@Locavore Eats
KYOTO Local Food Guide | 14 Places to Eat & Drink (With Prices!)
KYOTO Local Food Guide | 14 Places to Eat & Drink (With Prices!)
Explore Kyoto's vibrant food scene with this guide to 14 local eateries and cafes, from flaky croissants and warming soba to rich ramen, unique matcha desserts, and street food finds.
16 places
1Nitta BakeryBakery · Kyoto4.5 (472)Open · until 5 PMNitta Bakery, 158-4 Tamoncho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0844, JapanCreator's voice- Croissant — Incredibly flaky and buttery, a classic done perfectly.
- Chocolate and black currant pastry — Simple but deliciously flavored, a delightful sweet treat.
- Anko butter sandwich — A unique and decadent combination of sweet red bean paste with very generous slices of butter, melting into fluffy yet crisp bread.
- Egg and ham sando — Simple yet comforting, a satisfying savory option.
- Sausage sandwich with zucchini and tomato — A savory sandwich that perfectly cured my craving.
2Echigo SobaSoba noodle shop · Kyoto4.6 (221)Open · until 3 PMEchigo Soba, Jodoji Shimominamidacho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8404, JapanCreator's voice- Green tea and tamagoyaki — They start you off with both a refreshing green tea and a delicate tamagoyaki.
- Cold soba set — This set comes with refreshing dipping sauce for the soba, crispy tempura prawns and veggies, oden, prawn cocktail, and an interesting melon jelly dessert.
- Hot soba lunch special — A lunch special featuring hot soba in a light broth, accompanied by a gorgeous plate filled with tuna sashimi, marinated fish, rice, crispy tempura, oden, and pickles. It's a wholesome and vibrant meal.
3Kyoto Ramen KinzanRamen restaurant · Kyoto4.8 (520)Closed · opens Monday 9 AMKinzan, 99-1 Enokicho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-0931, JapanCreator's voice- Kyoto-style ramen — Made with a shoyu-based broth, simmered for hours with pork meat and bone, infused with fat. It comes topped with tender and smoky chashu, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts. Eating this on a rainy day in Kyoto healed a part of my soul.
- Special ramen with darker soy sauce broth — An elite ramen option with a darker soy sauce broth, featuring even more chashu pork.
- Gyoza — Plump gyoza that were nicely charred and paired well with some vinegar.
4AG COFFEE. 銀閣寺Cafe · Kyoto4.8Closed · opens tomorrow 8 AMJapan, 〒606-8407 Kyoto, Sakyo Ward, Ginkakujimaecho, 15-6 AG COFFEE. 銀閣寺Creator's voice- Double shot iced latte — A cooling and decently strong iced latte, a welcome relief from the outdoors.
- Hoja latte with edible silver leaf — A hypnotic hoja latte topped with edible silver leaf, high quality and visually appealing.
5KéFU STANDCoffee shop · Kyoto4.8 (245)Open · until 6 PMJapan, 〒605-0827 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Yasaka Kamimachi, 370 KéFU STANDCreator's voice- Yuzu espresso tonic — A sweet and citrusy drink with a good balance of bitterness and sweetness.
- Coffee cherry soda — This drink perfectly balances sweet cherry and bitter coffee flavors, with some fizz to make it more exciting.
6Vermillion - espresso bar & info.Coffee stand · Kyoto4.6 (925)Open · until 2 PMVermillion - espresso bar & info., 85 Fukakusa Inarionmaecho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-0881, JapanCreator's voice- Flat white — A flat white that would make even a Wellingtonian Barista proud.
- Matcha latte — A delicious matcha latte, a must-try when in Kyoto. They use New Zealand designed Acme cups.
7here Kyoto KiyomizuCoffee shop · Kyoto4.4Closed · opens tomorrow 8:30 AMhere Kyoto Kiyomizu, 栄山堂 2 Chome-226 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0862, JapanCreator's voice- Smooth and sweet matcha lattes (hot and iced) — Smooth and sweet matcha lattes, available both hot and iced, perfect for staying on theme in Kyoto, the city for matcha.
- Croissant — A simple croissant that was surprisingly buttery and flaky, making for the perfect dippy dip moment with the matcha.
- Gluten-free omelette with candied pecans and matcha cream — A quite interesting and delicious gluten-free omelette topped with candied pecans and filled with a smooth matcha cream. You can never really get enough matcha in Kyoto!
8GekkabijinJapanese confectionery shop · Kyoto4.2 (255)Open · until 6:30 PMGekkabijin Mitarashi Dango, 351-14 Masuyacho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0826, JapanCreator's voice- Chiki Mitashi Dango — Glutinous rice balls coated with a sweet soy glaze, making for a fantastic snack while roaming the streets.
9Nishiki MarketMarket · Kyoto4.3 (53,488)Open nowNishiki Market, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8055, JapanCreator's voice- 100 yen sake shots · ¥100 — A great value for money, you can choose between sweet or dry sake. It's only your first shot that's 100 yen, so bring a disguise if you want more!
- Squid tempura and Conger eel tempura — While not the greatest tempura, it did the job and paired well with sake.
- Matcha beer — A unique matcha beer available from one of the liquor stalls in Nishiki Market, perfect for pairing with mochi treats.
10Hatanaka ShowDinner theater · Kyoto4.5 (2)Kyoto Cuisine & Maiko Evening, 505 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0074, JapanCreator's voice- Sabazushi — An old-school sushi where instead of freshly sliced fish, you'll have a lightly pickled mackerel as a way to preserve the fish. It's a simple but fascinating part of sushi history.
- Garlic and pepper fish — A randomly tried dish that was quite decent.
11REAnimal protection organization · Kyoto4.6Japan, 〒603-8332 Kyoto, Kita Ward, Taishogun Kawabatacho, 79 1F Re:loveCreator's voice- Mitashi Dango — More plump and coated in a saucier and smokier sauce than other dango, making it delicious.
12Menbou MiyoshiUdon noodle restaurant · Kyoto4.4Closed · opens tomorrow 12 PMMenbou Miyoshi, 288-2 Minamikurumayacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8022, JapanCreator's voice- Miyoshi set — This set comes with bouncy udon noodles, fish cakes, shiitake mushrooms, vegetables, rice, and pickles, all in a delicate broth with a warming and mild seafood flavor.
- Zetsu Curry Udon with prawn tempura — A voluptuous curry udon featuring a gigantic piece of crispy prawn tempura. The curry sauce is incredibly luscious and packed a punch of flavor, coating each thick strand of udon mesmerizingly.
13curry & tempura KoisusJapanese curry restaurant · Kyoto4.7 (1,314)Open · until 9 PMcurry & tempura koisus, 3 Chome-292 Miyagawasuji, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0801, JapanCreator's voice- Japanese curry set with two types of curries and tempura — This curry, almost like modern art, comes with two types of curries separated by a wall of rice. You can add delicious tempura, which also comes with matcha salt. While not the cheapest and the two curries were hard to distinguish, it tasted decent.
14ToriseiYakitori restaurant · Kyoto4.2 (9,219)Closed · opens tomorrow 11 AMTorisei, 186 Kamiaburakakecho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-8047, JapanCreator's voice- Grilled eggplant with umami miso glaze — Grilled eggplant coated in an umami miso glaze, a delicious start to the meal.
- Karaage chicken — Chicken crumbed to perfection, coating succulent chicken on the inside.
- Sweet and slightly spicy shishito peppers — Addicting shishito peppers, grilled to perfection.
- Chicken heart yakitori — One of our favorite chicken parts to eat, perfectly barbecued.
- Chicken thigh yakitori with green onion — Succulent chicken thigh sandwiched between pieces of green onion. They also provide a bunch of spices to customize each bite.
15Gion KomoriJapanese sweets restaurant · Kyoto4.3Closed · opens Thursday 11 AMGion Komori, 祇園新橋 61 Motoyoshicho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0087, JapanCreator's voice- Green tea warabi mochi — Made with bracken starch, resulting in a more jelly-like texture and taste. It's coated in a fine green tea powder and served with a mildly sweet brown sugar syrup called kuroitsu. It's so satisfying pouring the kuroitsu on the warabi mochi.
- Warabi mochi parfait — A gorgeous parfait with many layers, including green tea jelly, warabi mochi cake, red bean, and a big dollop of matcha ice cream. Each element works well together to make for quite the epic and refreshing dessert.
16Shimizu-IppoenCafe · Kyoto4.3 (3)ClosedShimizu-Ippoen Kyoto Main Branch, 567-1 Katadacho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8067, JapanCreator's voice- Decadent foamed matcha latte — The matcha latte itself is thick and smooth, but the matcha cream on top takes it to the next level.
- Foamed hojicha latte — Equally as good as the matcha latte, with its own smoky way.
- Super creamy matcha flan with caramel — A super creamy matcha flan topped with a delicate and glossy caramel.
- Matcha ice cream — A pretty decent matcha ice cream, perfect for pairing with the flan.
- Foamed matcha shaved ice — Light ice that melts in your mouth with a slightly sweet matcha flavor.
1 extraction issue
- item "Mochi treats (plain, yomogi, brown sugar, strawberry daifuku, green tea cake)": belongs to no place or experience in the post