Eat in Demachiyanagi and Shimogamo, Kyoto

Nanzenji Sando Kikusui ★ 4.4

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.

Signature: Yudofu, Dengaku

Order: Yudofu set with dengaku miso-glazed tofu skewers

Tip: Closes Thursdays. Aim for the 12:30 sitting before the temple-touring crowd lands.

Ramen Kairikiya Honten ★ 4.2

The flagship of Kyoto's Ichijoji ramen street, a stretch with multiple ramen shops competing on a Sakyo-ku block. Light chicken-shoyu, Kujo-negi piled on top.

Signature: Chicken shoyu ramen

Order: Seabura Special Shoyu Ramen

Tip: Cluster ramen-jumping with Tentenyu and Takayasu, all on the same stretch.

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

Akatsuki Coffee ★ 4.4

A husband-and-wife cafe near Ichijoji in north Kyoto, with a no-laptops policy. Weekenders beans on the pour-over and homemade cakes refreshed daily.

Signature drink: Weekenders blend pour-over

Demachi Futaba ★ 4.7

A wagashi shinise on Kawaramachi north of Imadegawa in Kyoto, famed for its mame-mochi: salted black soybeans pressed into sweet azuki paste-filled mochi.

Try: Mame mochi

Ohanabatake Saturday Farmers Market ★ 4.2

Saturday-morning farmers market on the Kamogawa riverbank by Demachiyanagi, Kyoto. 50-grower lineup of Kyoto-vegetable farmers, pickle makers and tofu makers.

Masugata Shotengai Demachiyanagi ★ 4.2

A short Kawaramachi arcade in Demachiyanagi, Kyoto, anchored by Demachi Futaba mochi at the south end. 40 small shops including bento, coffee and grocers.

Haru Cooking Class ★ 4.7

Taro's home cooking class in his Kyoto home near Shimogamo Shrine since 2010. Vegetarian, Kobe-beef or Nishiki-walk variants of obanzai dashi-based teaching.

Demachi Futaba Mame-Mochi ★ 4.5

Salted-bean and azuki mochi for 220 yen at the city's most famous wagashi shinise in Demachiyanagi, Kyoto. Eat fresh on a Kamogawa bench across the road.

Try: Mame mochi sweet

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.

Akatsuki Coffee Brunch ★ 4.4

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.

Order: Pour-over with daily-changing homemade cake