Kyoto Japan – Best Places to Eat and Dishes to Try

Kyoto is well known overseas for its temples, its natural beauty, and preserved ancient traditions, however, it is particularly well known for its rich culinary heritage among the Japanese. From the monastery cuisine to imperial gastronomy one can find all the Japanese delicacies in Kyoto and, most importantly, for any budget.

Dishes to try

Kyoto is still very traditional in the way shops and restaurants are displayed. Most shops, as well as restaurants, have neither a window for you to see the room, nor a name translated into English.

You need to trust your instinct, and explore behind the textile doors, with kanji Japanese style names, and discover new places. You will often have to go upstairs to the first floor room, or to a basement level restaurant. Most shops in Kyoto are located in buildings from the ground floor to the third floor. It often gave us an opportunity to share meals with the locals only in not too touristy spots.

Like all cities, Kyoto proudly offers a variety of local dishes to try.

Kyoto is famous in Japan for its eel-based dishes, Unagi, served grilled with soya sauce. Another type of cuisine one can appreciate in Kyoto is the Obanzai Ryori, which consists of many small dishes, such as pickled greens, marinated fish, rice, roots and seaweed.

One more type of classic Kyoto cuisine is “Kaiseki”, it dates back to the imperial times, and is considered to be “aristocratic” and a real art, though it is rather costly for the traveller’s budget. It is served on expensive porcelain and ceramic plates. An amateur or a first time visitor to Japan will not easily appreciate all savours of Kaiseki. All ingredients are seasonal, and menus vary totally from one month to another. We loved walking through the food market of Nishiki early in the morning, when the Kyoto chefs buy the ingredients for their restaurant menus.

A typical menu can vary from JPY9,000 to more than JPY20,000. Some hotels serve a Kaiseki set meal along with a Japanese style room booking.

Kichisen for example, is a 2 Michelin star restaurant in Kyoto serving Kaiseki menus with sashimi, sushi, sea urchins, soups and traditional sweets. Other Kaiseki private rooms or banquet options can be found around Ponto Cho and in the surroundings of Nijo-Jo.

Cheat eats

In Kyoto, cheap street food and food stalls are found in abundance across the city. Whether you explore the food market of Nishiki to try pickled vegetables, bonito flakes, and sake, or go up to the top floor of a department store, you will find a variety of cheap, tasty and easily recognisable dishes.

A favourite of Kyoto locals is the green tea ice cream or green tea sweets offered in wide assortment. Both the green tea ice cream with bean jelly in a humid summer, and the green tea wagashi (cake) in winter will be really appreciated by you thanks to the refreshing taste of green tea. The prices usually start at JPY100 and up to JPY1000 per item. Most sweet shops are found around the Gion area, on the way to Yasaka Shrine and 15 minutes from Hankyu station.

In summer time, a favourite location for Kyoto locals is to meet on the wooden decks, or terraces, built right on the Kamogawa River. There you can enjoy a light breeze in the very humid Kyoto summer, being served with Kaiseki Ryori or eel dish.

One good option to explore this location is to visit Shiki Yoshina, a converted teahouse, which serves seasonal dishes. Opening hours for lunch are till 2pm and dinner from 5pm to 11pm.

Local restaurants

Among the restaurants and eateries to taste local food our favourite spot is, for sure, the narrow lane of Ponto Cho. This is where Kyoto locals gather during the national holidays for a drink with friends or for a date.

We’ve found a wide choice of typical food, such as unagi, edamame, croquettes, tempura, Kaiseki ryori, noodle bars, and much more.

A good izakaya (kind of pub) to start with would be Pontochou “Hosoike”, open most days from 5pm to 10pm, serving small dishes in a counter style convivial atmosphere.
Another friendly choice is the local Japanese seafood Donburi restaurant Ototo Jet, where you do need booking before you show up. Prices start from JPY1,350,

Western & International Food in Kyoto

For those who do not fully enjoy salty sea food based Japanese cuisine, there are always other options to choose from, in particular in Kyoto, as the city hosts many foreign students and expats, as well as foreign tourists.

Many western style hotels, for example, near Kawaramachi Station in central Kyoto, serve lunch in a buffet style with western dishes and a choice of meat or fish, or pasta at a fixed price. Most places like this one also have a window with plastic samples of all food items, so that you could be sure of what you order.

Two of our favourites are the Daimaru shopping centre food mall, or the Porta shopping mall under Kyoto Station.

Cafes and Coffee Houses

Japan is one of the main countries – importers of South American coffee. Coffee houses are everywhere you look in Kyoto, easily recognisable with the Katakana letter Ko-Hee (コーヒ). Many of these are quite old fashioned in their decor, and we often felt transported to another decade, or the 1950s. The Yojiya Coffee, in Sakyo-Ku, Ginkaku-jiten is among our favourite coffee places where you can sample many Green tea cakes, Cappucinos, Latte, and teas. Another long time favourite of all visitors to Kyoto is the Inoda coffee house, near Sannenzaka lane. Coffee can be a bit expensive in Japan in the most famous locations; however, other options are always available, from JPY150.

Bars, Pubs and Other Places

The locals in Kyoto enjoy the nightlife, so there is a wide choice of bars, cocktail bars, sports or karaoke places to choose from. It really depends on your budget and your taste! For a classic wine bar, you can try the newbie KiBar, launched in 2017, with a counter type seating downstairs and a karaoke lounge upstairs. If you prefer an expat atmosphere, the sports bars located in Pontocho and around Kawaramachi station would be perfect for you. The Pig and Whistle Irish pub is among the expat hubs in Kyoto, located in Higashiyama, central Kyoto.

It is important to remember that some bars do have a cover charge which is usually explained on a board outside the gate or in the elevator before you go up to an upstairs bar. Also do keep in mind that some Japanese locals wearing suits, handing you promotions will push you into a venue, with a very high cover charge later on. If you decide to explore these places, it is best to be with a Japanese speaker.

Dining with a View

From Kyoto’s Station Gran Via Hotel, a spectacular panorama opens to the diners. The hotel, which ranks among the top luxurious places to stay at in Kyoto, offers mostly French, as well as Japanese cuisine at the Cotociel restaurant on the 15th Floor, for example. Open both for lunch (from 11.30am to 3.30pm) and dinner (from 5.30 pm to 10.30pm). An average bill is JPY4,500.

In brief, it is easy to get lost in Kyoto following your instincts while exploring totally new flavours and dishes you may never see again. Let go and enjoy! Itadakimasu!!