# What should you eat in Kyoto?

> What to eat in Kyoto: yudofu, obanzai, nishin soba, saba-zushi, yuba and Uji matcha, where to find each in Gion, Nishiki and Arashiyama, and how to order.

- Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/what-to-eat-in-kyoto
- Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries)
- Published: 2026-07-06

**Tofu, obanzai and matcha are the three things that define Kyoto food.** Kyoto was the imperial capital for over a thousand years and is ringed by Buddhist temples, so its cooking leans on tofu, yuba, pickles and vegetables rather than the fried street food Osaka is known for. We spent 4 days in Kyoto in early April 2023, between Kanazawa and 2 nights in Nara. Four days is enough to eat every dish below without rushing, if you plan lunch around the district you are sightseeing in.

## The temple and tofu foods

**Yudofu.** Blocks of soft tofu simmered in a clay pot of kombu broth, lifted out and dipped in soy with citrus and spring onion. It is plain on purpose: the point is the tofu, made with Kyoto's soft water. The classic places to eat it are the restaurants around Nanzen-ji in the east and around Tenryu-ji in Arashiyama, both temple districts with a long tofu tradition. Order it as a set; it comes with sesame tofu, tempura and rice, which is where the substance is.

**Yuba.** The skin that forms on heated soy milk, lifted off in sheets. You will meet it fresh with a little soy, rolled in soup, or over rice as yuba-don. Nishiki Market sells it, and many kaiseki and tofu restaurants in Higashiyama put it in their lunch sets. Ask for *hikiage yuba*, the fresh, just-lifted kind, if you see it.

**Shojin ryori.** The vegetarian Buddhist temple meal: no meat, no fish, no onion or garlic, built on tofu, seasonal vegetables and sesame. Several temples serve it to visitors, Tenryu-ji in Arashiyama among them. It is the easiest serious meal in Kyoto for vegetarians, though dashi elsewhere in the city is usually fish-based, so ask before assuming.

## Everyday Kyoto dishes

**Obanzai.** Kyoto home cooking: small bowls of simmered vegetables, tofu, fish and pickles, eaten with rice and miso soup. Restaurants display the day's dishes on the counter and you point. It is the best-value proper meal in the city, and the downtown streets between Shijo and Sanjo around Karasuma and Kawaramachi have the most obanzai counters. Our [3 days in Kyoto](https://clevertourists.com/guides/3-days-in-kyoto) guide has an obanzai set in its food list; for how set meals work, see [teishoku vs tonkatsu](https://clevertourists.com/resources/teishoku-vs-tonkatsu-japanese-set-meal-guide).

**Nishin soba.** Hot buckwheat noodles topped with a sweet-simmered fillet of dried herring. Kyoto is inland, so preserved fish from the Sea of Japan coast became a local staple, and this is the dish that came out of it. Look for it around Gion and the Minamiza theatre at the Shijo bridge, where the oldest soba shops sit. It is at its best in cold weather, from autumn to spring.

**Saba-zushi.** Vinegared mackerel pressed onto rice in a thick bar, then sliced. Mackerel was carried from Wakasa Bay to Kyoto along what is still called the *saba kaido*, the mackerel road. Old shops in Gion sell it to eat in or wrapped to take away, and department-store food halls stock it. A whole bar is a lot; buy a half or a few slices.

**Kyoto ramen.** Kyoto has two ramen traditions: a dark soy broth with pork fat, served at the old shops at Takabashi a short walk east of Kyoto Station, and very thick chicken broth, a style that started in Kyoto. The Ichijoji area in the northeast is the city's ramen street. If you are short on time, Kyoto Ramen Koji on the upper floors of the Kyoto Station building gathers shops from around Japan.

## Matcha, sweets and pickles

**Uji matcha.** Uji, just south of Kyoto, is one of Japan's oldest and most famous tea districts. In Kyoto you find its matcha as whisked tea with a sweet, as soft serve, as parfaits and in noodles. The stepped lanes below Kiyomizu-dera and the shopping street in Uji itself are lined with tea shops. Drink the whisked tea with the wagashi it comes with; the sweet is meant to come first.

**Wagashi and yatsuhashi.** Kyoto's tea sweets are seasonal: cherry blossom shapes in spring, maple leaves in autumn. Yatsuhashi is the city's signature souvenir, a cinnamon rice-flour sweet sold baked and crisp or as soft *nama yatsuhashi* folded around red bean paste. Every shop near Kiyomizu-dera and Kyoto Station offers free samples, so try several before you buy.

**Tsukemono.** Kyoto pickles, especially *senmaizuke* (thin-sliced turnip) and *shibazuke* (purple, with shiso), come with nearly every meal. Nishiki Market has whole shops of them and most sell small vacuum packs that survive a flight. Check what you can bring home before you buy liquid-packed ones.

**Kaiseki.** The multi-course seasonal meal Kyoto is most famous for. Dinner is expensive and booked well ahead; the same restaurants usually serve a shorter kaiseki lunch for a fraction of the price, which is the sensible way to try it. Gion, Pontocho and the Higashiyama temple area have the highest concentration.

## Nishiki Market, Pontocho and where to eat by area

**Nishiki Market** is a covered street of more than a hundred food shops running parallel to Shijo-dori between Teramachi and Takakura. Go mid-morning: most shops open from about 9 or 10am and wind down by early evening, and the lanes are tight from late morning onward. The market asks visitors not to eat while walking. Eat at the stall where you bought the food, then move on. Good things to try there: tamagoyaki (rolled omelette), tofu doughnuts, pickles, grilled skewers and yuba.

**Pontocho and Kiyamachi**, the narrow lanes between Kawaramachi and the Kamo River, are where to go for dinner, from izakaya to kaiseki. In the warmer months many Pontocho restaurants build raised wooden *yuka* platforms over the river bank for outdoor dining. Gion's main streets are for strolling; read our [Gion etiquette guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/kyoto-temple-photography-rules-and-gion-etiquette) before you photograph anyone there.

Plan meals around where you sightsee. Arashiyama means tofu and shojin ryori, Higashiyama means matcha and sweets on the way down from Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari means *inari-zushi* (rice in fried tofu pouches, named after the shrine's fox spirit) and grilled skewers on the approach street, and downtown means obanzai and Nishiki.

## Etiquette, tipping and reservations

Do not tip in Kyoto; it is not part of the culture and causes confusion. Our [tipping in Japan guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/tipping-in-japan-and-south-korea-guide) covers the rare exceptions. Many small restaurants still take cash only, so carry some yen.

Kyoto is the city where unwritten rules matter most. Do not stick chopsticks upright in rice, do not pass food chopstick to chopstick, and slurping noodles is fine. Our list of [Japan etiquette mistakes](https://clevertourists.com/resources/japan-etiquette-mistakes-tourists-make-chopsticks-trains-shoes) covers the rest. Small Gion and Pontocho restaurants may refuse walk-ins or ask for bookings through your hotel, especially for kaiseki. Reserve the one dinner you care about and keep the rest flexible.

## If you only have one day to eat in Kyoto

• **Breakfast:** Nishiki Market at about 9:30am, before the lanes fill: tamagoyaki, a skewer or two, a cup of soy milk.

• **Lunch:** a yudofu set near Nanzen-ji, or a kaiseki lunch in Gion if you want the full experience once.

• **Afternoon:** matcha and wagashi on the lanes below Kiyomizu-dera, and yatsuhashi samples.

• **Dinner:** obanzai downtown or a Pontocho izakaya, then nishin soba near the Shijo bridge if you still have room.

Kyoto is about 15 minutes from Shin-Osaka by Shinkansen and about 30 minutes from Osaka Station by JR Special Rapid, so if you want the opposite style of food, our [what to eat in Osaka](https://clevertourists.com/resources/what-to-eat-in-osaka) guide is the next stop. For how long to stay and where to base yourself, see [how many days in Kyoto](https://clevertourists.com/resources/how-many-days-in-kyoto) and [where to stay in Kyoto](https://clevertourists.com/resources/where-to-stay-in-kyoto). The national picture is in our [Japan food guide](https://clevertourists.com/guides/food-japan).

## Frequently asked questions

### What food is Kyoto famous for?

Tofu dishes such as yudofu and yuba, obanzai home cooking, matcha from nearby Uji, nishin soba with herring, saba-zushi pressed mackerel, pickles and kaiseki. It is a quieter, vegetable-led cuisine compared with Osaka.

### Can you eat while walking in Nishiki Market?

No. The market asks visitors not to eat while walking. Eat at the stall where you bought the food, then move on.

### Where is the best area to eat in Kyoto?

Downtown between Shijo and Sanjo for obanzai and Nishiki Market, Pontocho and Kiyamachi for dinner, Nanzen-ji and Arashiyama for tofu, and the lanes below Kiyomizu-dera for matcha and sweets.

### Is kaiseki in Kyoto worth it?

Yes, once, and lunch is the sensible way to try it. The same restaurants usually serve a shorter kaiseki lunch for a fraction of the dinner price.

### Do you tip in Kyoto restaurants?

No. Tipping is not part of the culture in Kyoto, and many small restaurants are cash only, so carry some yen.