Eating in Kyoto Guide: Kyoto’s cuisine has a long history and I love its unique characteristic of using seasonal ingredients without over flavoring the dish when eating in Kyoto.
This is my final posts on my visit to Kyoto and the topic will focus on food. While walking around Kyoto and taking in the amazing sceneries, we also tried various types of specialty food in Kyoto. From Kobe Steak to Kaiseki Ryori, and to a traditional tofu shop that was founded 375 years ago, eating in Kyoto was just as interesting as the city itself.
After we checked into our hotel (Westin Miyako Hotel) the first night, it was already dinner time and since the children wanted to swim right after dinner we grabbed a bite nearby at Kiraku. Kiraku specializes in Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) and some Teppenyaki (鉄板焼き) style food. Sure I make them at home, but it’s nice having someone else do the prep work and cooking as well. At Kiraku, all the dishes were prepped and cooked at the open kitchen and we got to observe how our meal was created.
They have 2 sizes for Okonomiyaki: one is gigantic and the other is the normal size. Our family share 1 giant one and 1 standard size and that was enough for 2 adults and 2 children. Besides the Okonomiyaki, my son also loves grilled squid (bottom left) so we had that along with their house special omelette Tonpeiyaki (top right). The restaurant was great for a quick bite and our children ate happily and swam after.
Kyoto is famous for Kyo-ryori (京料理), which translates to Kyoto’s Cuisine. The heart and soul of Kyo-ryori is to:
- Bring out the flavor and elements of fresh and seasonal ingredients.
- Use minimal seasoning.
- Present the food beautifully.
- Able to enjoy the food not just with flavor, but through sight, smell, and other senses.
One of Kyoto’s specialty food which incorporate this spirit is Yudofu (湯豆腐), or simply hot tofu. We enjoyed our tofu meal near Kiyomizu-dera at Okutan (総本家ゆどうふ奥丹清水), a tofu restaurant that was founded more than 375 years ago in 1635.
The restaurant and the dining area is set in a beautiful green scenery that changes with the season. Since it’s extremely popular, try making reservation beforehand or arrive around 11 AM to avoid a long wait. Okutan’s tofu is made in the basement of the restaurant fresh every morning to be served that day.
What makes their tofu so special? It’s made using natural ground water from Shiga Prefecture and uses natural coagulant, resulting in milder flavor and smoother texture. Besides using great ingredients, their soybeans are pesticides free. Depending on the course you order, the set meal range from USD$32 to $43. Most courses comes with sesame tofu, grilled tofu with sweet miso, tororo (grated yam, here it’s soup), vegetable tempura, and of course yutofu.
Each dish was very enjoyable, not overly flavored and letting you taste the ingredient as they meant to be. The sweet miso with tofu had the perfect sweetness and does not overpower tofu’s flavor. As for the main course yutofu, the restaurant recommends you to eat a piece first without any condiment to savor its flavor. After that, you can enjoy the rest by putting a little soy sauce on the tofu and garnish with green onion and Shichimi Togarashi. The tofu had amazing texture and flavor, and it was definitely one of the best yutofu I’ve ever had.
After you make your trek around Kiyomizu-dera and other sites around east side of Kyoto, head to Nishiki Market in the afternoon. This wonderful food arcade has been around since the 1600’s and it’s one of the main tourist attractions in Kyoto. The market closes at 5 pm so give yourself a bit of time. The market runs for about 4 blocks spanning about 1300 feet.
Though short in length, there are over 130 stores selling everything from tsukemono (Japanese pickles) to grilled unagi (eels), seafood vendors, Japanese pottery shops, and spice stalls. The shops vary in size from tiny stalls to large store fronts. It was fascinating for us as we stroll through the market checking out the various merchandise each merchant offers. Stop by and sample some flavors of Kyoto, perhaps bring home a souvenir or two to remember your trip to Japan.
As you finish browsing the market, head south 2 blocks and you’ll be on Shijo Dori (四条通). This is the luxury and high end retail street in Kyoto, where you’ll find department stores Daimaru and Takashimaya as well as global brands like Louis Vuitton. Browse around and then head east where you’ll find a small alley called Ponto-chō (先斗町). Don’t let the size of the alley deceive you, this area is one of the main geisha district and has an extensive restaurant selection.
The buildings along the alley tried to retain their history character and you feel as you are again transported to another time. The restaurants on the right side of the alley offer seasonal outdoor patio seating with a view of the Kamogawa River.
While looking the visitor’s map from the hotel, I noticed an ad for Teppanyaki for award winning Kobe beef. I mentioned to Mr. JOC and his eyes just lit up. For the past few trips to Osaka to visit my grandparents and relatives, he wasn’t able to join and missed out on delicious teppanyaki-style steak from my late grandpa’s restaurant New Matsusaka (read the post here).
The teppanyaki restaurant we decided to go was called Itoh Dining Kyoto and it is located in a small alley in Gion (祇園) district. We were seated at the back of the restaurant right next to a river (Shirakawa), and the setting was beautiful.
As we were waiting to be seated, there were autographs from numerous celebrities including Michael Bay and the Transformers cast, Michael Schumacher, and Yankee’s Masahiro Tanaka. Our expectation was raised pretty high, celebrities and award winning beef!
The course meal came with katsuo (bonito) sashimi with ponzu and garlic flakes, cold kabocha soup with crispy Parmesan cheese, fatty tender pork belly with potato and tomato sauce, sea bass with truffle sauce, foie gras with daikon simmered in orange juice, grilled beef, and dessert.
Among the courses, the sea bass was quite exceptional; it was crispy on the outside while the flesh melted in your mouth. The daikon simmer in orange juice paired really well with the foie gras, cutting through the fattiness and soft root texture contrasted well with the crispy bread. The Kobe beef steak lived up to its expectation, full of juice and flavor while slightly crisp on the outside. The only disappointing part was the garlic chips they used as it tasted like they were from a pre-made package.
Finally, the highlight of our meals in Kyoto. While in Arashiyama (嵐山), we made reservation at Nishiki restaurant (京嵐山 錦), which served Kaiseki Ryori. In Kyoto, Kaiseki ryori can range anywhere from USD$50 to USD$300 per person. We selected a restaurant that offered the set course for USD$75 as we wanted our children to experience the meal, but didn’t want to go overboard. After doing a bit of research Nishiki’s pricing was in our range and received good reviews. Once again, the setting of the restaurant is really pretty as it sit on the small island off the Togetsukyo Bridge (渡月橋). We were provided a large private room with a view of the river from the window.
The Kaiseki meal was a 10-course meal, and some of the course contained multiple elements. What do I mean by elements? If you look at the sashimi dish below (top right), it not just sashimi served in a plate. It’s decorated with cucumber and other ingredients which made the course a delight to look, and of course eat. I loved how each dish was exquisitely presented and the best part was that not only are the dishes pretty, everything was edible.
We started with deep fried tofu with Japanese mustard (top left). The tofu was tender and soft and flavor was enhanced by the soy sauce and mustard. The second dish was salmon sashimi with gobo, cucumber, shiso flower, and garlic (top right). It was decorated like a fishing pier in the Japanese countryside and it was absolutely gorgeous. Everything was edible including the shiso flower. We moved on to the miso soup with sesame tofu (middle left). The dashi for the soup was excellent and the soft jello like sesame tofu was flavorful and complimented well with red miso.
Then we had deep fried Kamo eggplant filled with miso flavored meat filling (middle right). Kamo eggplant (賀茂なす) is a highly prized Kyoto vegetable. I saw this vegetable in Tokyo area this past summer, but it’s very rare for stores to carry and it’s also quite expensive. Despite the humble appearance of this dish, the eggplant was juicy and very tasty. The eggplant absorbed the flavor well from the miso and each bite was heavenly for me as I love eggplants. We also had a plate of teriyaki scallops with okra, hamo fish (pike eel) sunomono salad, and hamo fish in spicy miso vinaigrette (bottom left). Then we have Ayu Shioyaki (salt-grilled sweetfish).
As we enjoyed each course, we could see and feel the effort the chef made trying to extract the essence from each dish. Some of the dishe are interactive as well, like food are hidden inside the small wooden basket (bottom left). It represents a basket for fireflies, which we could see at night along the river nearby. It was like a game which made the meal entertaining.
Next the 2-tiered ojubako (traditional lacquer meal box) came where you find many different dishes inside (middle right). In the top tier, a small sushi was hidden under the roof of the boat and there are simmered tiny fish in a tiny pot. Inside the lantern the grilled salt-water eel was hidden. The bottom tier has several kinds of simmered dishes which include hijiki, a type of seaweed, tofu, and chicken. Each dish was meticulously crafted and works together to tell you a story.
When it was the course for rice, I was expecting to eat regular rice, but a soupy dish came (top). It was actually a porridge made with mozuku, a type of edible seaweed. I never had mozuku with rice, so it was definitely an interesting experience.
We finished the meal with 4 different kinds of desserts and our entire family was very satisfied. As you can see from the images below, Kaiseki ryori doesn’t focus on quantity of food, but rather delicate preparation and presentation of the food which bring out the flavors.
I hope you enjoyed my brief culinary journey in Kyoto as well as the flavors I experienced. I get asked by readers quite frequently on where and what to eat when traveling in Japan. I’ll offer some helpful tips on finding recommended restaurants in Japan in a future post. Stay tuned!
- Read Kyoto Japan Guide – East Side (Part 1)
- Read Kyoto Japan Guidde – West Side (Part 2)
- Read more travel posts about Japan, Taiwan, etc.
You love Yatsuhashi (八ツ橋) from Kyoto? Make it at home! Here’s the recipe.
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Beautiful place, beautiful food, beautiful country! I am so impressed with everything-Japan.
I also love Okutan and go there whenever I am in Kyoto. The scenery is gorgeous and I love sitting on the tatami, looking out at the views and having their amazing tofu! I would recommend this restaurant to everyone as a traditional feudal Kyoto experience.
Thank you for introduction me to Nishiki…I will definitely put this on my list for my next visit!
Hi Betsy! So glad to hear you like Okutan too! It was my first time and we enjoyed it very much! Nishiki is pretty reasonable. Not the best kaiseki ryori, but going there with small kids, it was a reasonable price, including the children’s meal (we didn’t book ahead, so they had to order same adult meal). Hope you’ll like it too! 🙂
What a fun post! Love reading about all of these dishes, most of which are new to me. You had such a great time! Enjoyable read, and loved the pictures. Thanks.
Oh Namiko-san, how absolutely beautiful! Well, I guess Kyoto has been one of my very favourite places on earth for many decades and food has played such a large part of it. And whereas noise and business was always part of eating in Tokyo and Osaka, so many of the restaurants in Kyoto blend nature both close and distant into their ambience. Your Kaiseki meal looks absolutely brilliant: makes me want to plan for just another Japanese sojourn rather than my present wishlist destinations 🙂 ! And in very expensive Japan you managed to find exquisite food at, to me, quite reasonable prices . . . thank you!
Hi Eha! I haven’t tried shojin ryori in Kyoto, but I’ve seen some pictures online. Living in the Bay Area, I start to feel things are much cheaper in Japan. We won’t be able to have a course meal like that here in SF area for the same price. This trip made me realized that food and things are much cheaper than when I left Japan (like 20 years ago). I wish that transportation costs are less… that takes up a big chunk of travel cost in Japan. 🙂 Thank you for the comment! xo
Oh, Nami, after reading this post I will love to take a plane now and go to Kyoto. We had such a great time there.
Too many “saudades” from the market, and the river, and the great food.
We will have to go to the old tofu restaurant next time.
Thanks for all the recommendations!
錦マーケット行った,行った。 つまみ食い過ぎて、夕食が進まなかったくらい。 前に豆腐の老舗も行ったことある。
まだまだ行きたいお店が、ぎょうさんありますえ。 参考になりました。 おいしそう!
Let me say, I am soooo jealous!!! The scenery is positively gorgeous and the food looks fantastic!!! I’d love to eat my way thru there!
Hi Stephanie! Thank you for your comment. I hope you will have a chance to visit Kyoto one day! 🙂
Looks all absolutely wonderful. I will travel to Japan next spring for the first time ever.
I am wondering if I am able to order food at these mentioned restaurants without any Japanese
knowledge? Any experience?
Hi Denise! I hope you enjoy your trip to Japan next spring. Hopefully during the cherry blossom season…everywhere is pink! 🙂 In Kyoto, where there are many tourists from around the world, people are expected to use English to help you. It’s very English-friendly (even though English may not be perfect…). 🙂
Fantastic food! A culinary adventure.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a lovely time you must have had in Tokyo. My father lived there for three years when I was a teenager and then my sister, Em, spent a lot of time there working on movies. I haven’t been there myself but have heard so many great things about the city. A 10-course meal! I wonder how you managed to get through it but so pleased there was dessert. Children always want to rush the food to get to the pool! xx
Gosh. This brings back so may amazing memories when I stayed in Kyoto. I recall stumbling across a little garden off the cobbled laneways and being served green tea ice cream by a cute old lady who sat with us and chatted. I wanna go back!
My dad’s time to go to Japan is getting closer, and his excitement is growing with your wonderful posts to lead the way 😀
I just had Japanese last night and now I need it again!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
im not sure when i will be able to make a trip there but these pictures are certainly making me want to go NOW..
Your pictures and your write-up are terrific, Nami. What a great represenation of a slice of Japan. It’s really hard not to just eat every second you’re there, isn’t it! The food looks amazing and that tofu – I’d love to try it so much!! Thanks for posting!
All those bring back good old memories! Kyoto is my number one favorite place in Japan and I always want to go back again and again! I like to walk around arashiyama, sannenzaka and gion area. They are so beautiful in spring or autumn. I got some good quality 線香 at Nishiki market and my boyfriend loves it!
Your food pictures looks absolutely delicious! There is so many dishes that I yet to try. Definitely need to go back soon!
Nice review, love the scumptious photos of your meals in Kyoto…I love the quaint look of this place:)
What an amazing array of food–I’m salivating, Nami!
Wow! This looks delicious – I desperately want to visit Japan, the food looks amazing!
Oh my goodness. You got me gulping at all these amazing dishes. I could eat all that and more! I love learning about the difference in the mindset of different cuisines–like the way the describe Kyoto’s cuisine–that’s pretty interesting about the minimal seasoning and stuff. As you know, Korean food is mostly ALL THE SEASONINGS EVER! 😀 I think that’s what stands out about Japanese culture…everything is minimal, simplistic, and no fuss.
I really want to go to Kyoto and now that I’ve read your post am even more inspired. I will bookmark this for my next trip to Japan. Thanks for generously sharing this wonderful guide to Kyoto, Nami
i’m so jealous of your visits! thank you for writing about your travels and including pics. I would need a whole day to explore that Nishiki market!! I hope to one day get to Japan and explore.
Hi Melissa! Thank you for reading my posts! Nishiki Market was very fun but really wished that we could stay longer… Hope you get to visit Japan one day! 🙂
I loved Kyoto when I visited. Looks like you had some amazing meals!!
What a whole lot of gorgeous food! I’ve never been to Japan but I am big fan of Japanese food. Your post makes we want to plan a trip..definitely in the near future!
すごい!歴史がある都ホテルでとまって、おくたんで食べたり、京都で歩くことは本当に幸せな休みですね。写真で一緒にちょと観光できましてどうもありがとう。
food arcade, mhmmm 🙂
I always wished I could visit Kyoto, it always seemed interesting and after reading your post I feel like beaming over there right now. Is the old market far away from the old town parts?
Nami, I was going to say this post makes together with the previous ones a complete guide for a Kyoto visitor, but there is more to come? I’m impatient to read about restaurants! Everything looks amazing, even the simple grilled octopus which I love… (have I seen foie gras with matsutake slice??? or maybe I dream…). I lov
Everything looks so beautiful, elegant and clean in Japan… I am dying to visit it someday.
I am now dying to visit Japan, the pictures of the food and places are so inviting
I love all of your photos! Everything looks so delicious. I would love to go to Japan someday!
Nami I just love reading your travel posts, not only for the education but the photos that make my mouth water! The Kaiseki meal was like a work of art in food.
Hi Julie! Thank you so much for reading my posts! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed them. Some Kaiseki meals (but cost more…) are so gorgeous, and yeah a work of art! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I thought maybe you could help me. I visited Kyoto this July and when my friend and I walked through Nishiki market we bought some sweet from a vendor.
It was a big ball of anko (bigger than a ping pong ball, smaller than a tennis ball and around it was some kind of matcha coating, thin, light but crispy. Like the outside of a creampuff? It was really delicious but I forgot to take a picture of it and can’t remember the name. But I think there were つ and き in the name, maybe even together. Maybe even a ま somewhere? It was really unique.
Hi Asami,
From your description, it seems like wagashi called Monaka. This name is a kind of wagashi. It has red bean filling and outside is crispy, puffy, thin cream puff-like coating…
Is the name with つ、き、ま the name of brand or the wagashi? I assume it’s the name of brand or the name of sweets the brand named… Without a picture, it’s kind of hard to look for it. I Googled and checked, but nothing with the hiragana came up…
I hope I could help more!
Oops, I forgot to add the link for monaka…
http://www.kyogashi.co.jp/c-1-6.html
Was it like this?
Hi Nami, thanks for the speedy reply! Unfortunately, it wasn’t Monaka. It really was a round shape, like a ball, even the thin coating.
Maybe they invented it haha? I will ask my friend if she had taken a pic of it…
Hi Asami! There are monaka that’s a round shape too, but I guess it’s different. Hope your friend has a picture of it. It’s much easier to track down. So many wagashi stores in Kyoto, and each wagashi store has so many lines of different types of wagashi… 😀
Beautiful post! I enjoy not only reading but the pictures are amazing, and food ohh! Food! I am hungry! Thank you for sharing, Nami!!!
Hooray, another exceptional guide on a lovely city Kyoto and thank you for sharing these beautiful photos, you’ve captured it beautifully and I enjoy being part of your detailed culinary journey in Kyoto! These are incredibly helpful tips! love seeing all the street food you showcased, it’s a perfect way to share delicious food with your family! I love the fact that the tofu is made fresh that day! I know Yutofu isn’t vegetarian-friendly, but I wonder if they are able to make it without bonito or fish-based sauces. I will go on for days at the pottery shops and spice stalls!
Oh Nami, I loved following you along on your trip. Everything looked absolutely beautiful. Definitely making me want to visit Kyoto one day since we didn’t get a chance to the last time we visited Japan. I seriously can’t wait to go and use your posts as a guide, thank you so much for sharing 🙂
You really know how to take us there Nami! I always love your travel blogs! One can really get the feel of the place, grasp the culture and smell the food! Great pcitures and great posts of your trip. Thank you!
hi, i ‘d like to ask how you made a reservation at Nishiki Restaurant Arashiyama since i saw that the website is all in japanese…tq
Hi Indra! Their phone number is 075-881-8888 (11am to 9pm). I’m pretty positive that someone there can speak English to take your reservation as there are many foreign visitors at the restaurant. Their menu changes monthly so you probably want to pick based on the course price.
8 course – 4,800 yen
9 course – 6,300 yen
10 course – 7,500 yen
11 course – 10,000 yen
12 course – 11,500 yen
12 course – 16,000 yen
Nabe (hot pot) course – 16,000 yen
Special tea room meal – 22,000 yen
Hope this helps!
Hey Nami, I had the same question as Indra, so thanks for this info. I’ll be in Kyoto early April, so trying to get all my planning done. A couple up questions on the menu pricing:
1. Are those prices for dinner or lunch? Is there a difference?
2. What’s the difference between the 2 different 12 course options, one being 5000 yen more?
Thanks!
Hi Dave! I hope sakura will be blossoming when you visit Kyoto in early April! I remember I was in Kyoto during the cherry blossom season and it was so pretty! Here are my answers:
1) It doesn’t say, but I think you can order during the lunch time. They have a special lunch menu (it says around 5000 yen).
2) The more expensive 12 course requires a reservation. It should be more delicate/sophisticated meal and include more expensive ingredients.
Hope this helps! Have a wonderful trip to Kyoto!!
That does help, thanks!
Hopefully my visit coincides with the cherry blossoms, but I’m anticipating lots of crowds who are there for the same reason =)
Yeah that is true… Try visiting popular spots on weekdays. Makes a huge difference! 🙂 Have a wonderful trip!
Hello Nami,
That was such a beautiful presentation. Thank you! I’m in the planning stages of our Japan trip in June this year. One thing I’m worried about is that my husband and daughter are vegetarian. Do you think we’ll be able to find such good vegetarian food in Japan? I would really appreciate your input.
Regards,
Vaishali
Hi Vaishali! Thank you so much! I hope you will have a great time in Japan this June! I’ll be in Japan too. 🙂 There is no obvious sign at the restaurant that it’s for vegetarian. However, I’ve heard from vegetarian friends that there are plenty of options. You might want to check some Japan travel blog or forum to see how others find vegetarian restaurants. I wish I know… If you find a good site, please let me know. I’m sure other vegetarians will appreciate the info. 🙂
That Okonomiyaki looks really good! I’ve never had them before. What websites do you use to find places to eat in Japan?
Hi Jo! Hope you get to try Okonomiyaki one day! It’s one of my favorite food. 🙂 I use Japanese magazines and tabelog. 🙂
Just found your blog1 Very good. Thanks. We are a family of four with 2 kids (ages 2 and 4). We are currently travelling around the world with them. We will be in Kyoto starting tomorrow for 5 nights. We LOVE food and would love to find a kaiseki or other high-end restaurant in Kyoto that wouldn’t be completely offended if we brought our kids! Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! thx
Hi,
What did you order at Nishiki restaurant at Arashiyama? My kids are not adventurous with food….. How did you kids find the food there?
Thanks!
¬ MG
Hi Michelle! We ordered a 10-course meal. The kids had a kaiseki meal too. They only accept kids’ kaiseki meals when you call ahead of time. My kids eat pretty much everything (and we ate the one they didn’t want to eat). Sorry, I don’t remember a la carte menu they had…
Hello Nami,
Your post on Okutan made me wanted to visit it since my first visit to Kyoto 2 years ago. But I packed too many things in the itinerary then so had to miss Okutan.
Now that I am a second-time visitor to the beautiful city, I definitely want to visit Okutan. Via the weblink you provided, Okutan address is 京都市東山区清水3丁目340 (only 10 mins walk from Kiyomizu-dera). However when I look up in Google map, this came up: Okutan (Tofu), 86-30 Nanzenji Fukuchicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 606-8435 (which is half an hour walk + bus ride from Kiyomizu-dera). Which one is correct please?
Sorry to trouble you. I know you are busy with your summer holiday preparations… Thanks in advance Nami and thanks for bringing JustOneCookbook to us. We are ever grateful. ^^
Felicia from Singapore
Hi Felicia! There are two locations. 🙂
The location I visited:
https://tabelog.com/en/kyoto/A2601/A260301/26001625/
Another location:
https://tabelog.com/en/kyoto/A2601/A260301/26001834/
Hope you enjoy your trip to Kyoto again! Tofu was so delicious. I need to go back to Kyoto again…. 🙂 Thank you for your kind words and support. I truly appreciate it!
Hello Nami!
Very detailed! Enjoyed reading it as it took me back to my trip to Kyoto last year. Absolutely my top 5 favorite destinations I’ve ever been to – something about the vibe of this city that is so magical. I wanna go back!
Great pics too – makin me crave Japanese food this instant!
Mick
Hi Mick! I apologize for my late response (have been a bit busy…). Thank you for your kind feedback. I am so happy to hear you enjoyed your trip to Kyoto! I still haven’t written about our trip to Kyushu this past summer… so many places in Japan that I want to introduce to my readers. 🙂
I don’t eat raw fish 🙁 would it be worth it for trying Kaiseki Ryori when I’m visiting Kyoto sometime later in the future?
Hi Jos! In the course, sashimi is just ONE of the course meal. You can probably ask them to switch dishes if you can tell them ahead of time. 🙂