Kyoto Restaurants(621)
COURSE MENUTozentei
The Watanabe family brings fictional kaiseki cuisine to life at their Michelin-starred Kyoto restaurant, located conveniently near the Kinkaku-ji Temple and Arashiyama bamboo grove.
COURSE MENUFunaokayama Shimizu
These Michelin-starred kaiseki course menus feature the best ingredients from Japan, but the rice is the real star. Made with Kyoto groundwater from Daitokuji Temple, it is fluffy, fragrant and cooked to perfection in an earthenware pot.
SEAT RESERVATIONNoguchi Tsunagu
Notorious for being nearly impossible to book, the former two-Michelin-starred Kyotenjin Noguchi has since opened a sister store in Noguchi Tsunagu, offering the same critically-acclaimed cuisine and stellar quality.
COURSE MENUGion Fukushi
Subtraction and simplicity – the husband-wife team behind this pristine Michelin-starred restaurant delivers regionally focused kaiseki in the purest imagination in Kyoto’s storied geisha district.
COURSE MENUSeiwasou
The beautiful Edo period architecture of Seiwasou draws many guests to its gardens, and the traditional Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine keeps them at the table.
COURSE MENUGanko Takasegawa Nijoen
Admire the Keicho-era grounds and intricate architecture of this historic Kyoto residence, before tucking into wagyu sukiyaki or kaiseki with seasonal ingredients.
COURSE MENUNikukappo Futago
This restaurant in The Junei Hotel Kyoto serves high-quality wagyu beef in a dizzying number of different ways, from stewed to grilled to even raw, each one more delicious than the last.
COURSE MENUMinokichi Shijo Kawaramachi
Kaiseki in its birthplace, a meal at one of the oldest establishments to serve it — the 300-year-old Minokichi brand returns to Kyoto, now serving ultra-seasonal kaiseki in Kawaramachi to showcase the city's culinary splendor.
COURSE MENUSushi Gion Matsudaya
Presenting Edo-style sushi, this restaurant is full of classic dishes combined with the chef’s very own intriguing ideas.
SEAT RESERVATIONSushi Rakumi
Michelin-starred sushi in Kyoto, with a generous range of appetizers and three cuts of premium tuna.
COURSE MENUGion Kurashita
At his Gion restaurant, Chef Kurashita Satoru expertly prepares traditional Kyoto kaiseki, displaying mastery over all ingredients, from king crab and wagyu beef to even the humble tofu.
COURSE MENUSumiyaki Unafuji Daimaru Kyoto Bettei
At Unafuji, only the best quality blue eels are used, chosen for their high fat content and creamy livers. These are then cooked over a blue-hot charcoal flame to seal in their natural flavor, then coated generously with Unafuji’s secret sauce.
SEAT RESERVATIONRokujo Kawarain San
Storytelling, tradition, and artistry underpin meals at Rokujo Kawarain San, a top-tier kaiseki venue with reasonable prices and seasonal menus.
COURSE MENUKani Kani Land Kyoto Gion
Originally from Niigata, this restaurant brings the famed snow crab and king crab from off the Sea of Japan's frigid waters to the historic geisha district of Gion in Kyoto.
COURSE MENUOBENKEI Kyoto Gion
This beloved Niigata-based sushi restaurant has found a new home in Kyoto’s iconic Gion district, carrying forward its deep-rooted passion for all things Sado Island to a broader audience.
COURSE MENUSapporo Kani-ya Kyoto Branch
The Kyoto outlet of this venerable Hokkaido crab restaurant chain serves Japan’s finest crabs, including the vaunted hon-tarabagani, or red king crab — the most expensive and finest of Japan’s crabs.
SEAT RESERVATIONGodan Miyazawa
Learn a thing or two about Japanese history during an innovative omakase course dinner.
SEAT RESERVATIONTan
Taking its name from the Tango Peninsula in Kyoto, Tan’s close relationship with local producers upholds their mutual philosophy of sustainability.
SEAT RESERVATIONOgawa (Nakagyo)
The flavors of tradition are still prominent in the dishes of this Japanese restaurant that is always seeking to evolve.
SEAT RESERVATIONNishijin Fujiyoshi
Despite being a bit further out from center city, this Japanese restaurant run by a husband and wife team needs no introduction as they serve dishes inspired by their views of the world.
SEAT RESERVATIONMuromachi Wakuden
Witness your meal take shape during each step of the way at this performative kaiseki powerhouse.
SEAT RESERVATIONTenryuji Temple Shigetsu
Stop by Shigetsu for a unique Buddhist dining experience with nutritious and delicious vegan and vegetarian-friendly dishes.
COURSE MENUGion Katana
Housed in a traditional machiya townhouse in Gion, Gion Katana channels the primitive power of charcoal grilling to guide the flow of its skewer-focused degustation.
COURSE MENUTemarizushi to Nihoncha Souden
A union of sushi and tea. This Kyoto restaurant’s specialty is temarizushi — beautiful sushi balls molded with tradition in mind — paired with its collection of precisely brewed and monthly rotational tea concoctions.
COURSE MENUSumibi Kazuya
Fresh seafood and Kyoto heirloom vegetables grilled over a charcoal flame evoke both tradition and play at this secreted izakaya in Kawaramachi.
COURSE MENUROKU KYOTO TENJIN Chef’s Table
This intimate dining experience led by executive chef Akira Taniguchi features 13 counter seats surrounding an open kitchen, which acts as a stage for the chef’s culinary performance. Taste heirloom Kyoto vegetables, prepared with French techniques.
COURSE MENUGanko Sanjo Honten
While its convenient riverside location, affordable prices and impeccable cuisine draw hundreds of customers a day, many also come to marvel at the traditional Japanese interiors of this Sanjo establishment.
COURSE MENUGanko Kyoto Station
Transport yourself into the past at this Kyoto Station fixture, which has an eye-catching facade straight out of the Edo period. Popular with commuters looking for a quick bite, it’s also known to be excellent for sukiyaki or kaiseki courses.
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Reserve Restaurants in Kyoto
Unprecedented in quality, every Kyoto restaurant incorporates the best of local produce and seasonal offerings into fresh, immersive Japanese food menus. Culinary creativity runs through the city like its waters. In fact, you can dine in the open air over Kyoto’s rivers in summer or lose yourself for a night dining in the converted wooden machiya buildings of downtown Pontocho. Somewhere tucked away in the grid of Kyoto’s backstreets, family-run restaurants greet strangers and regulars alike, offering unique dining experiences. Side street shop fronts steam with ramen broth and specialty tofu dishes. High-caliber kaiseki dining experiences await in Kyoto’s many Michelin-starred restaurants, serving experiential feasts celebrating ingredients of the season. Even Kyoto's most well-known geisha district, Gion, is home to restaurants with some of the best fares in town.
Holding tradition and craftsmanship at the city’s core, restaurants in Kyoto always offer an unforgettable atmosphere and high-quality Japanese cuisine to match, whether that's seasonal produce or beautifully marbled wagyu beef. Marvel at the exquisite textures and stunning aesthetics evident in even the finest culinary details. Kyoto restaurants arrange their food on their plates just so; beautifully and crafted with skill like edible art. Discover some of the best food in Kyoto when exploring this cultural hub, bursting with its own regional food. Feast upon local cuisine known as Kyo-ryori, made from the freshest seasonal produce, or taste vegetarian Buddhist cuisine when you sit down to an authentic shojin ryori meal.
Fine Kyoto cuisine can be found at its beautiful restaurants, and there are wonderful culinary surprises in every bite. Exploring Kyoto’s backstreets and buzzing markets mean that you might stumble upon the city’s best restaurants.
Don’t miss a thing; see more of the city’s best restaurants during a Kyoto food tour, or settle in for a memorable dining experience in Kyoto by booking ahead of time on byFood.