Restaurants in Kyoto
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Uosue
Uosue is one of the best value Japanese places in town. It’s a traditional Kyoto-style restaurant with a clean interior and friendly proprietors. For lunch, try the wonderful nijū bentō for ¥1000. At dinner, the omakase ryōri kōsu is a great way to sample kaiseki ryōri without breaking the bank: it costs just ¥3800. It’s next to a tiny shrine – keep an eye out for the sake barrels out the front.
reviewed
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Manzara Honten
Located in a converted machiya (traditional Japanese town house), Manzara represents a pleasing fusion of traditional and modern Japanese culture. The fare here is creative modern Japanese and the surroundings are decidedly stylish. The omakase (chef’s recommendation) course is good value, with eight dishes for ¥4000, and à la carte dishes are available from ¥500. Last orders are at 11.30pm.
reviewed
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Wabiya Korekidō
This slick restaurant on Gion’s atmospheric Hanami-kōji serves what, for lack of a better term, we will call ‘haute yakitori’. It’s the nicest yakitori we’ve had, and the setting is a lot more elegant than your typical yakitori joint. At dinner, the shunsaiwabiya kōsu (full chicken course; ¥3675) is excellent. At lunch, choose from one of the meals on the picture menu outside. The name of the place is written in English in tiny letters on the black-and-white sign.
reviewed
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Capricciosa
For heaped portions of pasta at rock-bottom prices you won’t do much better than this longtime student favourite. Pasta dishes start at around ¥800 and you can choose from pizzas, salads, and various meat and fish dishes. It will definitely not be the best Italian you’ve ever had, but you’ll probably leave full and happy. It’s near the Sanjō-Kawaramachi crossing; look for the red-brick steps and the green awning. There’s an English menu and an English sign.
reviewed
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Honyaradō
This woodsy place overlooking the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park is an institution. It was something of a gathering spot for Kyoto’s countercultural elite during the hippy days. It has the lived-in feeling of an eccentric friend’s house, with stacks of books and magazines and interesting decorations. The lunch deal (a daily stew set) is good value. Surprisingly, considering the ambience, there aren’t many veggie options. It’s a good place to relax over coffee.
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Cocohana
This place is one of a kind: a Korean café in a converted old Japanese house. Dishes here include bibimbap (a Korean rice dish) and kimchi (Korean pickles). A full range of coffee and tea is also available. It’s a woody, rustic place with both table and tatami seating. There is no English menu but the friendly young staff will help with ordering. This makes a great stop while exploring southeastern Kyoto.
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Aunbo
Aunbo serves elegant, creative Japanese cooking in traditional Gion surroundings. The last time we were here we started with sublime sashimi, moved on to fried yuba pockets and went from there. We recommend asking for the set and leaving the difficult decisions to the master. Aunbo takes reservations in the evening. There is an English menu but no English sign; look for the traditional Japanese façade.
reviewed
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Asuka
With an English menu, and a staff of old Kyoto mama-sans at home with foreign customers, this is a great place for a cheap lunch or dinner while sightseeing in the Higashiyama area. The tempura moriawase (assorted tempura set) is a big pile of tempura for only ¥1000. Look for the red lantern and the pictures of the set meals.
reviewed
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Fujino-Ya
This is one of the easiest places for non-Japanese to enter on Pontochō, a street where many of the other restaurants turn down even unfamiliar Japanese diners. Here you can feast on tempura, okonomiyaki, yaki-soba and kushikatsu in tatami rooms overlooking the Kamo-gawa.
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Yoshikawa
This is the place to go for delectable tempura. It offers table seating, but it's much more interesting to sit and eat around the small counter and observe the chefs at work. It's near Oike-dōri in a fine traditional Japanese-style building. Reservation required for tatami room; counter and table seating unavailable on Sunday.
reviewed
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Bamboo
Bamboo is one of Kyoto’s more approachable izakaya. It’s on Sanjō-dōri, near the mouth of a traditional, old shopping arcade. You can sit at the counter here and order a variety of typical izakaya dishes, watching as the chefs do their thing.
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Omen
This noodle shop is named after the thick, white noodles served in a hot broth with a selection of seven fresh vegetables. Just say 'omen' and you'll be given your choice of hot or cold noodles, a bowl of soup to dip them in and a plate of vegetables (you put these into the soup along with some sesame seeds). It's a great bowl of noodles but don't stop there: the à la carte menu is also fantastic – ranging from excellent tempura to healthy vegetable dishes. It's about five minutes' walk from Ginkaku-ji in a traditional Japanese house with a lantern outside. Note that there's often a line during tourist high season.
reviewed
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Ganko Zushi
Near Sanjō-ōhashi bridge, this is a good place for sushi or just about anything else. There are plenty of sets to choose from, but we recommend ordering sushi à la carte. There's a full English menu, the kitchen is fast and they are used to foreigners. Look for the large display of plastic food models in the window.
reviewed
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Sunny Place
Sunny Place is a fine little organic vegetarian eatery not far from the Hyakumamben intersection (within walking distance of Ginkaku-ji ). It has a long wooden counter at which everyone tends to chat with both their neighbour and the friendly owner. The standard set includes a nonmeat protein dish (such as tempeh), three vegetable sides, rice and miso soup. Sunny Place is a bit tricky to find. Starting from the Hyakumamben crossing, walk west on Imadegawa-dōri to the first set of traffic lights; turn right and walk about 200m (you’ll cross one fairly large street). It will be on the right; there’s usually an English sign out the front.
reviewed
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Santōka
The young chefs at this sleek restaurant dish out some seriously good Hokkaidō-style rāmen. You will be given a choice of three kinds of soup when you order: shio (salt), shōyu or miso – we highly recommend you go for the miso soup. For something totally decadent, try the tokusen toroniku rāmen, which is made from pork cheeks, of which only 200g can be obtained from one animal. The pork will come on a separate plate from the rāmen – just shovel it all into your bowl. The restaurant is located on the east side and ground floor of the new Kyōen restaurant and shopping complex.
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Kanei
A small traditional place not far from Funaoka Onsen, Kanei is the place to go if you’re a soba connoisseur – the noodles are made by hand here and are delicious. The owners don’t speak much English, so here’s what to order: zaru soba (¥850) or kake soba ( soba in a broth; ¥900). Note that handmade soba quickly loses its taste and texture, so we recommend that you eat it quickly. The servings are small and the dishes are only likely to please real soba fans. Kanei is on the corner, a few metres west of Saraca Nishijin.
reviewed
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Anji
This smoky izakaya -style fish specialist is a great place to sample a wide variety of sashimi, cooked fish and standard izakaya dishes. You can sit on the tatami mats in the zashiki (communal room), but you’ll have to have a high tolerance for cigarette smoke. If you don’t smoke, and don’t want to be smoked, we recommend the counter. There is no English menu, so you’ll have to bring a Japanese-speaking friend or point at what your neighbours are eating. Anji is on the 2nd floor, up a flight of steps festooned with signs (in Japanese) advertising the menu; you’ll know the place when you see it.
reviewed
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Musashi Sushi
This is the place to go to try kaiten-zushi (conveyor-belt sushi). Sure, it's not the best sushi in the world, but it's cheap, easy and fun. Look for the mini sushi conveyor belt in the window. It's just outside the entrance to the Sanjō covered arcade.
reviewed
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Prinz
Behind the blank white façade of Prinz, you’ll find a café-restaurant, gallery, bookshop, garden and library – a chic island of coolness in an otherwise bland residential neighbourhood. You can sit at the counter and request music from the CDs that line the walls. The lunch set usually includes a light assortment of Western and Japanese dishes, generally on the healthy side of things. Coffee starts at ¥300. All in all, this is a very interesting stop while you’re in the northeast part of town. Note that last orders are at 11.30pm.
reviewed
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Ayatori
Very close to the Hyakumamben intersection, this place is your classic shokudō. It’s a friendly spot that is popular with local workers, resident foreigners and university students. A variety of standard fish and meat set dishes are served, which average around ¥800. In winter, the kaki furai teishoku (fried oyster set meal; ¥1100) is lovely. Strangely, considering this is a Japanese restaurant, Ayatori also serves a wonderful potato salad. English menus are available. To find this place, look for the big red-and-black sign.
reviewed
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Kagizen Yoshifusa
One of Kyoto's oldest and best-known okashi-ya (sweet shops) sells a variety of traditional sweets and has a peaceful tearoom in back where you can sample cold kuzukiri (transparent arrowroot noodles), served with a kuro-mitsu (sweet black sugar) dipping sauce. It's in a traditional machiya up a flight of stone steps.
reviewed
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Hiranoya
Located next to the Atago Torii (Shintō shrine gate), this thatched-roof restaurant is about as atmospheric as they get. While you can sample full-course kaiseki meals here from ¥15,000 (by telephone reservation in Japanese only), we prefer to soak up the atmosphere over a simple cup of matcha for a relatively modest ¥840 (it comes with a traditional sweet). It’s the perfect way to cool off after a long slog around the temples of Arashiyama and Sagano. Just ask for ‘ o-cha ’ and you’re away.
reviewed
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Yōshūji
Yōshūji serves superb shōjin-ryōri in a delightful old Japanese farmhouse with an irori (open hearth). The house special, a sumptuous selection of vegetarian dishes served in red lacquered bowls, is called kurama-yama shōjin zen (¥2600). Or if you just feel like a quick bite, try the uzu-soba (soba topped with mountain vegetables; ¥1050). You'll find it halfway up the steps leading to the main gate of Kurama-dera; look for the orange lanterns out the front.
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Torito
This is part of the new wave of yakitori restaurants in Kyoto that are updating the old standards in interesting and tasty ways. It’s a crowded spot, with a counter and a few small tables. The food is very good and will likely appeal to non-Japanese palates. Dishes include kamo rōsu (duck roast; ¥1050), negima (long onions and chicken; ¥294 for two sticks) and tsukune (chicken meatballs; ¥482). It’s near the corner of Marutamachi and Kawabata-dōri; you can see inside to the counter.
reviewed
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Mikatzuki
There are several shokudō on the main drag in Arashiyama and this is one of them. The thing that distinguishes this place is its English menu and the fact that it is a little more spacious than the others. Dishes include the typical shokudō noodle and rice classics. The tempura teishoku (¥1600) gives value for money and should power you through a few hours of Arashiyama sightseeing. The sign is in Japanese; it’s black-and-white and one of the Japanese characters looks like a bullseye.
reviewed