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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.

1. Kushikura, a 100-year-old Kyoto townhouse, is a must-have on your to-do list / Karasuma Oike

Kushikura, located in a renovated 100-year-old Kyoto townhouse, offers not only Tajima chicken skewers but also seasonal dishes. You can order individual items, or order a set course that includes soy milk hot pot, chicken hittomabushi, and other dishes. The wide variety of sake, including Kyoto's locally brewed sake and shochu, is also a nice feature. The restaurant is also open for lunch, where you can enjoy yakitori in a set meal style, and has private rooms for 2 to 4 people as well as a large banquet room, making it a reliable choice for a variety of occasions.

Kushikura Yakitori

Tajima chicken skewers can be ordered separately. The charcoal fire enhances the quality of the ingredients on these skewers.

Kushikura Interior

Hole time / Lunch 13:00 or later, Dinner 20:00 - later (LO/21:00)
Food menu to go with it / Chicken Hitsumabushi Course, which can be ordered only for dinner, 4,800 yen.

Yakitori Kushikura Head Office

  • Yakitori Kushikura Honten
  • 584 Hiiragi-machi, Takakura-dori Oike-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • 4 min. from Subway "Karasuma-Oike" Exit 1
  • Tel. 075-213-2211 (toll free / 0120-13-8488)
  • https://www.kushikura.jp/

2. Charcoal-grilled Japanese domestic chickens carefully selected in season [Charcoal Kushiyaki Torito-Kawaramachi Sanjo Branch]/Sanjo

Located a few minutes' walk from Sanjo Ohashi Bridge, Charcoal Kushiyaki Torito Kawaramachi Sanjo Branch is a yakitori restaurant that focuses on the finest ingredients. They visit poultry farms to select the most delicious chicken meat each season, and offer locally raised chickens such as Kyoto Hine Chicken and Tanba Chicken. The restaurant offers a wide selection of yakitori, from standard to rare parts, as well as an extensive side menu including earthenware pot dishes. In addition to an L-shaped counter where diners can watch the cooking in front of them, the restaurant also offers semi-private kotatsu (table placed over a sunken kotatsu) seats, making it an ideal place for a variety of occasions.

Charcoal Kushiyaki Toritori Kawaramachi Sanjo Yakitori

Rare parts of the meat, such as Sori (385 yen) and Furisode (308 yen), can also be tasted here. The famous tsukune (rice cake) is 440 yen per piece.

Charcoal Kushiyaki Tori-Kawaramachi Sanjo

Hole time / No
Food menu to go with it / Gomoku takikomi gohan (rice cooked with five ingredients): 1,594 yen

Charcoal Kushiyaki Tori-Kawaramachi Sanjo

  • Sumibikushi Yakitori Kawaramachi Sanjoten
  • Elysee Building 1F, 534-6 Ebisu-cho, Kawaramachi Sanjo Kamigami, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • 3 minutes walk from Exit 1 of "Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae" subway station.
  • Tel. 075-212-7788
  • https://sumibi-torito.jp/

3. Impressed by the crispy and fluffy yakitori at the Taisho-romantic Tsunekiya / Karasuma

At Tsunekiya, you can enjoy skewers with a crispy surface and a fluffy interior in a retro space. The menu offers about 30 kinds of skewers, including morning-drawn Kyoto red chicken with homemade sauce and rare parts of Japanese black beef such as hoso and tenmimi. The restaurant also offers a wide variety of side dishes, such as deep-fried seseri and homemade thick fried tofu, which are prepared with the utmost care. Enjoy the view of the beautifully landscaped tsuboniwa garden and spend a relaxing time.

Tsunekiya Yakitori (scissors)

Scissors 180 yen per scissors. Tender young chicken is seasoned with a secret sauce made from a combination of white wine and coarse sugar to give it a deep flavor.

general merchant

Hole time / 17:30-18:30, after 21:00
Food menu to go with it / Homemade thick fried bean curd 450 yen

general merchant

  • steam train station
  • 243-1 Shinmei-cho, Ayakoji-dori Higashinotoin-higashiiru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto
  • 3 minutes walk from Exit 15 of "Karasuma" station on Hankyu line
    5 min. walk from Exit 3 of "Shijo" subway station.
  • Tel. 075-351-8769
  • https://www.instagram.com/jyokiya_yakitori/

4. Newly opened "Chicken Takumi Tsuyoshi" (Chicken Master Chef): Enjoy your meal at the one-piece wooden counter / Nijo Castle

The restaurant opened in October 2024, where you can enjoy yakitori in an atmospheric atmosphere with a counter made of a single piece of zelkova and camphor wood and pendant lights, etc. The chicken made from Hinai Jidori female chickens raised for 180 days is attracting attention for its rich flavor. The restaurant's other dishes, such as dashimaki tamago (rolled egg) cooked over a wood fire and rice cooked in a stove, are also prepared over a natural fire. The extensive sake lineup, including natural wines and rare Japanese sake, is also worth noting.

Example of a 12,000 yen course meal at Chicken Shokuho

An example of a 12,000 yen course meal. Negima is a sumptuous dish using the most delicious part of the thigh meat. The skewers are carefully grilled at different angles to ensure that both the chicken and the green onions are cooked to the best condition.

Chicken Shokuhan Interior view

Hole time / 2 sessions from 16:00 and 18:30, with the hole time being the 16:00 session.

Chicken Artisans

  • securities exchange
  • 237 Daimonji-cho, Oike-sagaru, Kuromon-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • 4 minutes walk from Exit 3 of "Nijojo-mae" subway station.
  • Tel. 075-384-2288
  • https://www.instagram.com/torisho_sai/

5. Gion Torijyu-ji, a new restaurant in Gion, offers excellent food created by a craftsman with 25 years of experience in this field.

Gion Torijyu opened in August 2024, attracting much attention for its unique yakitori, which is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Mr. Yogi, who has been in the business for 25 years, uses Tosa binchotan (binchotan charcoal from Tosa), which has high heat, to grill each brand of chicken in a way that brings out the best flavor of each species. The course is composed of a balance of flavors and textures, such as the juicy Jidori chicken followed by the more resilient Gundori chicken. Enjoy the blissful moment created by our artisans.

Gion Torijusyu Cuisine

Nagoya Coach thigh meat is offered in a 12-course for 7,500 yen and a 16-course for 10,000 yen. Nagoya Cochin, also known as the king of local chickens, has a strong flavor and elastic texture. Salt from Kochi Prefecture brings out the flavor of the ingredients.

Gion Torijusyuu Interior view

Hole time / 17:00-18:00
Food menu to go along with the course / dishes using seasonal vegetables that appear in the course

Gion Torijyu

  • Gion Festival (in Kyoto during the month of July, with high point on the 17th)
  • 581-3, South side of Gion-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
  • 3 minutes walk from Exit 6 of Gion-Shijo Station, Keihan
  • Tel. 075-746-3637
  • https://www.instagram.com/kyoto_torisuzu/
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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