What To Eat In Kyoto

Kyoto is famous for its tofu, its sublime kaiseki cuisine and its Buddhist vegetarian fare. It’s also a great place to sample all the main classics of Japanese cuisine.

[Kaiseki, traditional Japanese meal]

Kyoto cuisine is famous throughout Japan for its refined and delicate taste. While in Kyoto, you should definitely sample some of the city’s main specialties:

• Tofu
• Yuba (tofu skim)
• Kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine)
• Shojin ryori (Japanese Buddhist vegetarian cuisine)
• Kyo-wagashi (Kyoto sweets)
• Yudofu (tofu cooked in hot broth)

Of course, Kyoto is also a great place to work your way right through the whole Japanese gastronomy including sushi, tempura, soba, udon, ramen, unagi and okonomiyaki. In this section, I’ll tell you were to try each of these.

If you’re also visiting Tokyo, be sure to check my page on What And Where To Eat In Tokyo to compare with Kyoto’s delicacies below.

Kyoto Specialties and Where to Sample Them

Here’s where to sample each of Kyoto’s specialties:

Kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine)

• Hyotei
  One of Kyoto’s Michelin three-star restaurants, Hyotei is one of the most attractive restaurants in Kyoto. It’s a kaiseki restaurant that makes few concessions to foreign palates

Shojin Ryori (Japanese Buddhist vegetarian cuisine)

• Shigetsu
  Inside the grounds of Tenryu-ji Temple, Shigetsu is a great place to try traditional Japanese Buddhist cuisines, also known as shojin-ryori.

Tofu

• Tosuiro
  If you think you know tofu, you haven’t stepped inside the door of this tofu-lover’s paradise!

Yudofu (tofu cooked in hot broth)

• Yudofu Sagano
  Yodofu Sagano is a great place to try that great Arashiyama Buddhist specialty: yudo (chunks of tofu simmered in broth).

Kyo-wagashi (Kyoto sweets)

• Kagizen Yoshifusa “Kagizen Yoshifusa – Southern Higashiyama”)
  Kagizen Yoshifusa is a traditional sweet shop in the heart of Gion with a serene tea room where you can enjoy traditional sweets with cups of thick matcha tea.

Where To Eat Classic Japanese Dishes In Kyoto

Here’s where to sample classic Japanese dishes:

Sushi

• Den Shichi
  One of the best and most approachable sushi bars in Kyoto, Den Shichi serves mouth-watering sushi in a classic sushi-bar atmosphere.
• Ganko Sushi
  A vast downtown sushi specialist, Ganko Sushi is one of the most approachable and reasonably priced sushi places in Kyoto.

Tempura

• Yoshikawa Tempura
  Yoshikawa Tempura serves Kyoto’s best tempura in a beautiful old wooden building built around a sublime Japanese garden.

Ramen

• Ramen Muraji
  For a surprisingly good bowl of ramen in relaxing surroundings in the heart of Gion, you can’t go wrong with Muraji. But be prepared to wait unless you go off peak.

Soba

• Honke Owariya
  Located in an atmospheric old wooden building, Honke Owariya is arguably the best soba restaurant in all of Kyoto.

Udon

• Omen
  Just down the hill from Ginkaku-ji Temple, Omen is one of our favorite restaurants in Kyoto. They serve some of Kyoto’s best udon noodles

Okonomiyaki

• Nishiki Warai
  The name means “laugh” and it sets the tone for a no-holds-barred good time eating some of Kyoto’s tastiest okonomiyaki.

Unagi (eel)

• Kane-yo
  Kane-yo is one the best places in Kyoto to sample unagi (eel). The place positively oozes “old Kyoto” charm and the unagi is delicious

---