Best places: Japanese restaurants in Kyoto, Japan

👍👍 It’s hard to capture in a review how wonderful and magical of an experience we had at Teppan Tavern. Hands down the best meal we had in Japan, and probably the most incredible all-around dining experience I’ve ever had! We had a reservation at 5pm and were warmly welcomed by the owners (a married co...

👍👍 If you’re looking for a great sushi restaurant in Kyoto… THIS IS IT! The sushi is amazing. Like best I’ve ever had, haha! It’s family owned and the family is incredibly kind and their restaurant has a great atmosphere. Plus, the English menu is really good with pictures and the son speaks English re...

👍👍 We've been in Japan for two weeks now, one in Tokyo and the other in Sendai. This was our first night in Kyoto and after a day of Monkeys and Manga we walked past this place and decided to give it a try. I'm so very glad we did. Not only was the food delicious, the cook was incredibly friendl...

👍👍 Delicious food and very kind and welcoming owner/chef. The first thing they ask you is if you have any allergies. We came here multiple times during our trip because the food was great and there were multiple gluten free options. We got there at opening and it was not busy. The beer on tap was also...

😐 Reasonable quality place but nowhere near as good as many restaurants we’ve eaten in Japan, so we were disappointed, particularly in light of all the great reviews. Possibly all customers when we were there were tourists which we think may explain the strangely high rating (4.6 currently - there’s j...

👍👍 We made a reservation the same day and was pleasantly accommodated even with 6 people! You’re definitely paying for a quality over quantity. However, workers were so friendly, wonderful environment and great way experience an authentic Japanese shabu-shabu dinner. We ordered the beef and pork course...

Informal restaurant with an open kitchen prepping imaginative fish dishes served with rice & soup.

Tiny cafe doling out global vegetarian dishes & baked goods made from locally sourced ingredients.

👍👍 Our favorite restaurant we went to in Kyoto! The pork was so delicious, crispy and juicy. We also got the rice box but didn’t love it as much as the pork. Highly recommend! We had to wait for about 30 mins on a Friday night. Located in train station building.

😠 Great idea, unfortunately not well executed: meet is of very low quality and no matter how long you continue to cook it on the hot stow on the table, it is not getting less chewy. Sides are also not tasty and just very blunt and uninspiring. The only good dish was the fried meatballs. Further, you w...

👍👍 There are only a few seats but the staff were incredibly friendly. Menu is in English and there is a good selection of traditional Japanese foods. Dishes are small and tapas style - you order a few if you want a proper meal but if you just want a drink and snack you can also do that. The food was ex...

👍👍 Food is very delicious . There was also instruction on “How to enjoy GyuKatsu” so we can enjoy without being lost in translation ❤️ crispy on the outside , soft and juicy in the inside . cook it to your liking too ! if you are very hungry , you can top up more meat : meat variety to your meal for a...

👍👍 Highly recommended! It was a true hidden gem. We came from Singapore and happen to pass by this hidden restaurant at the back of another restaurant at the Gion kyoto area during early Apr when the night cherry blossom viewing along the street of Gion Shirakawa. It is common in this area for there to...

Serene locale operated in a Buddhist temple offering vegetarian fixed-price meals.

😠 The worst restaurant experience we’ve ever had. We’ve been to so many fine dining restaurants and several Michelin restaurants too and this has to be a total utter disaster. The food was just horrible. Both my husband and I are foodies and we appreciate unusual cuisine with unusual ingredients. Firs...

Laid-back diner for European dishes like veal cutlets, pizza & hamburger with Japanese twists.

👍👍 Food was excellent, not to mention we had a huge variety of fresh and seasonal dishes. The woman working spoke English to us to make us feel more comfortable and at home. The entire experience was pleasant and I would definitely come back again if I'm ever in Kyoto!

Traditional hub with tatami seating, offering shabu-shabu, where diners cook at table hot pots.

Family-run restaurant for traditional Kyoto obanzai cuisine & an understated Japanese ambience.

👍👍 We tried many sushi places all over Japan, even in Kanazawa which had amazing fresh fish, but this place was THE BEST sushi and sashimi, truly a master's work. You can order a la carte as well as course meals, which aren't too expensive. We ordered the most expensive course meal, which was about 65...