Downtown Kyoto Local Food Tour

The Downtown Kyoto area is buzzing with local shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars, each boasting their own unique flavors from the beautiful city of Kyoto and its surrounds. The careful craftsmanship embedded in Kyoto’s culture extends to the local food, which is made from regional produce and high-quality ingredients. Kyoto’s downtown is full of shops and food stops which are frequented by locals, although these culinary delights are often overlooked by tourists. This Downtown Kyoto Local Food Tour is the perfect opportunity to find out exactly what’s behind the food culture of Kyoto, tasting local food and meeting the makers of local products. Experience “true” Kyoto local food during this food tour, where you’ll visit various stores in the central downtown area. Your friendly guide will introduce artisanal shops and unique local restaurants selling specialty dishes and ingredients, explaining about the history of Kyoto local food in-depth at different stops. You’ll find yourself exploring the unique underground food halls attached to decadent department stores called “depachika,” bursting with delicious food samples. You’ll visit a unique Japanese chocolate shop with over 15 years of history, and the flagship cafe established in the 1940s that’s famous for its milk. You’ll visit artisanal confectionary shops and old-style traditional cafes, a local pickle shop, a grocery store, a Japanese kitchen tool shop, and even a soba noodle restaurant that was once visited by Steve Jobs. Exploring a selection of local shopfronts, you’ll learn about the history of these stores and the cooking methods used to make the delicious specialty foods. Along the way, you’ll taste all kinds of street food and Japanese cuisine, such taiyaki (fish-shaped waffles), takoyaki (octopus balls), dashimaki-tamago (rolled Japanese omelet), and many more delicious surprises!