KIKYO-AN, A KYOTO MACHIYA RYOKAN
KAISEKI
懐石料理
HYOTEI
瓢亭
35 Nanzenji Kusakawacho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-843
075-771-4116
Throughout its 400-year history, Hyotei has proudly preserved its tradition of culinary excellence. Nevertheless, Hyotei has always continued to adapt to change with a forward-looking spirit.
Our signature egg dishes, as well as our kaiseki cuisine, asagayu rice porridge and box lunches address contemporary needs but preserve Hyotei’s legacy and never compromise on our culinary traditions.
We will continue doing what we do best in our own modest way, offering the finest of Kyoto cuisine while remaining true to our traditions and preserving the philosophy of the tea ceremony.
KIKUNOI
菊乃井
459 Shimokawara-cho,
Yasakatoriimae-sagaru, Shimokawara-dori,
Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0825
075-561-0015
A basic principle of Japanese traditional restaurants is to serve dishes.
In Kyoto, we visit such restaurant for the first time in a cradle of grandmother’s arms at the occasion of miyamairi,
which is visiting a shrine to pray for health and happiness of one-month old baby.
Subsequently a series of life events are also the opportunities to visit the restaurants,
such as shichi-go-san, coming of age, marriage, celebrations for kanreki and beiju, and memorial services.
These occasions are all our works of restaurants, which keeps us involved in neighboring inhabitants’ life and closely related to them.
When those who are usually working want to enjoy a little luxurious classic cuisine for special occasions,
they visit these traditional restaurants. This is what Kikunoi is.
It is our pleasure that guests visit us to celebrate these special memories and life events.
This is why we put effort into providing the best service to entertain guests with the most excellent ingredients,
the finest cooking techniques and preparation. Our entire staff engages in welcoming guests with all our heart.
KINMATA
近又
Shijo-agaru, Gokomachi, Nakagyo-ku Kyoto 604-8044
075-221-1039
KINMATA sits quietly amidst the hustle and bustle of Kyoto on the corner of Shijo-dori and Nishiki-koji-dori streets. Though just a step away from the high paced activity of the Kawaramachi and Shinkyogoku districts, the neighborhood preserves the traditional architecture of Kyoto. All the flavor of the ancient capital can still be felt today.
SUSHI
寿司
GION MATSUDAYA
祇園 松田屋
570-123 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0074
075-561-3338
Sushi Gion Matsudaya is a Michelin 1-star Edo-style sushi restaurant located on a corner of the Hanamikoji in Gion. The fish procured are all natural and either from Tsukiji or the Nishiki market in Kyoto. There is no fixed menu, as Matsudaya provides only the best fish of the day. A must-try dish is "caviar sushi." You will be impressed by both its appearance and flavor. Other dishes are also very well elaborated and original.
Seating is provided at a hinoki cypress counter, with only 7 seats.
The combination of high-back seats and low counter table were designed by the owner for the comfort of guests in mind. Here will be absolutely perfect for your important business dining.
KIKYO SUSHI
桔梗寿司
43 Daimonjicho Aburakojidori Marutamachi-Sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0071
075-231-7361
Kikyo Sushi is a restaurant with a long history located just a few minutes from Nijo Castle in Horikawa-Marutamachi. The restaurant is really popular, also because of the sincere hospitality of the master sushi-chef, his wife, and his son and because of the reasonably priced sushi. One family owns a restaurant for three generations.
SUSHI IZUJU
いづ重
292 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0073
075-561-0019
A sushi restaurant with approximately 100 years of history, located opposite Yasaka Shrine. The interior of the restaurant is furnished with wooden walls, tables, and chairs, and adorned with a number of decorations that create a traditional Japanese atmosphere. Its specialty dish is Saba sushi. Saba sushi is a type of sushi that has been well loved in Kyoto since the olden times. It is made by placing mackerel pickled in vinegar on top of vinegar-flavored rice. There are many sushi restaurants that serve saba sushi in Kyoto. From among these, IZUJU's Saba sushi is known to feature delicious mackerel with a high quality flavor.
TEMPURA
てんぷら
TEMPURA ENDO YASAKA
京都祇園 天ぷら八坂圓堂
Yasaka Dori, 566 Komatsucho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0811
075-551-1488
Savor our exquisite Kyoto-style tempura in a most traditional setting in the ancient capital of Japan. Beginning with our specialty “corn tempura”, the ingredients for our delectable tempura feature the choicest seasonal delicacies. Indulge yourself in exquisite Kyoto-style tempura at Tempura Endo Yasaka.
TEMPURA MATSU
21-26 Umezu Onawaba-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto
075-881-9190
Matsu’s regular customers include foodies in Kyoto who have a discerning sense for good food. They used to serve tempura on the menu but the regular customers wanted to try something new and different and the chef started to serve “secret items,” as requested. Today, diners can experience both classical and different tempura in his course style dishes with tempura as the main dish. The finest seasonal ingredients arrive at the restaurant every day from around Japan and the chef considers how he can cook every ingredient in the best way taking into account appearance, aroma and texture.
TEMPURA TENKI
89 Jozenji-cho, Senbon-dori Imadegawa-agaru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8474
075-461-4146
At Tenki, customers can experience a fine Kyoto style kaiseki course with authentic tempura as the main dish – a unique course style they first created in Kyoto in 1933. As a result, Tenki soon became well known for their excellent tempura and for always frying the freshest seasonal items of the day, such as freshly harvested local vegetables directly from farms and seafood from central market or the famous fish ports in Akashi and the San-in areas. Fried in extra-fine rapeseed oil, the steaming hot tempura is both crispy and juicy. The machiya townhouse building is in traditional Sukiya-zukuri style surrounding a central Japanese garden. For dinner, a course starts from 8,000 yen. A la cart items and a reasonably priced course (from 3,000 yen) can be enjoyed both at the counter and table seat without reservation. A bento lunch sets for takeaway can be ordered with reservations (at least two day prior to pickup).
RAMEN
らーめん
KYOTO RAMEN STREET (KYOTO RAMEN KOJI)
京都拉麺小路
Kyoto Station Building (West Zone), 10th Foor, at the south side of the department store
This FOOD theme park is dedicated to ramen noodles, including 9 famous shops from Japan, the locals' favourites from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south and cafe.
HAKATA-NAGAHAMA-RAMEN MIYOSHI
京都 博多長浜ラーメン
115 Ishiyachō, Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, 604-8002
075-211-8814
Ramen Miyoshi offers only a few different options: basic (¥600/$6), menma, preserved spicy bamboo shoots (¥750/$7.50), or spicy kimchi (¥700/$7). Each one is based off of the same pork broth (which you can smell them cooking up the replacement batches, quite an ‘interesting’ aroma, really). For only $6-$7 and for only ¥100/$1 for a refill of noodles (just say kae-dama when you’re out of noodles), this place is both filling and cheap. And with the menma’s super tasty added flavors and their nice variety of condiements, coupled with the shabby interior and no-frills service (quite different from other parts of Kyoto), this was quite a welcome find.
RAMEN TOUHICHI
らぁ麺 とうひち
33-6 Omiya Kitahakonoicho, Kita Ward, Kyoto, 603-8475
075-432-8818
Touhichi is a ramen place a 25-minute walk away from Kyoto subway Karasuma line Kitaoji Station. This ramen place opened in 2015, but the amount of umami in their clear chicken soup soon became an oft-talked topic among the ramen aficionados of Japan, who keep coming back to Touhichi, as they can’t seem to get enough of it.
WAGASHI CAFE
和菓子 カフェ
SARYOU HOUSEN
茶寮 宝泉
25 Shimogamo Nishitakagicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-0861
075-712-1270
Situated in a traditional Japanese house in a quiet residential area near Shimogamo Jinja Shrine, Saryo Hosen is run by an established Japanese sweet shop, Hosendo Main Shop, which is known as a provider of fine Japanese sweets. Every sweet is made from the finest ingredients in Japan, such as Dainagon Azuki red beans from Tamba (northern Kyoto) for zenzai (sweet red bean soup with rice cake) and pure bracken starch for warabi-mochi (jelly-like sweet).
NAKAMURAKEN
中村軒
61 Katsuraasaharacho, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto, 615-8021
075-381-2650
Nakamuraken was established in 1883 in front of the Katsura Imperial Villa. It is a cafe beside Kyoto’s Katsura River that sells wagashi (Japanese sweets), and its lineup of kakigōri flavors is as voluminous as the ices themselves: yuzu, sudachi (a dark green citrus), mango, strawberry and, in keeping with Kyoto mores, matcha-flavored creations also feature heavily. The ice is piled into a glass, and one between two should do.
GION KOISHI GION HONTEN
祇園 祇園小石
286-2 Gionmachikitagawa, Higashiyama, Kyoto 605-0073
075-531-0331
At Gion Koishi, flavored shaved ice (kakigori) with green tea syrup or kokuto, Okinawan brown sugar, the specialty of the house, is eaten until the end of summer. But the creator of these treats saves other treasures for the rest of the year, such as warabimochi, a gelatinous morsel made from warabiko (fern root flour), sprinkled with kinako, powdered roasted soybeans.