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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 around ¥4000 , and à la carte dishes are available from ¥500 . Last orders are at .
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Mishima-Tei
This is an inexpensive place to sample sukiyaki. The quality of the meat here is very high - hardly surprising when you consider there is a butcher right downstairs. There is an English menu and a discount for foreign travellers! It's in the intersection of the Sanjō and Teramachi Covered Arcades.
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Misoka-An Kawamichi-Ya
For a taste of some of Kyoto's best soba in traditional surroundings, head to this place, where noodles have been made by hand for 300 years. Try a simple bowl of nishin (fish-topped) soba, or the more elaborate nabe dishes (cooked in a special cast-iron pot). There is a small English sign.
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Morita-Ya
This is Kyoto's most famous beef restaurant. It serves excellent sukiyaki and shabu-shabu in traditional tatami rooms, some overlooking the Kamo-gawa. The meat comes from the restaurant's own farm. Reservations are essential.
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Musashi Sushi
If you've never tried kaiten-zushi , don't miss this place - all the dishes are around a mere ¥130 . It's not the best sushi in the world, but it's a heckuva lot better than most 'sushi trains' outside of Japan. Needless to say, it's easy to eat here: you just grab what you want off the conveyor belt. If you can't find what you want on the belt, there's also an English menu. Musashi is just outside the entrance to the Sanjō Covered Arcade; look for the miniature sushi conveyor belt in the window.
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Nakayoshi
One of the more reasonably priced restaurants in the area, Nakayoshi serves a lunch bentō for ¥3500 . It has some lovely dining platforms over the river and the food is well prepared.
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Okariba
For an experience you won't soon forget, try Okariba, near Hotel Heian no Mori Kyoto. If it crawls, walks or swims, it's probably on the menu. The inoshishi (wild boar) barbecue is a good start. Those who don't eat meat can try the fresh ayu (Japanese trout). Look for the sign of the hunting pig out front.
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Okutan
Just outside the precincts of Nanzen-ji, you'll find Okutan, a restaurant inside the luxurious garden of Chōshō-in. This is a popular place that has specialised in vegetarian temple food for hundreds of years. Try a course of yudōfu together with vegetable side dishes (around ¥3000 ). It can get crowded here in the cherry-blossom and autumn-foliage seasons.
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Ponto-Chō Uan
Ponto-chō Uan (formerly Uzuki) is an elegant kaiseki restaurant with a great platform for riverside dining in the summer. We recommend that you have a Japanese speaker call to reserve and choose your meal. Look for the rabbit on the sign.
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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.
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Seryō-Jaya
Just by the entry gate to Sanzen-in, Seryō-jaya serves wholesome sansai ryōri (mountain-vegetable cooking), fresh river fish and soba noodles topped with grated yam. There is outdoor seating in warmer months. To find this place, look for the food models.
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Shigetsu
To sample shōjin ryōri (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine), try Shigetsu in the precinct of Tenryū-ji. This incredibly healthy fare has been sustaining monks for more than a thousand years in Japan, so it will probably get you through an afternoon of sightseeing, although carnivores may be left craving something. Shigetsu has beautiful garden views.
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Shin-Shin-Tei
This place is famous for its shiro (white) miso rāmen, which has a distinctive thick soup and good chewy noodles. The restaurant scores minimal points for ambience, which is typical for rāmen joints. The claim to fame here is that Keanu Reeves once ate here. Look for the yellow-and-black sign.
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Shizenha Restaurant Obanzai
A little out of the way, but nevertheless good value, this place serves a decent buffet-style lunch and dinner of mostly organic Japanese vegetarian food. It's northwest of the Karasuma-Oike crossing, set back a bit from the street.
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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 front.
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Tagoto Honten
This casual restaurant in the Sanjō Covered Arcade serves a variety of soba and udon dishes. It can get crowded at lunchtime and the service can be rather brusque, but the noodles are very good and the English/picture menu helps with ordering. The tempura teishoku makes a great lunch.
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Tochigiku
Try this lovely riverside restaurant for chicken and beef sukiyaki, wild boar stew and kaiseki sets. There is a small English sign. Last orders are at .
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Tomizushi
For good sushi in lively surroundings, try Tomizushi, where you can rub elbows with your neighbours at a long marble counter and watch as some of the fastest sushi chefs in the land do their thing. Go early or be prepared to wait in a queue. It's near the Shijō-Kawaramachi crossing; look for the lantern and the black-and-white signs.
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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; around ¥1050 ), negima (long onions and chicken; around ¥294 for two sticks) and tsukune (chicken meatballs; around ¥482 ).
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Tōsuirō
We really like this tofu specialist. It's got a great traditional Japanese décor and in summer you can sit on the yuka (dining platform) outside with a view of the Kamo-gawa. You will most probably be amazed by the incredible variety of dishes that can be created with tofu. At lunch, the machiya-zen (tofu set; around ¥2100 ) is highly recommended. At dinner, we suggest the Higashiyama tofu set (around ¥3675 ). Tōsuirō is at the end of an alley on the north side.
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Toyouke-Jaya
Locals line up for the tofu lunch sets at this famous restaurant across from Kitano Tenman-gū. Set meals start at around ¥650 and usually include tofu, rice and miso soup. Problem is, it gets very crowded, especially when a market is on at the shrine. If you can get here when there's no queue, pop in for a healthy meal.
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Tsuruhashi
Kyoto rāmen fans make the trek to this unprepossessing little joint for its unique duck-flavoured soup, a serious rarity in Japan. For lunch, big eaters will enjoy the B set, which includes duck-soup rāmen, rice and karaage (pieces of deep-fried chicken). Look for the yellow awning and the red-and-yellow sign.
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Uontana
This upscale izakaya is a good spot to try a range of sake and elegantly presented Japanese fare (sashimi, fried dishes, salads). The design is sleek modern and more Tokyo than Kyoto. There is an English menu and a tiny lantern with English writing out the front.
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Veggie Table
Right near one of the busiest corners in the Kiyamachi-Sanjō entertainment/dining district, this clean, well-lit new restaurant specialises in 'hot salad' sets (steamed vegetables and a variety of side dishes, including brown rice). It's a healthy addition to a neighbourhood that has, up until now, focused more on rāmen and booze. It has an English sign on the street; otherwise, look for the glass front.
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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; around ¥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.
