Kyoto Restaurants(860)
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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 RESERVATIONNikukappo 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 MENUSumiyaki Unafuji Daimaru Kyoto Bettei
At Unafuji, only the best quality blue eels are used, chosen for their high fat content and creamy livers. These are then cooked over a blue-hot charcoal flame to seal in their natural flavor, then coated generously with Unafuji’s secret sauce.
COURSE MENUKYO SUSHI OOKINI
You are what you eat — this 20-year-old sushi venue in Kyoto painstakingly drafts a course that harmonizes health and flavor, using pesticide-free organic vegetables and wild-caught fish.
COURSE MENUTendan Gion Honten
One of the last bastions of Kyoto-style yakiniku, Tendan’s original Gion outlet near Gion-shijo Station has been serving perfectly grilled cuts of meat in Kyoto’s characteristic dashi-like sauce for almost 60 years.
COURSE MENUMUNI ALAIN DUCASSE
Set in scenic Arashiyama in Kyoto, Michelin-starred MUNI ALAIN DUCASSE brings to life acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse’s flamboyant French gastronomy through the hands of Chef Alessandro Guardiani.
COURSE MENUGion Kurashita
At his Gion restaurant, Chef Kurashita Satoru expertly prepares traditional Kyoto kaiseki, displaying mastery over all ingredients, from king crab and wagyu beef to even the humble tofu.
COURSE MENUSushi Tamahime KYOTO
Tokyo sushi in Kyoto — Sushi Tamahime KYOTO serves flawless omakase course with the traditions of Edomae and elegance of Kyoto.
SEAT RESERVATIONSushi Tempura Gion Iwai
Sushi Tempura Gion Iwai offers a combination rarely found in Kyoto; crunchy tempura with traditional Edomae-style sushi. The head chef uses decades of experience to plan menus that delight the palate with varying textures and flavors.
SEAT RESERVATIONRokujo Kawarain San
Storytelling, tradition, and artistry underpin meals at Rokujo Kawarain San, a top-tier kaiseki venue with reasonable prices and seasonal menus.
COURSE MENUOBENKEI Kyoto Gion
Hailing from Sado Island, OBENKEI brings the spirit of its hometown to Kyoto’s Gion district, serving Niigata’s local sake, pristine seafood and impeccably executed sushi to Japan's old capital.
COURSE MENUTemarizushi to Nihoncha Souden
A union of sushi and tea. This Kyoto restaurant’s specialty is temarizushi — beautiful sushi balls molded with tradition in mind — paired with its collection of precisely brewed and monthly rotational tea concoctions.
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.
COURSE MENUSapporo Kani-ya Kyoto Branch
The Kyoto outlet of this venerable Hokkaido crab restaurant chain serves Japan’s finest crabs, including the vaunted hon-tarabagani, or red king crab — the most expensive and finest of Japan’s crabs.
COURSE MENUSushi Gion Matsudaya
Presenting Edo-style sushi, this restaurant is full of classic dishes combined with the chef’s very own intriguing ideas.
SEAT RESERVATIONSushi Rakumi
Michelin-starred sushi in Kyoto, with a generous range of appetizers and three cuts of premium tuna.
SEAT RESERVATIONGodan Miyazawa
Learn a thing or two about Japanese history during an innovative omakase course dinner.
SEAT RESERVATIONVelrosier
This Kawaramachi restaurant has earned itself two Michelin stars with its eclectic approach to Chinese cuisine. Chef Iwasaki Yuji rigorously experiments with ingredient combinations to produce flavor profiles like no other.
SEAT RESERVATIONTan
Taking its name from the Tango Peninsula in Kyoto, Tan’s close relationship with local producers upholds their mutual philosophy of sustainability.
SEAT RESERVATIONOgawa (Nakagyo)
The flavors of tradition are still prominent in the dishes of this Japanese restaurant that is always seeking to evolve.
SEAT RESERVATIONMuromachi Wakuden
Witness your meal take shape during each step of the way at this performative kaiseki powerhouse.
COURSE MENUROKU KYOTO TENJIN Chef’s Table
This intimate dining experience led by executive chef Akira Taniguchi features 13 counter seats surrounding an open kitchen, which acts as a stage for the chef’s culinary performance. Taste heirloom Kyoto vegetables, prepared with French techniques.
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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.