Kyoto Restaurants(327)
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 RESERVATIONSushi Rakumi
Michelin-starred sushi in Kyoto, with a generous range of appetizers and three cuts of premium tuna.
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.
SEAT RESERVATIONOgawa (Nakagyo)
The flavors of tradition are still prominent in the dishes of this Japanese restaurant that is always seeking to evolve.
SEAT RESERVATIONGodan Miyazawa
Learn a thing or two about Japanese history during an innovative omakase course dinner.
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 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.
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.
SEAT RESERVATIONGion Sushi Tadayasu
The best kinds of sushi restaurants are born out of passion — this one has that and more, with sushi dishes to prove its high quality and dedication.
SEAT RESERVATIONMikuri
Perfect for wine lovers, Mikuri adds a western twist to omakase courses by harmoniously combining carefully crafted course dinners with wine.
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 RESERVATIONOmen Ginkakuji
Have a special dining experience here in Omen Ginkakuji, with udon dipped in flavorful dashi broth and a seasonal pick of vegetables.
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 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.
SEAT RESERVATIONGion Nishikawa
Gion elegance in every moment, this kaiseki restaurant holds a well-deserved place in the top-tier of Kyoto’s food scene.
SEAT RESERVATIONMuromachi Wakuden
Witness your meal take shape during each step of the way at this performative kaiseki powerhouse.
COURSE MENUMinokichi Karasuma Shijo
An institution with over 300 years of history behind it, Minokichi’s Karasuma Shijo branch holds the same reputation for luxurious Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine as the original, with decadent dishes like softshell turtle hotpot and grilled Kobe beef.
SEAT RESERVATIONSushizen
A few blocks away from Kyoto’s Nijo Castle, this Bib Gourmand eatery is a lesson in chirashizushi — or “scattered” sushi.
SEAT RESERVATIONTaiho
Father-and-sun duo in this Kyoto locale serves Michelin-approved "Kyoto Chinese” — a fiery twist where family-down recipes meet spice and punchy Sichuan flavors.
SEAT RESERVATIONGion Ichiho
Already getting traction for their picture-perfect, petite sushi rolls served in a bento box, Gion Ichiho presents a new type of sushi that echoes the beauty of its geisha district.
SEAT RESERVATIONMoko
Chef-owner Alexis Moko blends neo-French cuisine with touches of Japanese regional elements in the heart of Kyoto.
SEAT RESERVATIONNijo Minami
After training for 25 years in the kitchen of the famed Gion Kawakami, Chef Minami Kengo swiftly earns his own Michelin star through course menus characterized by customizability and hospitality.
SEAT RESERVATIONKamigamo Akiyama
A visit to Kyoto is never truly complete without a trip to this restaurant, which encapsulates the city’s very essence.
SEAT RESERVATIONA Happy Pancake Kyoto
A Happy Pancake Kyoto (Shiawase no Pancake) is a restaurant where you can have the best fluffy soufflé pancakes with manuka honey and Hokkaido milk cultured butter.
SEAT RESERVATIONSoba Rojina
Recessed from the street by Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, this formidable soba joint has the owner manually grinding the buckwheat in a stone mortar.
SEAT RESERVATIONMaeda
Experience the elegance of royal dining at this 3-star Gion institution.
SEAT RESERVATIONGion Nishi
Gion Nishi offers classic kaiseki dining with a beautiful collection of ceramic dishware.
Recent Reviews from Guests
Frequently Asked QuestionsHow can I reserve restaurants in Kyoto?
Is a reservation required at all Kyoto restaurants?
What is the average cost of a meal at restaurants in Kyoto?
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.