Asian cuisine restaurants Kyoto

With its bay window and terrace in summer, Kawa Café is a perfect place for a gourmet break with a view on the Kamo River. This café-brewery was founded by a Frenchman with a passion for Japan and offers pastries and dishes both Japanese and European, at any time of the day, from brunch to dinner. Steak-frites or local mussels, snails and Nicoise salad are on the menu. It also has a nice selection of wines and sakes. Upstairs, there is a collection of old photographs of the city and its inhabitants.

Close to the Kinkaku-ji, this pretty restaurant inside a machiya serves simple dishes: buckwheat soba noodles with vegetables or herring, fried fish and vegetable fritters and, for more copious and festive menus, excellent pot-au-feu. This simplicity does not prevent a great quality of products, even if, it must be admitted, it is the setting that makes all the charm of the place: tables on tatamis (ozashiki), Japanese garden... Gontaro exudes all the cosy and warm charm of the Kyoto houses.

A hotel and restaurant opened in 1952, it serves excellent tempura, fish fritters and fried vegetables in a serene setting around a Japanese garden said to have been designed by the famous Enshū Kobori in the 17th century. The residence of Chinese poetry scholar Ema Tenko in the 19th century, it was a meeting place for intellectuals. The rooms have different atmospheres and you can eat at a table in a tatami room, or, cheaper, at the counter.

A very well located sushi place, literally a stone's throw from the Sanjo Meitengai (Kyoto's shopping district), right in the center of town. The fish is very cheap and the menu offers a wide variety of sushi and other small dishes, including seasonal specialties. Prices are really reasonable. If the first floor is crowded, don't panic, the establishment includes a second floor with tables. This is a very good address for small budgets and groups of four. The address is popular with visitors.

This restaurant and ryokan is a real institution in Kyoto. Full of history, the building built in 1833 is still in its original state and overlooks the river with grace. The interior, if it lacks a little freshness, is comfortable and warm. We dine in separate rooms with a small veranda overlooking the river. You can enjoy the cuisine of Chef Nobuyuki Tanaka, who is inspired by local and tasty recipes. The meals are based on a multitude of small dishes in a kaiseki style.

The term shiruko means a soup cooked to perfection with all its heart. This is also what the dishes served in this restaurant, which opened in 1932, evoke. White or red miso soups, a wide variety of deliciously cooked and presented vegetable and fish tofus are on the menu, but it is the "bento rikyu" that is extremely popular. Seasoned rice is served with an assortment of five dishes that vary according to the seasons. Try wood-fired grilled eel, junsai, an aquatic plant or egg tofu.

Apart from the shrine, Fushimi Inari area is known for its many sake distilleries, where one can taste good local spirits. Kanoco is one of those places where one can sip sake with a good meal. The buckwheat noodles, a specialty of the house, are served in homemade broths that guarantee their exceptional taste. In addition to the classic noodles, cha-soba, buckwheat noodles flavored with matcha green tea from Uji, near Kyoto, is also on the menu. The address is really worth to be noticed.

Well located, the place offers udon, and only udon. The noodles are fresh and homemade, just like the products used. This results in delicious noodles with typical ingredients from the Kyoto area such as yuba (tofu skin). The different sets are served with quite unusual assortments for a price that defies all competition. We particularly recommend the "Arashiyama udon" set, for an efficient, hearty and quick meal. Beware of the waiting time on busy days.

In a carefully renewed machiya, this restaurant offers traditional Japanese breakfasts and lunches revisited. Beyond the delicious selection of seasonal fish and vegetables, you can discover the philosophy of traditional Japanese cuisine through meetings with local suppliers, cooking classes or knife handling. Governed by the principles of mottainai (zero waste), shoku-iku (education through food) and hospitality, it is a perfect place to discover Japanese cuisine in depth.

Just a stone's throw from the temple Sanjūsangen-dō, here's a good neighborhood address to eat chasyu ramen. Here, the slices of pork, of incomparable finesse, literally melt in the mouth. The portions are very nourishing and the broth is rich and tasty. The menu also offers other small dishes (rice, fried chicken, pork slices, etc.) to accompany the ramen. The restaurant opened its doors at the beginning of 2019 and the team is young and extremely friendly! The opportunity to eat a comforting dish at a ridiculously low price.

In an alley perpendicular to the canal, in the district of Gion, a small lantern indicates the way to this discreet restaurant, nestled on the second floor of a machiya. Here you will discover dishes of unparalleled refinement despite their apparent simplicity. In a soft light and against a backdrop of bossa nova, a kind of serenity emanates here, in a space that is both calm and convivial, allowing you to fully appreciate the delicious cuisine. In particular, we recommend the very original chicken-lemon ramen, which is incredibly fresh!

Close to Kinkakuji, this restaurant overlooks a pretty Japanese garden. Meals are also traditional. The house serves copious bentō elegantly presented, based on croquettes, fried fish and marinated vegetables, but also more elaborate menus that are thought according to seasonal ingredients. A typical cuisine, therefore, in a place with a very simple atmosphere. Spacious, the restaurant easily welcomes groups and families for special occasions. In these cases, reservation is recommended

In this friendly izakaya, you will live an authentic culinary experience in a neat but no-frills setting. As is customary, seats at the counter, at tables or on tatami mats are available. On the menu, seasonal vegetables, prepared before your eyes, fresh sushi, delicious Japanese beef, salmon and many other surprises. Everything is perfectly cooked and seasoned. We love the cuisine as much as the sober and classic décor that gives the food its rightful place at the heart of the service

Opposite Kitano Tenmangu, this store with a wooden facade may look unnoticeable from the outside. Yet it offers a dish that is delicious in its simplicity: boiled tofu, served with seaweed and sauce. Of course, the menu doesn't just include tōfu. Inspired by the vegetarian cuisine of the monks, a host of small dishes, pickled or fried vegetables accompany the freshly prepared soy cheese. It's a cheap, healthy, and convenient way to eat before visiting the shrine. The store also sells small dishes to take away

The restaurant, which was renovated in early 2022, offers an all-you-can-eat buffet with a wide range of dishes that are common in Japanese families but less so in restaurants. It ranges from classics like fried chicken or pork, to namafu, a protein-rich food made from wheat flour, which is less commonly found. The dishes are prepared by the chefs of the well known ryokan "Arashiyama bentei" and are delicious, yet affordable. It is worth joining the queue that often forms at the entrance.

Close to the Ryōan-ji, this small restaurant run by a family has been serving the famous okonomiyaki for 26 years. These are patties that mix different ingredients and are cooked on a hot plate. The atmosphere is friendly like when we share a raclette. The patties are delicious, as well as the other dishes on the menu: yakisoba (pasta that is fried on the griddle with a sauce) or omuraisu, rice omelette. Note however that the place is small and cannot accommodate large groups.

This restaurant serves kaiseki cuisine as well as shabu-shabu, the Japanese stew, with fish or meat. You can order several small individual dishes or one of the formulas with several assortments. They are very complete and very nicely arranged! We strongly advise you to take a seasonal menu. The establishment combines an impeccable service with waitresses in kimonos, and a new and modern setting. Large tables allow to come in group. Overall, an excellent value for money.

This small restaurant can be reached after climbing the Thousand Torii Climb of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Once up there, we sit on the ground on the tatami and we can enjoy a nice view of the hill. The cooking is very simple, but after the climb, it is all the more tasty, comforting and cheap. On the menu are bowls of noodles, bowls of chicken rice, doughnuts and ice cream. A really nice place to get your strength back and take a break before going back down the mountain

Facing the Togetsukyo and Katsura River, this restaurant allows you to enjoy the view of the water and the point. Given its location, one might think it's a tourist attraction, but it's not. The buckwheat (soba) noodles are fresh and soft, the assortment is varied and exquisite for a very reasonable price. A menu of tasty buckwheat-based desserts is also available. The whole thing has something romantic about it and calls for contemplative melancholy. The place is appreciated, and reservation is recommended.

A real institution, regularly presented on Japanese TV for its specialty: the yam of Japan. A cuisine based on mountain vegetables, yams cooked in several forms and small dishes such as nattō found on the tables of all Japanese homes. You can eat small comforting and delicious dishes, all in a warm setting, with a terrace corner in summer. Try it, but don't forget to make a reservation: a victim of its popularity, the restaurant now requires that you reserve in advance