What to Eat in Kyoto: Local Specialties in the "City of Ten Thousand Shrines"

Kyoto, the so-called "City of Ten Thousand Shrines," has probably made your list of must-visit destinations for many reasons. You'll likely want to see Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion that shimmers as an extravagant display of opulence. Maybe you’re hoping to spot maiko in the historic geisha district of Gion or wander through the lush bamboo forest of Arashiyama. 

As you explore the city’s rich history, you’ll also want to discover Kyoto's rich food culture, which boasts high-quality cuisine and distinct local specialties. From elaborate kaiseki ryori course meals to the humble cup of green tea, we will introduce many exciting avenues to an authentic taste of Kyoto.

Kyoto's cuisine is shaped by its environment, including the city’s geographic location, topography, and abundant freshwater. Its long history as Japan's capital up until the Meiji Restoration has also deeply influenced the local food culture, making Kyoto one of the best destinations to experience traditional Japanese cuisine and culture.

Watching your diet? No problem. The food scene in Kyoto features plenty of local vegetables and superfoods, and the city is home to some of the healthiest Japanese cuisines, including the vegetarian Buddhist cuisine known as shojin ryori. But if you’re raring to indulge, you’ll find no shortage of delicious traditional and innovative Kyoto specialties to enjoy.

1. Kyoto Sake — Rice wine made with Kyoto’s soft water.
2. Kyoto Soba — Buckwheat noodles served hot or cold.
3. Kyoto Ramen — Light, simple Kyoto-style ramen.
4. Saba-Zushi — Pressed mackerel sushi.
5. Tsukemono — Japanese pickled vegetables.
6. Yuba — Thin tofu skin from heated soy milk.
7. Yudofu — Tofu simmered in light broth.
8. Hamo — Tender, finely cut conger eel.

This is high-grade powdered green tea from Uji, Kyoto.

1. Kaiseki Ryori — Traditional multi-course Japanese meal.
2. Shojin Ryori — Vegetarian cuisine rooted in Buddhist practice.
3. Obanzai — Simple, seasonal Kyoto home-style dishes.

This is seasonal outdoor dining on wooden terraces built over the river.

1. Hisago Zushi — Long-standing Kyoto shop known for traditional sushi.
2. Izuju — Historic Gion restaurant famous for Kyoto-style pressed sushi.
3. Oryori Menami — Small, local spot serving classic Kyoto home-style dishes.
4. Takao Kinsutei — Scenic riverside restaurant offering seasonal Kyoto cuisine.
5. Tousuiro — Renowned for its elegant Kyoto tofu dishes.

This is a famous shopping street with over 100 stalls of food.

1. Matcha Green Tea Desserts — Sweets flavored with rich, powdered green tea.
2. Yatsuhashi (Japanese Sweets) — A Kyoto classic often made with mochi, sugar, and cinnamon.
3. Gion Tsujiri: Delightful Desserts — Famous shop serving premium matcha sweets.
4. Nanaya: Dreamy Matcha Ice Cream — Shop known for extra-rich flavors of matcha ice cream.

Want to eat it all? Explore our unique Food Tours in Kyoto.

Let’s start with what Kyoto is particularly known for when it comes to food. Within Kyo-ryori, or Kyoto cuisine, you might find a variety of specialities included in your meal.

Undoubtedly, if you’re dining in Kyoto, you’ll want to pair some Japanese sake with Kyoto's delicacies. Kyoto, specifically Fushimi, is known for sake production. The springs of Fushimi, a name meaning “underground water,” are responsible for the refreshing, mild taste that characterizes Kyoto sake. In fact, the “soft” water of Kyoto is considered among the highest quality, allowing the natural flavors of soba, tofu, and (of course) sake to shine through.

There’s a spiritual element to Kyoto’s sake tradition. Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Kyoto’s top attraction — famous for its labyrinth of vermillion torii gates — is dedicated to Inari, the god of rice. Perhaps Kyoto’s reverence for sake’s essential components — water and rice — is part of the recipe for its exceptional flavor.

Want to develop your palate and learn how to appreciate Japanese sake? Join a tasting in Kyoto!

Another Kyoto food whose high quality is attributed to the city’s soft, mellow groundwater is soba, or Japanese buckwheat noodles. But these aren’t just your ordinary buckwheat noodles. Kyoto offers several soba specialties, including cha soba, nishin soba, and kamo namban soba.

Nishin soba is topped with a sweet and salty braised-and-dried Pacific herring, while kamo namban soba consists of soba noodles in a broth made with leeks or scallions and duck.

Cha soba (green tea soba noodles) is another classic Kyoto specialty, made with buckwheat flour and green tea powder. High-quality tea from Uji, a city just south of Kyoto, gives the noodles their distinctive flavor and vibrant green color.

Everyone’s favorite comfort food is especially robust and flavorful in Kyoto, with noodles steeped in a full-bodied tonkotsu (pork) broth or, in some shops, a rich chicken broth. While Kyoto cannot claim to be the birthplace of tonkotsu, it has certainly become a tonkotsu ramen hotspot, thanks to students and sightseers who flock here for big, steaming bowls topped with green onions, bamboo shoots, and chashu pork.

Saba-zushi is a traditional type of Kyoto sushi. Not to be confused with the typical Edo-style nigiri sushi you’ll find in Tokyo, this mackerel sushi is prepared using pickling methods that help maximize its shelf life.

Because Kyoto is landlocked, fresh fish were historically harder to come by in the city. Raw mackerel had to be heavily salted and wrapped in a dried bamboo sheath so that it could keep during the long journey from the sea to Japan’s ancient capital. Lightly pickled mackerel sushi remains a specialty of the Kyoto sushi scene, offering a flavor distinct from its Edo-style cousin.

Another specialty preserved food of Kyoto is tsukemono, or pickled vegetables. In the days before refrigeration, these pickled foods were essential for survival. The three types of pickles Kyoto is known for are shibazuke (eggplant pickled with red perilla leaves), senmaizuke (large, round, super-thin slices of pickled Shogoin turnip), and sugukizuke (a type of sour pickled turnip).

Kyoto’s lively Nishiki Market, nicknamed “Kyoto’s Kitchen,” is the best place to find a variety of colorful Japanese tsukemono, as well as Japanese sweets and seafood.

Japan’s reputation for having one of the healthiest cuisines in the world isn’t without reason. Not only is Kyoto the go-to city for shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine), but it’s also home to a lesser-known superfood called yuba, a prized source of protein.

A tofu-like product also made from soybeans, yuba (sometimes called "tofu skin") is a nutritious delicacy that forms on the surface of heated soy milk. These delicate sheets can be folded into multi-layered bites, added to soup, or even fried to make yuba chips.

A classic element of Kyoto cuisine, yuba is widely used in both kaiseki and shojin ryori. Packed with antioxidants, anti-aging properties, and plenty of protein in a low-calorie package, yuba is a must-try Kyoto specialty.

As straightforward as it gets, yudofu, or boiled tofu, is one of Kyoto’s best-known specialties. Smooth, silken tofu is gently cooked in a mild seaweed broth or kombu, then served with seaweed, scallions, soy sauce, and ponzu. The dish’s simplicity makes the quality and purity of the ingredients even more important. Yudofu is typically served as a side dish in the Nanzenji Temple area.

The Gion Festival, Kyoto's most important festival, is also known as the “Hamo Festival.” Hamo, a type of sea eel or conger eel, is a prized Kyoto delicacy and the perfect summertime ingredient, often carrying a hefty price tag.

The tender white flesh of hamo can be enjoyed in many ways: boiled, grilled, deep-fried, raw (sashimi), or in hot pots like shabu shabu and nabe. In the summer, boiled hamo is often served cold with ume (Japanese plum) sauce. This conger eel is remarkably tough, capable of surviving the journey to landlocked Kyoto City, and it is equally challenging to prepare due to its numerous tiny bones that require expert knife work.

Matcha is said to have first come to Japan via Kyoto from China in the ninth century. And while Uji is not in central Kyoto, but located in the south towards Nara, the matcha from this small city has long held pride of place in Kyoto’s tea traditions.

Uji matcha is known for its particularly high quality, making it a staple in traditional tea ceremonies and a favorite among Kyoto’s nobility. Today, it is also widely used as an ingredient in sweets and other dishes, adding a rich, distinctive flavor.

Book your tea ceremony experience in Kyoto here.

As the capital of Japan for over a thousand years, Kyoto is the birthplace of many types of Japanese cuisines. Kyo-ryori includes the five styles of Japanese cuisine that originated in this historic city: kaiseki ryori, shojin ryori, honzen ryori, daikyo ryori, and obanzai.

Kyo-ryori is distinguished by its use of seasonal ingredients, creative plating on handmade lacquerware and ceramics, and attention to details like texture and color. Together, these elements harmonize to reflect the beauty of the current season.

Here are three distinct Kyoto cuisine styles to try in the ancient capital.

Kyoto is the birthplace of kaiseki ryori (haute cuisine), a traditional Japanese multi-course meal where seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and elegant presentation come together to create an unforgettable culinary experience. 

The original style of kaiseki in Kyoto was cha kaiseki (tea kaiseki), a course meal served before a traditional tea ceremony. Over time, kaiseki ryori evolved beyond the tea ceremony, becoming a refined cuisine of its own. For anyone seeking to experience true kaiseki cuisine and witness the skills of top Japanese chefs, Kyoto remains the ideal destination.

With more than three centuries of history, Minokichi is emblematic of Kyoto-style cuisine. Its legacy began in 1716 as a riverside koshikake-chaya near the Sanjo Ohashi Bridge, serving sake and grilled tofu. During the Edo Period, it became one of Kyoto's eight officially recognized river fish restaurants. 

Though the restaurant relocated after World War II, its reputation for excellence endured. Today, Minokichi operates 17 locations across the Kansai and Kanto regions. As a proud guardian of Kyoto kaiseki, the restaurant offers meticulously crafted menus featuring Japan's finest ingredients — from Kobe beef and fatty tuna belly to rare specialties like softshell turtle hotpot. 

The main store near Nanzenji Temple is considered a historic landmark, admired for its architecture since 1889 and recognized by the Kyoto prefectural government. While the Karasuma Shijo branch is less famous, it provides a warm, traditional atmosphere with private rooms named after Kyoto landmarks. The lounge room, featuring a 15-seat counter, is especially suited for big gatherings. 

Across all its locations, Minokichi continues to embody Kyoto's culinary heritage, blending centuries-old tradition with refined contemporary dining.

Reserve a table at Minokichi Karasuma Shijo in Kyoto for an exquisite kaiseki dining experience.

Shojin ryori is a Japanese Buddhist cuisine made entirely without meat or animal products. It is a vegetarian (and sometimes vegan) tradition served at Buddhist temples across Japan, using fresh and simple ingredients. Like other types of Kyo-ryori, it emphasizes texture, flavor, and thoughtful presentation. 

Originally brought to Kyoto from China, shojin cuisine was first adopted by Manpuku-ji Temple in Kyoto. Given the city’s abundance of places of worship, there is no shortage of Buddhist temples and restaurants where visitors can try this refined vegetarian cuisine.

Browse shojin ryori experiences in Japan and taste this fresh, wholesome cuisine for yourself.

Obanzai is Kyoto-style home-cooking that follows the traditional Japanese meal layout, ichiju-sansai, which consists of rice, soup, and three side dishes). The comforting and familiar aspects of Japanese home-cooking are elevated in obanzai restaurants, where experienced and skilled chefs draw out the deep umami flavors that Japanese cuisine is known for.

Using fresh, local Kyoto ingredients, obanzai showcases the region’s very best. And unlike kaiseki ryori, which is often reserved for special occasions, obanzai is a very accessible, everyday style of Japanese cuisine that reflects the heart of Kyoto culture. 

Kawadoko, or kawayuka as it’s called in the city center, is a uniquely Kyoto dining experience that deserves special mention. Kawayuka refers to the custom of dining by the river to escape the summer heat, and it is just as popular in central Kyoto as it is in the surrounding mountains. From May to September, you can eat on platforms set directly beside the water, or on terraces at restaurants overlooking the Kamogawa River. Many of these can be found along the Pontocho alley, serving kaiseki cuisine. 

Takao is a classic kawadoko spot, while Kibune, located in the northern mountains, is especially famous for dining platforms set just centimeters above the flowing water.

Make your reservation at a Kyoto restaurant today.

Google rating: 4.3 stars

Hisago Zushi in Kawaramachi is a must-visit for sushi lovers, though its unassuming facade makes it easy to miss. Their sushi platter offers a variety of their bestsellers, but locals return specifically for the classic saba sushi, along with their nigiri and chirashi.

Reserve your table at Hisago Zushi here.

Google rating: 4.2 stars

Izuju has been serving its famous mackerel sushi near Yasaka Shrine for over a century, and is said to still use a traditional Japanese furnace, or Okudo-san, to prepare its vinegared rice. Each slice of mackerel is thick, flavorful, wrapped in kelp, and a prime example of Kyo-sushi. Reservations aren’t available, but takeout may be.

Read more about Izuju here.

Google rating: 4.0 stars

A Kyoto favorite for more than 75 years, Oryori Menami in Kiyamachi is known for its authenticity and variety. They offer a new Obanzai platter every day, featuring seasonal ingredients prepared using family recipes and served in beautiful pottery. Reservations can be hard to secure, but you may still find counter seats. 

Read more about Oryori Menami here.

Google rating: 4.3 stars

Located in the Kyoto mountains with views of the Kiyotaki River, Takao Kinsuitei is a historic restaurant-slash-guesthouse offering a classic kawadoko experience. Visit in October to enjoy the maple leaves along with your hotpot meal. Popular options include hamo pike conger and the botan-nabe, a hearty mix of wild boar, mushrooms, and Kyoto vegetables.

Reserve your table at Takao Kinsuitei here.

Google rating: 4.3 stars

Tousuiro is one of the best places to enjoy tofu and quintessential Kyoto cuisine, offering a selection of seasonal tofu dishes, sashimi, and delicate seafood plates. The charming alley marked by a large lantern makes the visit even more memorable. Be sure to order their famous melt-in-your-mouth oboru tofu, along with their yuba and namafu dengaku.

Reserve your table at Tousuiro here.

Kyoto’s lively Nishiki Market, nicknamed “Kyoto’s Kitchen,” is the best place to find a variety of colorful Japanese tsukemono, as well as Japanese sweets and seafood. 

Stroll through over 100 stalls along this five-block market street, and you’ll discover local specialities including sushi, yuba, and matcha warabi mochi. Keep an eye out for grilled or steamed fish cakes (kamaboko), including versions stuffed with quail eggs. 

Some shops offer free samples, while others sell skewers (kushiage) and other items you can enjoy on the spot. Try not to eat while walking, as it may be impolite in certain areas. Many shops here have been operating for generations, and the market itself has existed for centuries. 

Other Nishiki Market goodies you may want to try:

• Flavored honey

• Fried conger

• Milk-flavored ice cream

• Soymilk donuts

• Wagyu

Find more of the best Nishiki Market food here.

Japanese desserts and green tea are truly a matcha made in heaven. And Kyoto offers some of the most delightful green tea-flavored treats, from matcha ice cream to green tea tiramisu, and even matcha fondue.

Tea-lovers will find plenty to enjoy, thanks to desserts made with high-quality Uji matcha. There’s no better place to indulge in matcha desserts than Kyoto, the city where the Japanese tea ceremony was born.

Yatsuhashi is the iconic Kyoto omiyage (souvenir). This traditional Japanese sweet comes in three forms. The classic version is a hard, cookie-like treat with a strong cinnamon flavor, baked in a curved shape inspired by the koto harp — an homage to Yatsuhashi Kengyo, the musician who composed famous Kyoto songs.

Nama yatsuhashi, or “raw” yatsuhashi, is a newer version. It is a flat, rectangular piece of steamed mochi, which comes in flavors like cinnamon, chocolate, and matcha. The third type is the anko-filled version: a neat little triangular packet of mochi with sweet red bean paste inside. Before you leave Kyoto, be sure to pick up this timeless Kyoto omiyage!

Google rating: 4.2 stars

Though newer than many long-established sweet shops in Kyoto, Tsujiri has built a strong following since its opening in the late ‘70s. Its irresistible menu includesIt green tea soba, shaved ice, parfaits, and cakes. In addition to its Gion location, Tsujiri also has a branch in Kyoto Station.

Read more about Gion food tours here.

Google rating: 4.5 stars

Matcha fans and ice cream lovers will feel right at home at Nanaya in Kawaramachi, where you can choose your preferred level of matcha intensity in your ice cream. Hardcore matcha enthusiasts may want to order No.7, the strongest option.  The shop also serves other flavors such as hojicha and black sesame, as well as seasonal gelatos.

Read more about other matcha food and drinks, here.

From Japanese sake made with pure Kyoto water to saba sushi (the traditional Kyoto sushi), Kyoto's food scene offers a wide range of local specialty dishes unique to Japan's ancient capital. With this guide to what to eat in Kyoto and the highlights of Kyoto Prefecture's local food culture, you’re ready to savor your journey through this city of shrines.

Hungry for more? Browse food experiences in Kyoto Prefecture and check out Japan by Food on YouTube!