Kyoto is a popular tourist destination where you can fully experience the essence of Japan, from traditional shrines and temples to the sight of geisha walking in kimono. The elegant atmosphere that permeates the city makes it popular with foreign visitors as well.
While delicious cuisine can be found all over Japan, Kyoto is known as a city of fine dining. Having flourished as the capital of Japan for a long time, Kyoto remains one of Japan's representative cities, boasting not only tourist attractions but also numerous restaurants.
Kyoto has a deep-rooted food culture characterized by cooking methods that bring out the umami of ingredients and the spirit of "Omotenashi" (hospitality). One example is "Obanzai," Kyoto's home-style cooking. It reflects a sense of gratitude for nature and life, as well as the Kyoto people's commitment to authenticity.
In this article, we'll introduce some of the best restaurants in Kyoto that symbolize this food culture. We'll also showcase unique and quintessentially Kyoto restaurants for you to consider when visiting.
If you are interested in Kyoto's Foods, check the article below! I summarized how and where you can enjoy Kyoto's Foods as much as possible.
Takashi Nakadomari
Kyoto Ranks 3rd Worldwide in Michelin-Starred Restaurants (2022-2023)
Kyoto boasts many famous establishments listed in the Michelin Guide, led by long-established Japanese restaurants. The number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Kyoto ranks third in the world, following Tokyo (1st) and Paris (2nd).
In Japan, Tokyo's restaurants were first featured in the 2008 edition. The number of Michelin-starred establishments in Tokyo has been the world's highest since then, surpassing even Paris, known for its high culinary standards. This demonstrates that Japan is a "gourmet country" with many Michelin-listed restaurants.
Within Japan, Kyoto stands out as a "gourmet city." Below, we'll introduce restaurants where renowned chefs, both domestic and international, serve dishes that showcase local, seasonal ingredients.
Restaurants Featured in the Michelin Guide Japan 2024
Hyotei
source：Official website
Hyotei Nanzenji originated as a tea house visited by people coming to Nanzenji Temple. It has been awarded 3 Michelin stars for 15 consecutive years from 2010 to 2024 in the Michelin Guide Kyoto/Osaka.
This famous, long-established ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant) offers authentic kaiseki cuisine based on over 400 years of tradition, standing out even among Kyoto's many historic restaurants.
Kaiseki cuisine was originally eaten to satisfy hunger before the tea ceremony (matcha preparation, a Japanese cultural practice). Centered around the basic Japanese meal structure of "ichiju-sansai" (one soup and three side dishes in addition to rice), it offers healthy dishes that preserve the natural flavors of ingredients, served in a specific order.
Besides kaiseki, foreign tourists also enjoy the limited-time "morning porridge" and the famous soft-boiled "Hyotei egg."
In the main building, you can dine in a tea ceremony room. Even for me, as a Japanese person, the opportunity to enter a tea room is rare, making it a truly special experience.
- Address: 35 Nanzenji Kusagawacho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: [Main Building] 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM (L.O. 1:00 PM) / 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM (L.O. 7:00 PM)
[Annex] 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM (L.O. 10:00 AM) / 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM (L.O. 2:30 PM)
- Closed: Wednesdays and some irregular holidays
- Phone: 075-771-4116
- Official Website
- Official Instagram
Kikunoi Honten
source:dressing
At Kikunoi Honten, you can experience top-class hospitality, from attentive service that reflects Japanese tradition to a carefully curated dining atmosphere. Like Hyotei, it has maintained a 3-star Michelin rating for 15 consecutive years.
The restaurant's appeal lies in its ambiance, surrounded by tatami mats and shoji screens symbolic of Japan, lush gardens, and kimono-clad service - ideal for fully enjoying Japanese cuisine. In fact, some people visit not just for the exquisite food but also for the luxurious experience at Kikunoi Honten.
The standard kaiseki menu features seasonal ingredients like bamboo shoots in spring and matsutake mushrooms in autumn, prepared to highlight their natural flavors.
Next to the main restaurant, "Mugeisanbo" offers a casual arrangement of the main restaurant's kaiseki cuisine called Shigure Bento. This affordable menu is styled after a bento (boxed lunch) that can be carried around, familiar in Japan. It's perfect for those who want to try kaiseki but prefer a less formal atmosphere.
- Address: 459 Shimokawara-cho, Yasakatorii-mae, Shimokawara-dori, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: Lunch: Enter between 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM / Dinner: Enter between 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
- Closed: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, New Year's holidays
- Phone: 075-561-0015
- Official Website
Tenjaku
source：pocket concierge
Tenjaku features an impressive counter made from a single piece of cypress wood. The current chef took over the Japanese restaurant run by his grandparents and reopened it in 2021. It received its first Michelin star in the Michelin Guide Kyoto/Osaka 2024.
Unusually for kaiseki cuisine, which typically focuses on simmered and grilled dishes, Tenjaku includes tempura in its menu. The chef personally selects quality vegetables and seafood, frying tempura right in front of guests at the counter. The tofu tempura, popular since his grandparents' time, is a specialty, pairing well with the flavorful dashi sauce and green onions.
You can also enjoy sake, organic wines, and Chinese teas that complement Japanese cuisine and enhance the flavors.
Some of the serving dishes are even handmade by the chef himself, adding an extra layer of attention to detail. This restaurant is highly recommended for its focus on both the food and the presentation.
- Address: 570 Botan Hokocho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: Dinner 6:00 PM - One seating only
- Closed: Wednesdays and some irregular holidays
- Phone: Not disclosed
- Official Instagram
- Reservations
MOKO
source：Tabelog
At MOKO, you can enjoy French cuisine in a spacious, open-ceiling interior of a renovated historic townhouse.
It was newly listed as a one-star restaurant in the Michelin Guide Kyoto/Osaka 2024. The chef, who previously worked at a famous French restaurant in Paris, opened MOKO in May 2023 and achieved a Michelin star in less than a year - an impressive feat.
MOKO is unique in Kyoto, offering authentic French cuisine among the many historic Japanese restaurants.
The contrast between the Japanese-style exterior with its Noren curtain and the stylish French cuisine served inside is surprising. The authentic French dishes enjoyed in this calm atmosphere are exceptional. The colorful presentations featuring vegetables, edible flowers, and original sauces are also appealing. I always take photos of the cute dishes adorned with edible flowers.
While there are Japanese-style rooms due to the traditional house structure, all are equipped with tables and chairs, allowing guests to keep their shoes on - a nice touch.
- Address: 235-2 Tamaue-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: Lunch 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM (L.O. 1:30 PM)
Dinner 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM (L.O. 7:30 PM)
- Closed: Sundays and Mondays (Open for dinner only on Tuesdays)
- Phone: 075-252-1523
- Official Instagram
Mizuno
source：Mishelen
Mizuno is a Japanese restaurant run by a chef who became independent after working at a famous Kyoto Kappo restaurant. It was first listed with one star in the Michelin Guide Kyoto/Osaka 2024. Like MOKO, it achieved a Michelin star in less than a year after opening.
The interior features only counter seats, where guests sit facing the chef across a wooden table and cooking counter. Watching the chef's dynamic cooking right before your eyes feels like enjoying a culinary show.
Of course, the food is exquisite. The chef prepares dishes that maximize the flavors of the ingredients, not bound by traditional cooking methods. For example, while soft-shelled turtle is often served in hot pot dishes, here it's prepared as a simmered dish to better enjoy the turtle's inherent umami.
I love the chef's dedication, like shaving bonito flakes daily before opening for dashi stock. The carefully prepared dishes with rich dashi offer a gentle flavor that permeates your body.
- Address: 245-2 Nakanocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: Monday - Saturday 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
- Closed: 2nd and 4th Mondays, Sundays
- Phone: 075-746-5352
- Official Instagram
If you are interested in Kyoto's Best Dinner, check the article below! I summarized how and where you can enjoy Kyoto's Best Dinner as much as possible.
sena kanda
New and Unique "One-of-a-Kind" Restaurants
Ninja Experience Cafe Kyoto Gion
source：Official website
As the name suggests, Ninja Experience Cafe Kyoto Gion offers a chance to dress up as a ninja and experience ninja activities like throwing shuriken (small throwing blades) and fukiya (blowguns with needle-tipped darts). The staff, trained as ninjas, provide a fun-filled ninja experience.
You can even go outside in your ninja costume for photos. Since there are few places in Japan where you can become a ninja, this is sure to be an unforgettable experience.
The menu features ninja-themed items like shuriken-shaped curry, udon with a ninja design made from nori seaweed, and flaming desserts. They also offer vegetarian, vegan, and halal options, making it accessible for international visitors.
Why not enjoy this unique Kyoto experience?
- Address: 6F Shinsei Building, 398-3 Hashimotocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM (L.O. 7:30 PM)
- Closed: Irregular
- Phone: 070-8913-6073
- Official Website
- Official X
- Official Instagram
Shiden Cafe
source：Tabelog
Located in Umekoji Park, near popular tourist spots like Kyoto Aquarium, Shiden Cafe is a unique cafe set inside a renovated Meiji-era (1868-1912) Kyoto streetcar. The retro train interior, with its original seats and hanging straps, piques curiosity.
The cafe menu features Instagram-worthy cute items. My favorite is the "Katakata Tsuriwapan" (Hanging Ring Bread). You can enjoy the unique sight of edible bread rings hanging among the regular hanging straps. There are various flavors like cinnamon and sesame.
You can also try drinks made with local Kyoto ingredients, such as homemade juice using Kyoto's shiso (perilla) and milk from Miyama farms in Kyoto.
It's within walking distance from Kyoto Station, so please visit while exploring Kyoto.
- Address: Car No. 505, Umekoji Park, 56-3 Kankiji-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Closed: Unknown
- Phone: 075-352-2500
Restaurants Serving Kyoto's Traditional Home Cooking "Obanzai"
What is Obanzai?
Obanzai is Kyoto's traditional home-style cooking, referring to everyday side dishes passed down through generations in each household.
In the past, ordinary people in Kyoto lived modestly, satisfying their hunger by creatively cooking locally available vegetables. This has led to a culture in Kyoto of carefully using seasonal, local ingredients without waste.
Also, when transportation networks were underdeveloped, inland areas had limited access to fresh seafood. This is one reason why Obanzai often uses ingredients like dried radish, tofu, and dried hijiki seaweed, which were preserved to last longer.
To make these seasonal vegetables and dried foods delicious, Obanzai uses minimal seasoning, often just dashi made from bonito flakes and kombu seaweed, to bring out the natural flavors of the ingredients.
Kamigamo Kirin
source：Official Instagram
Kamigamo Kirin offers a buffet-style selection of over 15 types of Obanzai dishes. You can enjoy Kyoto vegetable dishes like eggplant Dengaku (grilled eggplant with miso sauce), Kinpira gobo (burdock root and carrot stir-fry), and grilled early summer vegetables.
The simple cooking methods and seasonings typical of Obanzai enhance the umami of fresh vegetables. The fresh vegetables selected by a vegetable sommelier are so healthy that you needn't worry about overindulging.
Their onigiri (rice balls) made with Kyoto-grown rice and filled with homemade pickled plums and chirimen sansho (dried young sardines with Japanese pepper) are also delicious.
You can serve yourself using colorful small plates, creating a visually appealing and soothing dining experience with the vibrant colors of the vegetables.
- Address: 6-1 Kamigamo Misonokuchi-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto
- Hours:
Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri [2 seatings] 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM / 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM
Sat, Sun, Holidays [3 seatings] 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM / 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM / 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
- Closed: Tuesdays
- Phone: 050-5592-8087
- Official Instagram
Obanzai TATSUNOSUKE
source：Official website
Obanzai TATSUNOSUKE is a creative Japanese izakaya where you can enjoy Obanzai that combines the simplicity of home cooking with the finesse of a professional chef.
For those wanting to try various types of Obanzai affordably, the course meals are recommended. Small dishes of simmered dishes and "Taitan" (simmered dishes) using Kyoto vegetables allow you to taste a variety of Obanzai. There are also courses available for solo diners, making it accessible for solo travelers.
Being an izakaya, they offer a wide range of alcoholic beverages including sake, shochu, cocktails, and homemade umeshu (plum wine).
One of TATSUNOSUKE's attractions is its late-night service. It's often used for late dinners after a full day of sightseeing at shrines and temples, or as a second stop for those wanting to continue drinking.
- Address: 370-1 Kamiyacho, Kawaramachi-dori Shijo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: 5:00 PM - 3:00 AM (L.O. 2:00 AM)
- Closed: Irregular
- Phone: 075-252-5544
- Official Website
If you are interested in Kyoto's Traditional Foods and Sweets, check the article below! I summarized how and where you can enjoy Kyoto's Traditional Foods and Sweets as much as possible.
sena kanda