
[2025] Popular local restaurants! 21 recommended izakaya in Kyoto
Kyoto is full of unique restaurants, from machiya (traditional townhouses) where you can feel the historical atmosphere to hideouts tucked away in the back alleys. In this issue, we pick up our editor's recommended gourmet spots for lunch and dinner, including izakaya (Japanese-style pubs), sake bars, and bars that are conveniently located within a 10-minute walk from Kyoto Station! We introduce popular restaurants for stopping by before or after a train ride, for year-end and New Year's gatherings, and for selecting restaurants for the coming season. Why don't you enjoy delicious drinks with our exquisite menu while soaking up the comfortable atmosphere? (TEXT/Yurie Sugisaki, EDIT/Moe Sawamura)
Here you will find a variety of unique and creative kushikatsu, such as Dashimaki and Neapolitan. The owner, who trained at a long-established kushikatsu restaurant in Osaka, carefully coats the kushikatsu and deep fries them in high-quality oil, making them crispy and light to the touch.
The last dish of the 6,600 yen Miyako Course is the restaurant's famous sea tigers. The powerful size and plump meat are astonishing!
[DATA
Private room / No
Private parties/allowed
This bar is named after the Spanish word for "let's talk. Paella and ajillo are made with Kyoto ingredients such as vegetables grown in Kyoto and fish shipped directly from Maizuru Port, and you can enjoy Spanish cuisine that makes the most of the flavors of the ingredients themselves in a warm and inviting space. The staff are certified sommeliers, so you can ask them about Spanish wines that go well with the cuisine.
The aroma of garlic will whet your appetite! Shrimp and kujo leek ajillo (1,188 yen) is a dish that you must repeat!
[DATA
Private room / 1 semi-private room: 1 table seat (3-4 persons)
Private parties/allowed
A few minutes' walk from Kyoto Station is a cute building reminiscent of a back alley in Italy. The restaurant offers homemade fresh pasta, stone oven pizza, and other traditional southern Italian dishes. The pizza baked in the stone oven is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The Basque cheesecake and other sweets are also authentic, so don't miss them.
Margherita ExtraFresh ¥2,420. Iconic tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce, basil and granapadano on top.
[DATA
Private rooms / 1 semi-private room: 1 table seat (4-6 persons), 2 full private rooms: 1 table seat (7-10 persons), 1 table seat (17 or more persons); other numbers on request
Private parties/allowed
Since its opening in May 2024, this new restaurant is popular for its nostalgic atmosphere. Sit at the counter and watch the seasonal vegetables and fish being smoked on the sunken hearth in front of you. The menu other than iroriyaki is also of high quality, including an assortment of fresh fish sashimi purchased directly from the market. Enjoy a nostalgic moment with a glass of sake or shochu.
Assorted sashimi 1,380 yen per person (photo shows 2 servings) *Order from 2 servings
[DATA
Availability of private rooms/No
Private parties/allowed
Over 600 interviews per year! An order site carefully selected by the editors who knows Kyoto and Shiga.
nowOfficial LINE friend registration500 yen OFF coupon is being issued!
Distributed every Friday morning at 8:00 am! From new restaurant information to event information that we want to share with you, We deliver articles about Kyoto that are useful to know. About 20,000 people have registered.Click here to add a friend!