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Exquisite Chinese fare is presented French-style at a wooded resort in Kyoto's northwestern quadrant. The chefs focus on the cuisines of four regions—Szechuan, Guangdong, Shanghai, and Beijing—and the meals are served graciously in dining areas decorated with black carved Chinese furnishings. The eclectic offerings include spicy Szechuan-style buckwheat noodles, dim sum shrimp and pork dumplings, minced duck wrapped in lettuce leaves, and Beijing duck. The grounds, a former kimono magnate's estate, are well landscaped for strolling.
Kita Ku, Gentaku Ishi cho 27, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, Japan
Known For
- Eclectic dishes
- Fantastic service
- Beautiful grounds
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The lively café occupies a classroom in a former elementary school the city converted into an arts center. Maeda serves simple fare, an assortment of beverages, and some innovative desserts. With its creaky wooden classroom floors and the artworks of many university students and local artist groups, the arts complex is heavy on atmosphere.
546--2 Kyoto Arts Center, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, Japan
Known For
- Light fare
- Arty vibe
- Housed in former classroom
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$$$ | Uradeyama-cho |
The unpretentious vibe, the sense of adventure, and the superb cuisine—Japanese-based, with European and other Asian influences—have made Manzaratei a local favorite. Depending on the season, the ample menu includes handmade soba, oven-roasted chicken, or spring rolls with citrusy ponzu dressing. Outdoor dining in warm months and counter seating on both floors of the two-story town house facilitate mingling with other patrons; for a more intimate experience, ask for a table upstairs under the eaves. An English menu is available.
317 Nishi-iru, Nakagyo Ku, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 604-8155, Japan
Known For
- Friendly atmosphere
- Innovative cuisine
- Outdoor dining
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Nakagyo-ku |
Five generations of chefs have preserved the delicious sukiyaki recipe prepared since 1873 at this restaurant that was among the nation's first to serve beef. A kimono-clad attendant will serve and assist with the dishes cooked at your table. The beef dishes include sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, and oil yaki. All beef is of the highest quality and price, as shoppers buying from the associated shop nearby can attest. The Lunch Course is good value for such high-end dining.
405 Sakuranomachi, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 604-8035, Japan
Known For
- Vintage vibe
- Excellent beef
- Gracious service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed., Reservations essential
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$$$ | |
A short walk west of Nanzen-ji's middle gate, Junsei specializes in yudofu (simmered tofu) served in the traditional Kyoto kaiseki style. The beautiful Edo-period building sits among wonderful sculpted gardens; entrance is slightly set back from the road, through a small gate with two lanterns hanging on either side.
60 Nanzen-ji, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, Japan
Known For
- Beautiful setting
- Traditional cuisine
- Peaceful atmosphere
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$$ | Sakyo-ku |
Near Nanzen-ji Temple, Kikusui serves elegant kaiseki ryori (traditional cuisine) with an aristocratic flair. Dine on tatami mats at low tables or at table-and-chair seating, all overlooking an elegant Japanese garden. The subtle flavors of the set menus are embellished by the setting, where in spring a canopy of pink-and-white cherry blossoms accents a meal, and in autumn the fiery red-and-orange maples highlight the warm flavors. Kyo-no-aji, smaller versions of kaiseki ryori served for lunch, make it possible for you to savor Kikusui's elegant setting and fine cuisine for less than half the price of dinner. This restaurant seats 200, yet the serene garden view makes it feels cozy and intimate.
31 Fukui-cho, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 606-8435, Japan
Known For
- Beautiful setting
- Classic menu
- Intimate seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$ | Sakyo-ku |
The country-style exterior of this popular noodle shop near the Philosopher's Path echoes the hearty fare served within. Men means noodles; the O is honorific, appropriately so. The ingredients are served separately with a small bowl of fresh sesame seeds for you to sprinkle as liberally as you like. You can dine on stools at the counter, chairs at tables, or tatami mats. Reservations are accepted only on weekdays.
74 Ishi-bashi-cho, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 606-8406, Japan
Known For
- English menu with vegan options
- Variety of noodle dishes
- Rustic interior
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Thurs.
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$$ | Nakagyo-ku |
This branch of the famed soba noodle shop is convenient to the downtown shopping area, just across the river from Gion. It's a perfect place to drop in for a lunch of udon noodle soup with a liberal sprinkling of sesame seeds.
171--1 Kashiwaya-cho, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 606-8044, Japan
Known For
- Great service
- Large selection of noodle dishes
- Casual setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Thurs., Reservations not accepted
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$$$$ | Nakagyo-ku |
An adventurous menu sets this restaurant inside a 150-year-old town house apart from its competition. The chef here goes to the market daily and improvises based on what's fresh. Charcoal-color walls, wooden staircases, and a great view of the Kamo River provide an elegant setting for dishes like sea urchin in wasabi broth, grilled river fish, and the ever-popular kami-nabe, a hot pot made of treated paper and cooked on an open flame at your table: it's mesmerizing and tasty. Deck seating is an option during the summer.
137--4 Wakamatsu-cho, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 604-8011, Japan
Known For
- Stylish presentation
- River views
- Popular hot-pot dish
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$ | Nakagyo-ku |
Nestled along the atmospheric Pontocho Alley, this establishment's black-and-white latticed storefront with a lantern above the door conceals a vegetable lover's paradise. The dining area is raised with sunken seating, allowing customers to view the busy chefs in the open kitchen. For a survey of typical Kyoto dishes, opt for the Obanzai course menu. The cooks here bring out the flavors of local organic vegetables, fish, and meats with a conspicuously restrained hand, creating flavors so light they seem to float in your mouth. Suishin, meaning "drunken heart," is a popular chain with other branches around the city.
181 Zaimoku-cho, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 604-8017, Japan
Known For
- Reasonable prices
- Local produce
- Comfortable setting
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$ | Higashiyama-ku |
Here's a good spot to take a tea-and-sweets break while wandering the stone-laid streets of the Gion district. The house specialty is warabimochi, made from yomogi (steamed and pounded rice and mugwort). The sweet, which has a gelatinlike consistency, is served on a heap of golden kinako, toasted and powdered soybeans. The restaurant also serves ice cream along with other Japanese sweets.
516 Washio-cho, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 605-0072, Japan
Known For
- Traditional sweets
- Unique ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards, Reservations not accepted
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After a long day of sightseeing there is nothing better than a hearty bowl of ramen, and this place is one of the best in Kyoto. Great choice of rich broths (pork, chicken, soy sauce, salt, miso), reasonably priced, plus there's an English menu. Don't forget to order the excellent gyoza dumplings too.
303 Gion-machi Kitagawa, Kyoto-fu, Japan
Known For
- Flavorsome bowls of ramen noodles
- Friendly service
- Authentic and affordable
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$ | Higashiyama-ku |
Inspired by the classic food movie Tampopo (1985), directed by Kyoto-born Juzo Itami, this ramen shop's soups are well made and satisfying. The restaurant, part of a chain from Hokkaido, is well located, even offering a view of a rock garden.
137 Yamato-oji-dori, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 605-0007, Japan
Known For
- Hearty bowls of ramen noodles
- Friendly service
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$$$$ | Nakagyo-ku |
The best in Kyoto-style nouvelle cuisine is served in this intimate spot in the center of town. Dishes depend on the chef's whims as much as on what's in season, but the menu might include buttery, risotto-like rice pilaf topped with delicate sea urchin; duck meat and foie gras in bite-size portions; and hors d'oeuvres such as oyster gratin, crab-and-scallop stew, and wild mushroom tempura. The fruit and vegetable salads are exceptional, and for dessert there's a take-all-you-want dessert tray with tarts, tortes, and pastries. With notice the chef will even grant special-order requests.
362 Nijo, Kawaramachi-dori, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 604-0911, Japan
Known For
- French and Japanese fusion dishes
- Take-all-you-want dessert tray
- Chef grants special requests with notice
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues., Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Kita-ku |
The huge darkened beams and white plastered walls of the former farmhouse this Italian restaurant occupies create a sophisticated rustic atmosphere, known as wabi, the Japanese love. A kimono merchant moved the structure here from Nara a generation ago. The set menu changes with the season and sometimes the month, but from simpler pasta courses to more elaborate meat and fish dishes, the food is always fresh, flavorful, and skillfully presented.
30 Okamoto-cho, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 603-8081, Japan
Known For
- Italian set course
- Farmhouse interior
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon, Reservations essential
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$$ | Sakyo-ku |
Within the Nanzen-ji temple complex is a restaurant designed by Ogawa Jihei 11th, a renowned Showa designer whose predecessor Ogawa Jihei 7th conceived the garden at Heian Jingu. A gnarled red pine stands as the centerpiece of the restaurant's garden. Multicourse kaiseki meals (¥10,000) are available in this beautiful setting. Bento box lunches (¥3,500) and boiled tofu (¥1,800) are served in a tatami room. On the second floor is Ankoan, a Japanese-style café that serves coffee, tea, and alcoholic beverages. Desserts cost ¥800.
81 Nanzenji-Kusakawa-machi, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 606-8435, Japan
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$$$$ | Kita-ku |
Nestled among the backstreets of northwest Kyoto, Tozentei emphasizes to-the-letter traditional Japanese cooking. The meals here, made with only local produce, are old-school enough to please a shogun. A wooden wall with a low gate fronts this intimate hideaway that fits only 12. Lunch is less pricey than dinner.
31--1 Komatsubara Minamimachi, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 605-0088, Japan
Known For
- Vintage atmosphere
- Innovative dishes
- Beautiful tableware
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Higashiyama-ku |
Enjoy fine traditional fare inside this distinctive red and wooden-latticed machiya-style townhouse in the heart of Gion. If you snag one of the counter seats, then the chefs prepare everything right in front of you. Dishes comprise high-quality fresh and seasonal local produce, so that means ingredients such as bamboo shoots in the spring, ayu (a succulent and small freshwater fish) in early summer, and matsutake mushrooms in the fall. The mini-kaiseki lunch costs less than half the price of dinner.
570--122 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 605-0084, Japan
Known For
- Excellent service
- Large selection of à la carte dishes
- Cozy interior
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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$$$$ | Sakyo-ku |
Along one of the centuries-old exit roads from the city into the mountains, this roadside inn is beloved for its multicourse kaiseki ryori dinners, duck hot pots, boar stew, and boxed lunches with mountain potatoes and barley rice. There were seven roads that led out of the city, and wayside inns such as Yamabana Heihachi-Jaya provided travelers with food and respite before the long trek ahead. On the bank of the Takano River, it is one of the more picturesque examples.
8--1 Kawagishi-cho, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 606-8005, Japan
Known For
- River views
- Classic dishes
- Historic setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed., Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Nakagyo-ku |
Adjacent to an inn of the same name, Yoshikawa serves multicourse kaiseki ryori lunches and dinners. The beautifully presented meal includes soup, vegetables, grilled or baked fish, and a light, crisp tempura that is the house specialty. Roasted duck is available for those who don't eat raw fish. Tempura dinners include 13 pieces of fried fish, meat, and vegetables. A special shabu-shabu set is offered to hotel guests, and a visit by a maiko or geiko can be arranged by the hotel staff. The establishment boasts a breathtaking Enshu-style landscaped garden that greatly complements this truly elegant experience.
Tomino-koji, Oike-sagaru, Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, 604-8093, Japan
Known For
- Exquisite servings of tempura
- Steeped in tradition
- Beautiful garden setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations essential
