17 japanese rooms in Karasuma and Kawaramachi, editor-picked by TableJourney. All of Karasuma and Kawaramachi's food · All japanese in Kyoto.
LURRA ★ 4.7
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
A 10-seat modern Japanese counter from chef Jacob Kear (ex-Noma) and Stuart Brioza. Open-fire technique meets Kyoto produce in a 12-course menu.
Tip: Reservations open online on the 1st of each month for two months out.
Tempura Tenyu ★ 4.6
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8071, Japan
A nine-seat tempura counter in central Kyoto run by Tawaraya, the ryokan operating since the early 1700s. Located in Karasuma Kawaramachi. Priced at ¥¥¥¥.
Muromachi Wakuden ★ 4.5
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8106, Japan
The Muromachi outpost of the Wakuden group, set in a Karasuma machiya with open charcoal braziers in the dining room. One star and a classical hand.
Kyo Tominokoji Yoshikawa ★ 4.5
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8093, Japan
A 1952 ryokan and tempura counter in Kyoto set around a sublime Japanese garden, downtown. One Michelin star, garden lunches across all four seasons.
Tempura Yoshikawa Counter ★ 4.4
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8093, Japan
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.
Tip: Lunch counter under 7,000 yen, dinner course 14,000-22,000. Counter seats eight.
Kane-yo ★ 4.3
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8064, Japan
Charcoal-grilled freshwater eel on Kyogoku Shotengai since the Taisho era. Lacquered chests, tatami rooms upstairs, the smoke spilling onto Sanjo.
Tip: Hour-long queues at peak. Walk in 30 minutes before doors open to land a counter seat.
Kyo Yakiniku Hiro Sanjo ★ 4.3
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Japan
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.
Tip: Walk-ins possible at the counter, reservations needed for tables on weekends.
Menami ★ 4.3
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.
Tori-ryori Sumiyaki Akari ★ 4.3
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 ★ 4.3
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.
Katsukura Sanjo Honten ★ 4.2
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8094, Japan
Tonkatsu born in Kyoto and exported nationally. The Sanjo flagship still grinds its own sesame for the dipping sauce; both loin and fillet plates.
Tip: Free rice, miso and cabbage refills with every set; aim for the counter window.
Sumibikushiyaki Torito ★ 4.2
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.
Mamehachi ★ 4.1
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8087, Japan
An obanzai counter five minutes from Hankyu Kawaramachi in Kyoto where the tofu plates outshine the rest. Daily set lunches, no reservations needed.
Tip: Cash only at lunch. Closed irregularly, call ahead in winter.
Kyoto Kushidokoro Azumaya Honten ★ 4.1
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8024, Japan
Yakitori and kushikatsu on a Kiyamachi second floor, the house tare on its 20th year of topping-up. Three dipping sauces, late-night counter trade.
Tip: Open until 02:00 on Saturdays. Counter seats welcome solo diners.
Nomura Kyoto ★ 4.1
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.
Niyasai Onikai ★ 4.1
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.
Kotowari ★ 4.0
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8042, Japan
An obanzai counter near Hankyu Kawaramachi in Kyoto, with a daily-changing five-plate set built on seasonal Kyo-yasai. Cash-friendly weekday lunch.
Tip: Lunch is the easier landing; dinner needs a same-day call.