Japanese in Gion

Senmonten ★ 4.8

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0085, Japan

A Gion counter on Hanamikoji that sells one item: pan-fried gyoza orders, paired with cold Asahi. Wood-finished room, cash only. Priced at ¥.

Tip: Cash only and no reservations. Counter seats are limited, queue forms by 18:30.

Gion Sasaki ★ 4.8

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0811, Japan

Hiroshi Sasaki runs a teacher-and-apprentice kitchen on Komatsu-cho. Counter seats deliver a 12-course kaiseki with a freer hand than the old ryotei.

Gion Nishikawa ★ 4.7

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0825, Japan

Masayoshi Nishikawa earned a star a year after opening at 33 in Kyoto. A quiet sukiya counter on a Yasaka Shrine alley with two stars for over a decade.

Tempura Endo Yasaka ★ 4.5

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0811, Japan

Tempura in a converted teahouse near Yasaka Pagoda, Kyoto, an ochaya from the early 1900s. Sweetcorn tempura opens each course in early summer.

Hassun ★ 4.4

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0074, Japan

Named for the central kaiseki course, Hassun runs a quiet ryotei in Gion, Kyoto, a block south of Hanamikoji. One Michelin star, intimate counter only.

Kyoyamato ★ 4.3

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0826, Japan

A Meiji-era kaiseki house on the Kodaiji grounds, established in Kyoto by the third-generation Yamato proprietor in 1949 and rooted in an 1877 Osaka original.

Issen Yoshoku ★ 4.1

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0073, Japan

A 1925 Gion counter selling one dish only in Kyoto: issen yoshoku, a pancake of batter, green onion, meat scraps and Worcestershire sauce. Kitsch decor.

Tip: Cash only. Counter or take-away for ¥680. Watch the red lanterns at the corner.