Tempura Yoshikawa Counter
Order Lunch tempura course with sea bream and prawn
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.
21 upscale places in Kyoto, editor-picked. Occasion restaurants in Kyoto: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Kyoto food.
The upscale list
21 places
Yoramu Sake Bar
- ★ 4.6
- Wine bar
- ¥¥¥
- Karasuma and Kawaramachi
Israeli-born Yoram Ofer's koshu sake bar in a Nakagyo machiya in Kyoto. The most-cited aged-sake list in the country, served at a six-seat counter.
Shigetsu
- ★ 4.5
- Japanese Shojin-ryori
- ¥¥¥
- Arashiyama
Order Yuki shojin set with the temple's signature sesame tofu
Bib Gourmand-listed shojin-ryori inside Tenryu-ji's precinct in Arashiyama. Three-course set lunches eaten facing the temple's Sogen garden.
Book food experiences in Kyoto
Bar Rocking Chair
Drink Smoked old fashioned
A speakeasy cocktail bar in a Nakagyo machiya in Kyoto, opened by ex-Saint Germain bartender Yamada-san. Counter seats nine; reservations strongly advised.
Komorebino Natural Wine Bar
Komorebino in Gion's Hanami Kaikan pours 200 carefully chosen natural wines from Japan, France and Italy with a list rotating to 24 seasonal Japanese terms.
Tousuiro Kiyamachi
- ★ 4.4
- Japanese Tofu
- ¥¥¥
- Pontocho
Order Eight-course tofu kaiseki with yuba sashimi and warmed soy-milk pots
Tofu-kaiseki on a Kamogawa riverside terrace, hidden down a narrow Kiyamachi alley in a preserved Taisho-era townhouse just steps from Pontocho.
Nanzenji Sando Kikusui
Order Yudofu set with dengaku miso-glazed tofu skewers
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.
Unagi Hirokawa
- ★ 4.4
- Japanese Unagi
- ¥¥¥
- Arashiyama
Order Hitsumabushi served three ways with dashi tea-pour finish
A Michelin-listed unagi specialist on the main Arashiyama lane since 1967, rebuilt 2009. Steamed-then-grilled Kanto-style, with a generations-deep tare.
Izusen Daiji-in
Order Tetsubachi ryori shojin set, served in seven nested bowls
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.
Kyoto Beer Lab Tap Room
Drink House IPA
The on-brewery tap room of Kyoto Beer Lab on the Takase-gawa in Shimogyo. Eight house taps, pizzas from a wood oven, riverside terrace seating in summer.
Where to stay in Kyoto
A sample of Kyoto hotels from our booking partner, who list 2,260 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Khaosan Kyoto Guesthouse
With a stay at Khaosan Kyoto Guesthouse, you'll be centrally located in Kyoto, steps from Kawaramachi and w...
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EN HOTEL Kyoto
With a stay at EN HOTEL Kyoto in Kyoto (Central Kyoto), you'll be steps from Shijo Omiya and 6 minutes by f...
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Kyoto Guesthouse - Hostel
Located in Kyoto (Central Kyoto), Kyoto Guesthouse - Hostel is within a 5-minute drive of Nij Castle and Ka...
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Connect Hotel Kyoto
With a stay at Connect Hotel Kyoto in Kyoto (Central Kyoto), you'll be steps from Shijo Omiya and 5 minutes...
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Kyoto Tower Hotel
With a stay at Kyoto Tower Hotel, you'll be centrally located in Kyoto, steps from Kyoto Tower and within a...
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Kyoto Central Inn
With a stay at Kyoto Central Inn in Kyoto (Central Kyoto), you'll be steps from Kawaramachi and Nishiki Mar...
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HOTEL ANTEROOM KYOTO
Located in Kyoto (Minami), HOTEL ANTEROOM KYOTO is within a 15-minute walk of Kyoto TERRSA and Nintendo Wor...
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Hotel Gimmond Kyoto
With a stay at Hotel Gimmond Kyoto, you'll be centrally located in Kyoto, a 7-minute walk from Nishiki Mark...
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Tavinos Kyoto
Located in Kyoto (Central Kyoto), Tavinos Kyoto is within a 15-minute walk of Kawaramachi and Pontocho. Sel...
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THE MILLENNIALS KYOTO
A stay at THE MILLENNIALS KYOTO places you in the heart of Kyoto, steps from Kiyamachi Street and Pontocho....
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Rest inn Kyoto
A stay at Rest inn Kyoto places you in the heart of Kyoto, within a 15-minute walk of Shijo Omiya and Nishi...
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kyoto kamanza hotel
A stay at kyoto kamanza hotel places you in the heart of Kyoto, within a 10-minute walk of Kyoto Internatio...
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Also compare: Zen Hotels in Kyoto from USD 104/night · Booking.com in Kyoto · LateRooms in Kyoto
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Sake Bar Yoramu
Yoramu in Nakagyo in Kyoto is Yoram Ofer's eight-seat aged-sake counter, koshu flights from across Japan, small Israeli-Japanese plates, a hidden alley find.
Nanzenji Junsei
Order Yudofu Gozen course with simmered Kyoto vegetables and tempura
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.
Kane-yo
Order Unaju lacquer-box rice and grilled eel with sansho
Charcoal-grilled freshwater eel on Kyogoku Shotengai since the Taisho era. Lacquered chests, tatami rooms upstairs, the smoke spilling onto Sanjo.
Pontocho Izumoya
- ★ 4.3
- Japanese Unagi
- ¥¥¥
- Pontocho
Order Unaju with white-grilled shirayaki appetiser
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 ¥¥¥.
Kyo Yakiniku Hiro Sanjo
Order Premium wagyu sirloin and tongue salt for two
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.
Bee's Knees Kyoto
Drink Cocktails with local spirits
A Prohibition-styled speakeasy bar in Nakagyo Kyoto, hidden behind a yellow 'Book Store' door. Cocktails built on local spirits and organic ingredients.
Bungalow Bar
Drink Japanese craft beer tap
A 10-tap craft-beer bar in a Shijo-Horikawa machiya in Kyoto. Japanese taps only, a French and European bistro plate menu, open from afternoon through late.
Robin Pontocho
- ★ 4.2
- Japanese Kappo
- ¥¥¥
- Pontocho
Order Premium kaiseki with seasonal seafood and wagyu
A modern kappo on Pontocho serving 10-course kaiseki anchored by Maizuru seafood and Tamba wagyu. Counter seats face the river through sliding shoji.
Before9
Drink Local-craft tap flight with artisanal sake
A two-story bar in a Karasuma-Oike machiya in Kyoto serving craft beer and artisanal sake side by side. A small Japanese-spirit cocktail menu on tap rotation.
Ritz-Carlton Bar
Drink Kyoto Sour
The bar at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto on the Kamogawa, glass-walled toward the river. Kyoto Sour cocktail uses local plum wine; bar bento at evening service.
Stilllife at Ace Hotel Kyoto
Drink Yuzu Negroni
Ace Hotel Kyoto's lobby bar inside the Shin-Puh-Kan complex. Yuzu Negroni and Japanese-spirit cocktails plus a small Japanese-wine list, open to non-guests.
Nothing matches.