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Best Restaurants in Kyoto (2026)

Kyoto's cooking is known for its subtlety, from clear dashi broths and seasonal vegetables to tofu, yuba and pickles. At the top end, kaiseki restaurants such as Kikunoi Honten and Hyotei serve multi-course meals that follow the calendar closely, and they need booking well ahead; lunch is usually the more affordable way to try them. Tempura Endo Yasaka, in a former Gion teahouse, is a good choice for a special meal at the counter, and Nanzenji Junsei serves yudofu, the simmered tofu linked with the Nanzen-ji district.

Everyday food is just as rewarding. Honke Owariya has served soba since the early eighteenth century, Omen near Ginkaku-ji is known for udon with seasonal vegetables and sesame, and Gion Yorozuya serves a Bib Gourmand bowl of udon piled with Kujo spring onion. For a quick, inexpensive meal, try Kyoto ramen at Honke Daiichi-asahi near the station, tonkatsu at Katsukura on Sanjo or conveyor-belt sushi at Sushi no Musashi. Many popular places do not take reservations, so arrive at opening time or mid-afternoon, carry some cash for smaller restaurants and check closing days, which are often midweek.

10 places · Updated October 23, 2026

Our top 3 restaurants in Kyoto

  1. Kikunoi Honten Kaiseki, HigashiyamaA family-run kaiseki ryotei founded in 1912 in the Higashiyama hills, led by chef Yoshihiro Murata and holding three Michelin stars.
  2. Hyotei Kaiseki, Nanzen-jiA kaiseki restaurant with more than 400 years of history beside Nanzen-ji, famous for its soft-boiled Hyotei egg and its morning porridge.
  3. Nanzenji Junsei Yudofu (tofu) restaurant, Nanzen-jiA tofu restaurant in garden grounds near Nanzen-ji, specialising in yudofu, the simmered tofu dish closely linked with the temple district.

Restaurant

2. Hyotei

Kaiseki$$$$Nanzen-ji

A kaiseki restaurant with more than 400 years of history beside Nanzen-ji, famous for its soft-boiled Hyotei egg and its morning porridge.

View details — Hyotei

Restaurant

3. Nanzenji Junsei

Yudofu (tofu) restaurant$$$Nanzen-ji

A tofu restaurant in garden grounds near Nanzen-ji, specialising in yudofu, the simmered tofu dish closely linked with the temple district.

View details — Nanzenji Junsei

Restaurant

5. Honke Owariya

Soba noodles$$Karasuma Oike

A family business founded as a confectioner in 1465 that has served soba since the early eighteenth century, in a wooden townhouse south of the Imperial Palace.

View details — Honke Owariya

Restaurant

6. Omen Ginkakuji

Udon noodles$$Sakyo

The original branch of Omen, a Kyoto udon restaurant near Ginkaku-ji known for thick noodles dipped in a rich broth with seasonal vegetables and sesame.

View details — Omen Ginkakuji

Restaurant

9. Gion Yorozuya

Udon noodles$Gion

A small Gion udon restaurant with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, known for its udon heaped with Kyoto's Kujo spring onion and its long history serving the teahouse district.

View details — Gion Yorozuya