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2025.2.26
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19 popular yakitori restaurants in Kyoto - Some of the best restaurants are easily accessible from Kyoto Station!

A must-see for those who "want to eat delicious yakitori in Kyoto."
We pick up the best yakitori restaurants in Kyoto, such as those that serve the freshest jidori chicken and those that grill their yakitori using special charcoal. We also introduce restaurants that are easy to stop by on your way home from work or sightseeing, and that are only a train ride from Kyoto Station! We also provide information exclusively obtained by Leaf's editorial staff, such as the best times to visit, and the owner's recommendations for gourmet foods to eat with yakitori. Check it out until the end to find your favorite restaurant. (TEXT/Yurie Sano, EDIT/Miki Tamura)

Contents of this article

1.
Kushikura, a 100-year-old Kyoto townhouse, is a must-have on your to-do list / Karasuma Oike
2.
Charcoal-grilled Japanese domestic chickens carefully selected in season [Charcoal Kushiyaki Torito-Kawaramachi Sanjo Branch]/Sanjo
3.
Impressed by the crispy and fluffy yakitori at the Taisho-romantic Tsunekiya / Karasuma
4.
Newly opened "Chicken Takumi Tsuyoshi" (Chicken Master Chef): Enjoy your meal at the one-piece wooden counter / Nijo Castle
5.
Gion Torijyu-ji, a new restaurant in Gion, offers excellent food created by a craftsman with 25 years of experience in this field.
6.
Yakitori Seri, a hideout in the back alley of Shijo, serves Omi's specialty chicken/Karasuma
7.
Enjoy the marriage of sake and yakitori [Yakitori Okoshi - Cuttlefish] / Kawaramachi
8.
Lunch service is now available! A new restaurant mixing Japanese and modern styles [Gion Tachi] / Gion
9.
A fine moment to taste brand-name chickens from all over Japan [Kyoto Torihachi] / Karasuma, Kyoto
10.
Taste the true flavor of chicken [Wabiya Koryokudo, Gion Hanamikoji Honten] / Gion, Gion
11.
Yakitori Gyo, a wide selection of mellow hot sake / Kyoto Gosho
12.
Popular restaurant where you can drink until late at night [Nominbeye] / Gion, Tokyo
13.
Charcoal-grilled Yakitori Chabuya - a time-slip back to the Showa period / Shijo
14.
The attentive customer service will satisfy both your stomach and your mind [Yakitori Kai Sanjo-Omiya Store] / Sanjo-Omiya
15.
[Enjoy fresh, morning-drawn, local chicken at Charcoal Grill Toriyuki / Nijo Castle
16.
[Try Irori Chicken Yakiniku at Kyoto Yatai Seseri / Saiin
17.
Grill up a phantom aseptic chicken on a charcoal grill [Charcoal Chicken Yaki Hakku] / Sanjo
18.
Tachitotsuki Torizuki" (Tachitotsuki Restaurant), where you can have a lunchtime drink from 3:00 p.m. / Shijo
19.
A new restaurant [Chikusai Yokodori] / Kawaramachi, Tokyo, where a greedy 16-course menu is the talk of the town.

11. Yakitori Gyo, a wide selection of mellow hot sake / Kyoto Gosho

Yakitori Ogo, which serves Kyo-aka Jidori chicken, was the dream of Mr. Suwa, who trained at Honwaka, a famous chicken restaurant in Katsura, before opening this restaurant. The chicken is grilled using aromatic Kishu-binchotan charcoal, and the savory aroma spreads with each bite. The restaurant features a wide variety of sake, including fully fermented, aged sake, and there is a line of sake for heating right in front of the counter seats. Ask for a recommendation and warm your body and soul with a mild cup of sake.

Yakitori Yakitori of Ou

From left to right: thigh (260 yen), tsukune (220 yen), and yagen cartilage (230 yen). The thigh is sliced into large pieces, and the delicious taste of Kyoto red ground chicken can be directly felt.

Appearance of Yakitori Ou

Hole time / after 20:00
Food menu to go with it / Kyo-aka Jidori Chicken Momo Tataki 980 yen

Grilled chicken

  • Yakitori Aogu
  • 322 Kawakamiru Sashimonocho, Kawaramachi Toiyoshi, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
  • 8 min. walk from Exit 2 of "Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae" subway station.
    8 minutes walk from Exit 1 of Jingu-Marutamachi Station, Keihan
  • Tel.075-754-8760
  • https://www.instagram.com/yakitori_aogu/

12. Popular restaurant where you can drink until late at night [Nominbeye] / Gion, Tokyo

Charcoal-fired yakitori at Nominbebe (Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto), which blends in beautifully with the Gion district, can be ordered until 2:00 a.m., making it the perfect place to go on a day when you want to drink. The chicken is freshly pulled in the morning and grilled over high heat in one go, giving it a juicy and delicious flavor. The restaurant also offers many excellent dishes made with the utmost care, including tsukune chazuke, which is tsukune in a glass broth made by simmering chicken bones, vegetables, and tail. The restaurant also offers a wide selection of Japanese sake, so ask for a recommendation that goes well with the dish.

Charcoal grill, chicken hideout, drinking, food

The signature dish, kimo (220 yen), is a reproduction of the flavor directly from Shijo Mibu [Thunder], where the owner, Mr. Hasebe, trained, and has a refined taste with no peculiarities.

Exterior view of NUMIBEI, a charcoal grill and chicken hideout

Hole time/21:00-24:00 (Reservations required for 18:00-21:00)
Food menu to go with it / Creative skewers, pork belly, tomato cheese, 330 yen

charbroiled yakitori, hideaway, nunbeye

  • Sumibi Yakitori Kareya Nombee
  • 347-118, north side of Shijo-dori Yamato-oji Higashi-iru, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • 5 min. walk from Exit 9 of Gion-Shijo Station, Keihan
  • Tel. 075-741-6894
  • https://www.instagram.com/gion_nonbe/

13. Charcoal-grilled Yakitori Chabuya - a time-slip back to the Showa period / Shijo

Charcoal-grilled Yakitori Chabuya, which appears as you walk down a back alley in Shijo, is a relaxing bar reminiscent of the good old Showa period. The restaurant is always crowded with customers, who can enjoy authentic yakitori from as low as 200 yen. In addition to the popular yakitori, the restaurant also serves a wide variety of other alcoholic beverages such as ham cutlets and oden. With a glass of sake in hand, enjoy your favorite dishes to the fullest.

Charcoal Kushiyaki Chabuya Yakitori

Liver 220 yen is slowly roasted over charcoal, with an appetizing aroma that is very appealing!

Charcoal Kushiyaki Chabuya Interior

Hole time / 20:00~.
Food menu to go with it / Oden assortment: 880 yen

Charcoal-grilled Yakitori Chabuya

  • Sumibi Yakitori Chabuya
  • 367-7 Nishimae-cho, Bukkouji-agaru, Takakura-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • 4 min. walk from Exit 5 of subway "Shijo Station".
  • Tel. 075-344-0313
  • https://www.chabuya-honten.com/takakura/

14. The attentive customer service will satisfy both your stomach and your mind [Yakitori Kai Sanjo-Omiya Store] / Sanjo-Omiya

Yakitori Rai Sanjo-Omiya branch is a branch of the popular Yakitori Rai restaurant in Kyoto. The "Asparamama," which combines chicken and asparagus in perfect harmony with a special mayonnaise sauce, and the "Pork Belly with Tomato Cheese," a perfect balance of sweetness from the tomato and saltiness from the cheese, are just a few of the grilled skewers that showcase the playful spirit of the chefs. The staff's attentive attention to detail in serving food and sake while keeping an eye on the customers and talking to them is also well-received.

Yakitori at Yakitori Lightning Sanjo-Omiya Branch

From right to left: 2 pork ribs with tomato cheese, 500 yen; 2 asparagus, 330 yen; 2 bonjiri, 330 yen, crispy with the fat firmly trimmed off.

Exterior view of Yakitori Kaminari Sanjo-Omiya Branch

Hole time / 20:00-22:00
Food menu to go with it / Jidori chicken tataki for 750 yen per person

Yakitori Kaminari Sanjo-Omiya

15. [Enjoy fresh, morning-drawn, local chicken at Charcoal Grill Toriyuki / Nijo Castle

Sumiyaki Toriyaki Toriko serves fresh jidori chicken such as Kyo-aka Jidori and Tanba Ajiwai Dori. You can order rare parts of chicken such as furisode, which is popular among connoisseurs. The restaurant also offers a wide variety of dishes other than yakitori, such as toriwasa (chicken wasabi) made from Kyoto red chicken meat and yubiki ponzu (boiled harami in ponzu sauce). The restaurant, which is housed in a deep renovated machiya (traditional Kyoto townhouse), has counter seats as well as stylish table seats, and welcomes both solo customers and groups of customers.

Charcoal Grilled Toriyuki's Furisode

Furisode: 300 yen. A rare part of Kyoto red part of the chicken, a combination of the best of both the thigh and the breast.

Appearance of Toriko

Hole time / 17:00 or after 21:00
Food menu to go with it / Tori-wasabi

Charcoal Grilled Toriko

The information is subject to change. Please contact each store or facility directly for the latest information.
All prices include tax.
※内容の誤りや閉店情報などお気づきの点がございましたら、info@leafkyoto.co.jp までお知らせください。
*Since this site uses automatic translation, the translation may differ from the original Japanese content.

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