11:30 most days.

Smart Coffee ★ 4.4

karasuma-kawaramachi · Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8082, Japan

A 1932 kissaten in Kyoto's Teramachi arcade. Pillow-thick hotcakes, house-roasted coffee and a tamago sando at the city's reference Showa-era breakfast.

Akatsuki Coffee Brunch ★ 4.4

demachiyanagi · Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8182, Japan

Akatsuki Coffee's no-laptops brunch room in Sakyo, Kyoto, husband-and-wife run. Daily cakes, a single Weekenders pour-over and a quiet morning room.

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.

Tip: Cash and card both accepted. Closes 21:00; arrive before the 19:00 dinner rush.

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.

Tip: Walk-ins land easier at 17:30 dinner opening or after 21:30.

Ponshya Santoku ★ 4.3

karasuma-kawaramachi · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8077, Japan

A standing-counter sake bar and oden room in a renovated Kyoto machiya. Chicken-paitan oden broth, 30-sake list and the Japanese-only blackboard menu.

Tip: Open until 01:00 weekdays, late dinner spot. Standing only, no reservations.

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.

Tip: Course-only after 19:00. Lighter set-menu lunches under 1,500 yen.

Vermillion Cafe ★ 4.3

fushimi · Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-0805, Japan

The pond-side sister to Vermillion's espresso bar at Fushimi Inari in Kyoto. Australian-style flat whites, in-house roast and the rare Kyoto bagel set.

Gekkeikan Okura Sake Brewery Museum ★ 4.3

fushimi · Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-8043, Japan

Gekkeikan's working museum and tasting bar in Fushimi, Kyoto, brewing sake since 1637. Walk the old warehouse, taste current ginjo and seasonal nama-zake.

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.

Tip: Closed Mondays and Thursdays. Walk in from the back garden path.

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.

Tip: Lunch only, 11:00-16:00. Walk in for a tetsubachi seven-bowl set.

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.

Tip: Open 11:00-21:00 with no afternoon break. Closed Thursdays Word-of-mouth is the only marketing.

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.

Tip: Reservations open one month ahead. Counter eats nine, dinner only.

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.

Tip: Cash-only counter. Open from 09:00 through to 23:00 daily Word-of-mouth is the only marketing.