We had many of our most memorable meals in Kyoto. When trying to figure out what to eat in Kyoto, your options will be plentiful. I clearly didn’t eat everything in this city, so this is by no means an all-inclusive list of the best restaurants in Kyoto. Try as I might, I just couldn’t get to all the great food; that said, we found our favorite food in Kyoto. I touched on some of these restaurants in my last post on the city, but I think a deep dive is deserved…
We really enjoyed the specialty dishes that distinguish Kyoto from the mainstream, like matcha green tea (in its many forms). The city might not be known for its food in the way Osaka and Tokyo are highlighted, but when compared to these other cities, what it lacks in volume, the city makes up for in quality. I was hard pressed to have a bad meal in this city. Moreover, I didn’t use Trip Advisor to find any of these places (I did use Google reviews on a few..). When Trip Advisor says the best restaurant in Kyoto is a pizza place, I engage my own wit and resources…
What to Eat in Kyoto: The Nishiki Market
Let’s start with snacking and then we will get to the bigger meals … A good way to test any cultural food scene is by sampling their local food market. In Kyoto this is the Nishiki Market, before I give you recommendations as to where the best food in the market is located; I will give you a few pro – tips and rules.
As I mentioned in my last post, not everything is appealing in this market. It takes some work to differentiate the bad from the good.
Things to Look For
Tip #1: Look for a Microwave – I had the worst bite of my trip in this market. I ordered a beautiful (or so I thought) piece of fish while strolling, upon collecting my money, the worker popped the fish into the microwave. I should have walked away right then and there. As I bit down, I realized my mistake. I would rather eat a piece of chewed up gum out of a Penn Station urinal than eat that again. If they are using microwaves, then keep walking…
Tip #2 Lines are a good thing – A huge crowd around a stall in the market means high turnover. High turnover helps you avoid seafood that has been baked/ and or refrozen for days at a time, use a line as your guide.
Tip #3 Notice the Placement of the Food (daily) – If someone is hustling to get you to order something at closing time, then the next day the food is laid out exactly the same way, it is trouble. I saw sparrow on a skewer for sale that didn’t move in the week I was there. YUM! I can taste that tape worm now!
Finally, the market gets extremely crowded…add to this, you can’t walk and eat. There are 100 different people trying to offer you food, yet you have to stand in front of their shop whilst eating. Inconvenient, but it is what it is…
Best Spots in the Nishiki Market
Now that I have the rules out of the way, where should you eat? Here is where it gets unfortunate. I can’t remember the names of any of the places in the market. That is not to say I can’t direct you to them, I just couldn’t name them.
A-4 Wagyu Skewers
As promised, I will guide you to the food. The Nishiki Market is for the most part, a long straight path. At the end of this path (or beginning) you will come across a gentleman cooking up skewers of A-4 Wagyu beef (with Sam Cooke playing in the background, depending on the time of day). There is a huge difference between A-4 & A-5 (the best), and yet, these are highly recommended. There is a lot to like about these skewers. First, he is cooking them fresh. Second, they still taste better than most steak places in the US. Finally, they are pretty inexpensive. You can take them inside their small store, maybe order a nice cocktail and enjoy your quality snack while looking at where to eat next…
The Shrimp Guy
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so take a look above. About halfway through the market, you will notice what appears to be a small gathering around one particular vendor. This place is serving up some very tasty shrimp, and it is being replenished quickly. This is another great place to grab a quick bite. The shrimp was a little chewy, but the flavor was good, and the price was right.
Kyoto Sushi: Where to Find (some of the) Best Sushi in Kyoto
When one thinks of what to eat in Kyoto, sushi comes to mind. I didn’t try all the Kyoto sushi in the city, but there are a couple of places I can vouch for… My first recommendation is a place I found on a whim. I just googled best Kyoto Sushi around my hotel (the Villa Sanjo Muromachi); five minutes later on foot I came across the below family owned establishment.
Isami Sushi
We walked in and there wasn’t a soul other than a very old man (possibly a ghost?) and what appeared to be his son. To get an idea of how small this place is, 5 other people walked in and sat down, and the place was 100% full.
The owners really took pride in what they presented, I loved every piece of my plate. Full disclosure, my wife was less than thrilled with her dish, but I chalked that up to a misplaced order.
I will give you the website, but unless you speak Japanese it will probably be useless to you. Go ahead hit the attached link r.goope.jp , you will understand around three words. It is a testament to the authenticity of this family owned establishment. Go to Isami Sushi and enjoy the closest thing you may get to a home cooked sushi experience.
Kappa Sushi Kyoto
Kappa was one of our favorite restaurants in Kyoto. Conveniently located on Pontocho Alley, it is one of those places I wished were closer to my house.
Given that this area is a great way to end the night, it is handy that it is right in the alley. The setting was open and inviting, with a huge sushi bar, (much bigger than that of Isami)
The restaurant also has the added benefit of having an outdoor deck overlooking the Kamo river on Pontocho Alley. I didn’t sit out there, but it looked great. The staff is personable and attentive, and the prices are reasonable (although higher than Isami).
The sushi itself, what can I say, but excellent? Maybe it is just that the sushi in Japan is superior, but I didn’t have a bad bite. It tasted so fresh, that I am sure tuna’s parents didn’t even know that they were missing. Pro Tip: get the tuna belly, here and in all sushi restaurants in Japan…
Best Restaurants in Kyoto for Beef
We went to a number of establishments that served steak in Kyoto, there were two standouts; this does not including the A-4 Wagyu beef place in the market, that is a different animal. Well same animal, different type of restaurant.
If you never had A-5 Wagyu beef in Kyoto before, get on a plane to Japan tonight! OK, maybe that isn’t possible, I still dream of the steak in Japan. People in America say, “I’ve had Wagyu before”…chances are you haven’t (most of it is fake). So to recap, if you are trying to decide on what to eat in Kyoto…think steak!
What’s Matsusaka Beef
Ignore the fact that this is in English…the food here was so good it could make even the most LIBERAL vegan convert. First, you are escorted to a quiet, private room, with your own grill; the service only builds the anticipation for the actual meal…we went to a number of these of steak restaurants while in Japan, but this Kyoto restaurant did it the best..
For some background, Matsusaka beef is one of the “big three” in terms of prime steaks in Japan. All of the meat is Wagyu, the Matasusaka, Ohmi and the well-known Kobe are the best regions for steak. Kobe is the most popular here in the US, because we need something shiny to focus on. In my opinion, all three were equally fantastic.
The meat is not cheap, but the steak literally melts in your mouth. Wagyu beef has so much marbling that it is bursting with flavor. What’s Matsusaka Beef served us my favorite steak dish. It took a long time to eat steak again after this experience. From what I tried, What’s Matsusaka Beef is one of the best Kyoto restaurants.
If you want to try Ohmi beef and are on Pontocho Alley there is a place that I also found to be good. I can’t seem to dig up the name, but it is at the end of the alley not far from Kappa Sushi. The sign reads Ohmi beef so you should run into it.
Recommended for Ramen in Kyoto
Ichiran
We were about to go to Menbaka Fire Ramen, but all the reviews raved about the show and not the food. Really, there is one spot for ramen in Japan that rises above the rest. It always comes back to that quiet cubicle and the creepy music of Ichiran. I think it is one of the best restaurants in Kyoto.
Maybe it is just my 3 am nostalgia or maybe it is how customized this ramen is, I just can’t stop thinking about it. There are Michelin Star ramen places all over Japan, give me Ichiran any day and I am a happy camper
Other Great Places to Eat in Kyoto
Yudofu Sagano
When thinking about what to eat in Kyoto, vegan might not be your first thought. I placed this under the heading of “other,” but it is in fact a tofu restaurant. Tucked away in the Arashiyama neighborhood of Kyoto, you will find what is quietly one of the best restaurants in Kyoto. Call this the anti-What’s Matsusaka Beef, I don’t believe there was a piece of animal on the table.
The atmosphere starts you off right, the place is hard to find, and it feels as if it is in a residential neighborhood. It is quiet, from beginning to end. As you make your way through the garden, you find yourself in a waiting room that looks like a hotel andyou feel the stress melt off of you. You are then escorted to your table, which for us, had no chairs…
Served to you Kaiseki style, where you are given many small courses, the flavors were some of the best I had. The dishes were all light, but plentiful. The tastes of the various Tofu dishes were amazing, Yudofu Sagano is one of those rare experiences, hard to duplicate in Japan. Definitely, one of the best restaurants in Kyoto we visited and a rare treat. Who knew one of the answers to the question as to what to eat in Kyoto would be Tofu
Fiveran
I need to at least mention Fiveran, a small bakery right outside our hotel in Kyoto. Maybe not necessarily one of the best Restaurants in Kyoto, it is still great. The place is definitely more of a hit with locals than tourists and it was my go to spot for a quick breakfast.
Everything was extremely fresh, a lot of times it was a mystery as to what I was actually going to find in the center of my pastry, but that was half the fun. It is always a surprise to find meat at the center of a pastry.
If you are near the Villa Sanjo Hotel and are looking for a quick snack give Fiveran a try. It may not qualify as one of the best restaurants in Kyoto, but it is a great place to grab a snack.
What to Eat in Kyoto: Other Snacks
When deciding what to eat in Kyoto, you made need a snack to kill time between meals.
There are a number of items I recommend getting at every opportunity. The Nishiki Market is a perfect place to try many of these items, but there are also a lot of stalls outside the various Kyoto attractions. Here are some of the things we enjoyed:
Matcha: Green tea is all over Japan, and it is especially good in Kyoto. Try it at the Nishiki Market in one of its many forms. I recommend Matcha ice cream, personally I couldn’t get enough.
Shaved Ice: We found this at the Nijo Castle, but it was plentiful as well. They add various flavors to the the ice, it is delicious. We ordered the Matcha and the Mango, both delicious. It felt like they took forever to eat but are a good way to cool down.
Some more small things to eat in Kyoto..
TAKOYAKI: Octopus balls…get your mind out of the gutter, these are balls of dough stuffed with octopus, green onions etc. They are covered with a sweet sauce. These weren’t my favorite, to be good they needed to be extremely hot. Killing taste buds for an octopus ball is not my cup of tea…
Taiyaki: This I did like, loved actually. These are little fish shaped cookies with red bean paste or sweet potato shoved in it. On my 20-minute walk from my hotel, the Villa Sanjo Muromachto to the Ponotcho Alley there was a stand that sold these until about midnight. I never failed to stop. The paste inside was hot as well, but in more of a melt in your mouth way.
7-Eleven: When all else fails and it is late, make your way to 7-Eleven and raid the place. The egg salad sandwiches (all of the sandwiches, really) are addictive. The ice cream, liquor, we had it all. Don’t be scared because it is a convenience store, they take pride in their food.
When trying to figure out what to eat in Kyoto, the list goes on and on. Dumplings, octopus on a stick (with an egg in it), grilled squid. There is an endless array of snacking options.
Favorite Bar in Kyoto: Bar Atlantis
There is no better way to end a night than overlooking the Kamo river and having a cocktail. The Bar Atlantis, on Pontocho Alley was our favorite spot to do this. It can get crowded and it is a bit more expensive than other places, but it is worth it. The view is amazing, the drinks were great and I enjoyed the snacks. One plus, we were able to catch a glimpse of an elusive Geisha while enjoying a drink. Bar Atlantis is a great place to relax and digest all the food you have eaten.
Conclusion : Best Restaurants in Kyoto
Obviously this isn’t anywhere near a complete list, rather a rough guide as to what to eat in Kyoto. There are plenty of Kyoto restaurants that I missed and while I want to hit them all in this lifetime…it is a big world. Kyoto has some great food, definitely on par with other foodie cities in Japan; the unique cuisine cannot be matcha’d…(blame my editor in the DMs)…
