8 Must Eat Restaurants in Kyoto Japan!

Kyoto is one of my favorite cities in the world! I love it and its culinary scene so much, that I've now taken four trips there, and barley scratched the surface of this magical city! Below are 8 must eat spots all from my trip there this past January, but if you want to see EVERYTHING I've ever eaten or drank, did, hotel information, and a downloadable google map, I have a whole guide as well with over 30 spots!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIYfODPkXTk

Aikochan- Especially in Japan, the meals that you just stumble upon, could be your absolute favorite of the trip, and that’s definitely the feeling I got with Aikochan. I was on an hours long walk, got really hungry, and something about this place just drew me in. Maybe it was all the smoke, and not knowing if it was from the grill or the cigarettes, or maybe it was the universe directing me, but I’m so happy i ended up here. Inside is just a few seats, a very small menu, and one woman making everything! I got one of my favorite dishes in Japan, okonomiyaki which i got with shrimp, and it was one of the most satisfying meals I had on my entire trip. Was it the best okonomiyaki I’ve ever had, no, but sitting with the true locals, eating as they do, is a food memory I’ll never forget, more than how that dish tasted. All this for like $7.

Badu- Monk not only was my favorite meal in Kyoto, see further below, but one of the most special dining experiences ever, so I was psyched to get into their new sister restaurant Badu, just up the road. The dna of monk is all here, small bites with a focus on seasonal vegetable driven charcoal cooking, all in a really intimate and open kitchen. But this time, the experience is a little more casual, and seemed like an easier reservation, if you cant get into Monk. You can do a la carte, but i did the the omakase option which was 10,000 yen per person.

Coyote Coffee- Coffee is such a big part of Kyoto’s culture, and I popped into Coyote Coffee, which has a few locations all over the city each with a calm, minimalist aesthetic, and coffee where Every cup is a single-origin from El Salvador, think clean, sweet, and silky rather than in your face acidity.

Lurra- Lurra is a Michelin‑starred tasting menu that leans Nordic and is clearly Noma‑influenced as the chef used to work there, but it’s built entirely around hyper local, seasonal Japanese ingredients. The team cooks almost everything over live fire, layering in smoke, traditional fermentation, and preservation techniques to create a truly sustainable, nature to table experience. Every course arrives as a small piece of art, full of flavor twists and unexpected textures that keep you guessing from start to finish. I also added the wine pairing, and my total came to 48,400 yen, which felt absolutely worth it for a meal this thoughtful and unique.

Sapporo Soup Curry Jack- Sapporo soup Curry Jack, a mini chain from Osaka originally, that brings south that warm, incredible comfort food that i had in Sapporo. These bowls are massive, and you can pick the proteins, veggies, and spice going from 0 to whatever joker means. The chicken and veggies were really fantastic in this bowl, and this could not have been better, considering it had started to snow outside.

Tokura Kyoto Sanjo- Japanese hamburg is one of my favorite dishes in Japan, and the one from Tokura Kyoto Sanjo was definitely the biggest, and the juiciest! They have 12 different sauce options, like cheese, mentaiko, and tomato sauce, but I went with their original red wine demi glace style sauce. And then you pick between the 180g standard or 300g large, which is what i did. This is one of the most satisfying restaurants in Japan, and the price here cant be beat, 1320 yen and that comes as a set with rice, miso soup, salad, and pickles!

Toraya Confectionary- Toraya Confectionary is one of the most historic shops in all of Kyoto, serving the city with all kinds of sweets since the 1500s! They specialize in seasonal desserts, so I was recommended to try this sweet azuki bean soup as it was winter, which has wasambon sugar accents, and these two small pieces of broiled mochi in them! That came with a drink, and I go an iced matcha au lait, with a blend of uji matcha and milk, with a little bit of sugar syrup. The soup was a really nice subtle sweetness, and I always love chew in mochi, especially when you get a little extra texture from it being broiled. Loved getting a little taste of history in an afternoon snack, and there are locations all over the city to make it easy!

Yoshikawa Inn Tempura- Inside of the Yoshikawa inn, is Tempura Yoshikawa, a classic ryokan restaurant serving refined light tempura bites since the 1950s. Don’t worry, whether you stay at the ryokan or not, you can book a reservation here! Their tempura is known for its lightness, and allowing the incredible seasonal veggies and seafood of kyoto to shine! Not much seems to have changed over the years, and thats one of the main draws on this dining experience!

I pre ordered on my reservation and got the chefs omakase course which gets you an app to start, sashimi, 14 pieces of tempura which is a mix of seafood and veggies, a tencha rice bowl served with prawn, enoki mushroom, and a mitsuba leaf, which is served ochazuke as a hot tea is poured over the top, made with green tea, and dried fish, and then finally for dessert we stepped into the room next door and got tea, fresh fruit, and a creme brulee. I’ve done a bunch of tempura omakase in Japan, and while I can appreciate the straightforwardness and simplicity of this and others like it, I think I prefer ones that are just doing more interesting bites! But still definitely a recommendation.