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Kyoto

Honke Owariya

This revered old soba restaurant is a good place to try Japan's own noodle dish in atmospheric old Kyoto surroundings. ![machan & densans sobaya](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-9XWppTc/0/0050f97

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Hyotei Restaurant Northern Higashiyama

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. Located in an incre

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Inoda Coffee Honten

I love this old coffee shop in Kyoto mostly because it's not a chain. Well, it is a chain, but it's not one that's morphed over the whole world. It's a good chance to see what Japanese coffee shops we

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Inoichi

Inoichi is a tiny 10-seater ramen joint in downtown Kyoto that's completely worth the wait. ![Classic Shina Soba with extra nori topping.](https://photos.smugmug.com/Inoichi/i-J6TGV3d/0/2c8b356a/L/In

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Ippodo Kyoto

Ippodo is the best place in Kyoto to buy green tea, including both leaf tea and powdered tea (matcha). The store is incredibly atmospheric and samples are available. Kyoto is the home of most of Japa

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Isetan Department Food Floor Kyoto Station

The two food floors below Isetan Department Store are a wonderland of culinary delights. They're the best high-end supermarket in the Kyoto Station Area. The two Isetan Department Food Floors are cla

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Izusen

Looking for a vegan meal in beautiful surroundings? Try a shojin-ryori lunch at Izusen in Daitoku-ji Temple. Their gorgeous and elaborate meals are sure to be a highlight of your visit to Kyoto. ![I

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Jojo Kyoto

A good casual izakaya (Japanese-style dining pub) within walking distance of Kyoto Station, Jojo is one of our favorite restaurants in the Kyoto Station area. This slick modern izakaya is a good plac

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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. Sure, there's a Starbucks in Gion. We a

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Kanei

Kanei makes the best soba in Kyoto and soba otaku (freaks) make the pilgrimage here from all over Japan to sample these sublime noodles. We tend to avoid the word "artisanal" like the plague. To us,

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Kasagiya Southern Higashiyama

The most atmospheric little tea house in Kyoto, we never pass this way without stopping in for a hot cup of matcha tea and a sweet. On your left a few steps after starting down from the top of Sannen

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Katsukura Sanjo Main Shop

Widely known as Katsukura, this restaurant's tonkatsu is a cut above many places: the pork is excellent, and the sauce is homemade. Plus, the Sanjo main shop in downtown Kyoto serves tasty crab croque

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Kerala Restaurant Kyoto

Kerala is one of the best Indian restaurants in Kyoto, and its downtown location make it the perfect place to fuel up while doing some shopping. While it's not much to look at -- little more than a c

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Kikkoya

Eating out in Kyoto doesn't have to be fancy, multi-course affairs all the time. We love obanzai places like Kikkoya in downtown Kyoto, which serve up homestyle cooking that's heavy on the vegetables

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Kikunoi Main Restaurant

World-famous kaiseki restaurant Kikunoi in Southern Higashiyama is THE mecca for gourmands looking for some of the best fine dining in the city. Many people with more than a passing interest in Japan

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Kikunoi Roan

The sister restaurant to Kikunoi in Southern Higashiyama, 2-star Kikunoi Roan in the heart of Gion is a more unorthodox but no less delicious take on classic kaiseki. Happily, it is also the more affo

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Kitcho Arashiyama Honten

For over-the-top spare-no-expense kaiseki, Kitcho Arashiyama is THE place to go in Kyoto. If money is no object, then Kitcho Arashiyama, where a meal can cost ¥40,000 per person, without drinks, is t

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Kiyamachi Sakuragawa

Kiyamachi Sakuragawa is an approachable and superb spot to enter the world of kaiseki cuisine. This small kaiseki restaurant on a picturesque stretch of Kiyamachi-dori is a good place for kaiseki new

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Kobushi Ramen Kyoto

If you need a quick meal when exploring the Umekoji-koen Park area, this excellent ramen restaurant is a great choice. After checking out the [Kyoto Railway Museum](https://japaninme.com/blog/museums

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Kurasu Kyoto

Located just minutes from Kyoto Station, Kurasu Kyoto is a stylish cafe that serves excellent coffee. As a bonus, they're very English-friendly too. Compared to downtown Kyoto, the Kyoto Station area

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Kyoto Cheap Eats

You can eat extremely well in Kyoto on a limited budget. Here are some tips for eating well on the cheap, and a detailed list of my favorite Kyoto cheap eats. It's easy to get the impression that eat

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Kyoto Ramen Koji

Ramen lovers of the world unite! Kyoto Ramen Koji offers has eight regional styles of ramen restaurants under one roof. It's Kyoto Station's ramen Mecca. Starting from the main atrium of Kyoto Statio

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Kyotos Best Vegetarian Restaurants

With strong Buddhist traditions and local specialties like tofu and Kyo-yasai (Kyoto vegetables), Kyoto has some excellent vegetarian restaurants. Here is essential information on vegetarian dining in

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Mishima Tei

For some good sukiyaki, try this reliable old specialist in the Teramachi Shopping Arcade. Right at the corner of Sanjo and Teramachi streets, inside the Sanjo Shopping Arcade, this venerable old suk

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Misoka An Kawamichi Ya

For excellent soba and udon in superb traditional Kyoto surroundings, check out this longstanding Kyoto classic. It's located right downtown. Within easy walking distance of most parts of downtown, K

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Marukyu Koyamaen Nishinotoin Tea Shop Teahouse Motoan

At Teahouse Motoan, you can have your cake and eat it -- along with a cup of green tea. ![A matcha-flavored Swiss roll cake, oozing delicious matcha-flavored whipped cream.](https://photos.smugmug.co

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Mumokuteki Cafe Downtown Kyoto

Mumokuteki Café is one of the best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Kyoto. The food is great and it's right in the middle of downtown. Mumokuteki Café is an approachable and friendly restaurant wi

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Nakayoshi Restaurant Kibune

A friendly and scenic spot to eat in Kurama, Nakayoshi fits the bill for lunch in this scenic village. Like most restaurants in Kibune, Nakayoshi serves their meals on platforms suspended above the c

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Nishiki Warai

There are few foods more fun to eat than okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancakes cooked on a griddle at your table) and Nishiki Warai is a great place to enjoy this treat. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese dis

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No Name Ramen

This ramen shop may be nameless, but it's made a name for itself in Kyoto. ![Ramen makes a seriously delicious and quick dinner.](https://photos.smugmug.com/Kyoto/No-Name-Ramen/i-RRPJGdt/0/b1c5540c/L

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Oagari

Located a hop and skip south of Yasaka Shrine, Oagari in the Gion district might seem touristy, but it's no run-of-the-mill okonomiyaki restaurant. Top-notch cooking at incredibly reasonable prices, a

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Okaru

Okaru is a low-key udon restaurant in Gion popular with local geiko and maiko (geisha). Their famous curry udon bowl makes a perfect cheap n' cheerful meal in between your wanderings in the area. ![R

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