Location: Kyoto
Top Restaurants in Kyoto
Kyoto Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Kyoto
The shrines and temples of Kyoto offer a rare link between modern life in the city and its very ancient past. The Shimogamo Shrine dates to the 6th century and seems suspended in time, its serenity and spiritual power still palpable. Visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, then see the life-sized Thousand Armed Kannon statues of Sanjūsangen-dō. Enjoy traditional geisha performances, then savor a tranquil meal at a restaurant overlooking the Kamo River.
Things to do in Kyoto
1. Shishin Samurai Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 491 reviews
Shishin -Samurai Restaurant- Enjoy “Samurai food” and great Japanese drinks at a traditional Kyoto house. The meals that were actually loved and eaten by real the Samurais, a Katana (Samurai sword) & Samurai armor, a wonderful Japanese garden, and fluent English speaking staffs will support your one and only experience. Your Samurai story awaits you here at “Shishin”.
Reviewed By Tom S
Came here due to the great reviews and in the surface it seemed to match up:
The welcome was friendly and the decor is as you would expect, the front of house mans patter is engaging.
Food was tasty but was not entirely filling.
Sitting on the floor isn't amazing for taller people (193cm, back and knees weren't entirely happy!)
2. Jiki Miyazawa
Overall Ratings
5 based on 126 reviews
Reviewed By Brian S - London, England, United Kingdom
A single counter for 8 people, there are several price options but then you're in chef's hands and he'll serve you as best he can for that price. You see much of the meal prepared in front of you. There is a prep kitchen at the back for anything more complicated and time consuming.
The food is delicious, sometimes challenging but always worth eating. Chef and his team are meticulous and serve you amazingly well. You will not be disappointed if you are fortunate enough to dine here.
Chef had his photo taken with us after the meal and gave us the menu in japanese on traditional paper which we treasure. Probably our best meal of our 2 week trip.
3. Matsuzakagyu What’s
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 245 reviews
Reviewed By TravelWithCameraHI - Honolulu
We loved this place. It was a bit off the beaten path. Used our map.me app. It wasn’t too far from a subway station...easy to get to. We were both under the weather so we didn’t order much. We shared the $59 sampler which was...MoreHello there, thank you for visiting our restaurant and taking the time to write a review. Our salad dressing is soy based special dressing, glad that you liked them. We are looking forward to serving you again!
4. Yasakadori Enraku
Overall Ratings
5 based on 161 reviews
Reviewed By PeacePet - San Diego, California
Honestly, we wanted the dinner experience and thought the Meiko portion was just a nice add on. Figured it would be a "cheesy" touristy show. Before I go on, just do this! Make a reservation now don't wait. You won't regret it.
Well so much for the touristy show. This was a genuine performance by a real Meiko. She was actually a senior Meiko with plans to becoming a Geiko this coming August! The dancing was great, but what put it over the top is the conversation each table got to have with the Meiko with an interpreter. Very cool! And if that were not enough they had a few Japanese style games which the Meiko participated in. And if that were still not enough the food was awesome, and unlimited drinks to boot. The hosts were wonderful, friendly, engaging and all around great people. Best time and best thing we did while in Kyoto. Don't miss this you will regret it if you do.
5. Teppan Tavern Tenamonya
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 288 reviews
【TAX FREE, NO CHARGE!】 【BUSINESS HOUR 17:00~23:00 from 2017】 【Please call us for booking!】 【GRAB BEER! with JAPANESE TRADITIONAL SOUL FOOD "OKONOMIYAKI"! in the Long-established TEPPANYAKI Restaurant in GION, KYOTO.】 Nice to meet you! Thank you for looking at the information. ★WAGYU BEEF STEAK A5 100g, only \1800!! (LIMITED / Don't miss the BARGAIN PRICE) ★Summer time, our busy time is around 20:00 pm. ★Sometimes we sing some songs with customers when we're not so busy time, past 22:00 pm. The time is when we don't need cooking anymore. See you later! Sincerely yours Hideki & Naoko
Reviewed By gbstackhouse - Washington DC, District of Columbia
We came here based on the prior TripAdvisor ratings. Our expectations were for great food at a great price, and they were met and exceeded. We had the Wagyu beef, the soft shelled crab, the stir fried vegetables and the gyoza. All were terrific. The service was friendly, personable, and all in English.
Highly recommend
6. Teppanyaki Manryu
Overall Ratings
5 based on 81 reviews
Reviewed By Cushtuu7
Wow - what can we say about this gem of a restaurant?!
We came across Teppanyaki Manryu on TripAdvisor and wanted to try it out whilst we were in the Gion neighbourhood - the place is so intimate and local and really easy to find on Google maps.
I think it must have been a Saturday evening we ate here, 2 weeks ago now. It doesn't have many tables and we were fortunate to get seated without a reservation as the waitress split one of the 4 seater tables up to accommodate the 2 of us.
My husband and I shared the butter salmon, garlic rice and vegetarian okonomoyaki. WOW - each dish was so carefully prepared, fresh and just delicious!! We finished every single bite and were already talking about when we could come back next (unfortunately we didn't have time to visit one more time before leaving to Osaka).
The chefs/waitresses are very passionate about their restaurant and the most friendly and polite people.
Please do not miss eating at this restaurant when you are in Kyoto - you will love it!
7. STEAK Otsuka
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 460 reviews
Open 11:00AM Closed 2:30PM Lunch time only.<br>We will ciose when our stock has been finished.<br>Regular holidays Thursdays and Sundays.
Reviewed By Charmie091 - Manila, Philippines
Went here on Dec 26. We easily located this restaurant, having come from Arashiyama Sta. We arrived at around 1020am, wrote our name on the list (we were 5th) then briefly explored the Main Street. Got back by around 11:04AM, and were let in. Dining on tatami mat was a nice experience. Our lunch for 3 adults costed 10,200 yen, not bad considering the great quality of the meat and tofu that we had. We ordered the Murasawa beef (6200 yen), Flat Iron Steak 100g, and the Beef Tendon Set (1300 yen). Both steaks were very good—especially the Murasawa beef. It would be a waste to eat here and not order the murasawa beef (very soft and juicy, you only need chopsticks to slice it; comparable to the beef we have in Kobe). Beef tendon was sweet and had a bit too much fat for our liking, but the tofu from the beef tendon set was AMAZING (fresh, delicate, sweet). When in Arashiyama, steak lovers MUST TRY this place. Great value, memorable steak experience!
8. Restaurant Matsukiya, Kyoto Shijo
Overall Ratings
5 based on 243 reviews
At Matsukiya , we pride ourselves on providing carefully selected high quality beef , Specialising in Omi -beef. Our chefs are highly skills and trained in preparing delicious weals including steak , Sukiyaki and Shabu-shabu in our unique style. With excellent marbles, distinctive aroma and extreme tenderness, Omi Beef is regarded as one of Japan's three best beef varieties. By using special maturing technique at low temperature , Our Offers even more savory and delicious Omi Beef than ever. A restaurant specializing in Omi beef directly run by a long-established house that spread the name of Omi beef nationwide in the early Meiji era. We are persistent in selecting and purchasing optimum Omi beef to extract the best flavor from Omi beef matured in a low temperature. Please have the Omi beef cuisine enriched by the Japanese history and tradition. “Omi beef” is the No. 1 Wagyu beef brand in Japan, boasting of more than 400-year history. Omi beef is a Wagyu beef brand which has the longest history of over 400 years. It is the highest-grade brand beef in Japan. The meat quality is beautiful marbling, which is typical of Omi beef. The meat fat has such a low melting point as it melts even with the human temperature of skin and features a light taste.Omi beef is characterized by its rich flavor and meltingly delicious tastes, earning a high appreciation nationwide.
Reviewed By klphan - San Jose, California
We had a great meal here. I didn’t realize just how much meat we would be consuming. We got one of the set menus. All the starters were beef cooked different ways. The main course was cooked exactly the way we ordered - medium rare. It just melted in my mouth. Garlic rice was on point and had minced beef as well! Enjoyable first dinner in Kyoto!
9. Okonomiyaki Katsu
Overall Ratings
5 based on 283 reviews
This restaurant has Max.12 seats only. It is very very small restaurant. So, big group cannot not be accepted.
Reviewed By Nick2741 - Canberra, Australia
I came here for lunch with my tour guide on a Wednesday afternoon. We both had yakisoba which was delicious. The whole meal including the yakisoba, an omelette entree and a glass of wonderful Hiroshima sake cost less than ¥1,700 which is extraordinarily good value. The owner couple doing the cooking are exceptionally friendly and wonderful hosts. The restaurant is tucked away in a residential neighbourhood north west of the city, so ask your concierge to book it and for directions. This is as authentic a Kyoto eating experience as you can get. Highly recommended.
10. Arash's Kitchen
Overall Ratings
5 based on 870 reviews
Arash' Kitchen is open everyday from Monday to Sunday. Exceptionally the restaurant is closed on some Tuesdays or Wednesdays. We kindly suggest customers to make a reservation or inquire for availability on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Reviewed By HighburyExplorer - North London
.As well as very tasty and deliciously spiced Indian food it was nice to see the Mediterranean influence on the Persian menu like humus and stuffed vine leaves. As vegan/vegetarians we always managed to eat well in Japan, but it was nice to be able...MoreThank you very much for your review. We were indeed very pleased to have you at Arashskitchen. We’re looking forward to see you again soon.
