Many people go to Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto for their first shrine visit of the New Year. They look forward to visiting the nearby Kodaiji Temple and Kiyomizu-dera Temple, strolling through the historical townscape, and enjoying somewhat luxurious, delicious foods at Kyoto-style restaurants. Here are some restaurants in the highly popular Gion and Yasaka Shrine areas that guests will absolutely want to make reservations for.
Japanese Cuisine - Kyoto Cuisine Jikishinbo Saiki
Enjoy the Kyoto mood and exquisite flavors, as well as luxurious moments, at this long-standing restaurant that has been around for 80 years since its founding.
Located an 8-minute walk from Gion-Shijo Station. Kyoto Cuisine Jikishinbo Saiki is in an alley close to Yasaka Shrine and is a long-standing restaurant that has been around for 80 years since its founding. The tasteful interior in a renovated, 60-year-old building has a counter with chair seats, a counter in a tatami room, and semi-private rooms with tables. Guests who want to try the epitome of Japanese cooking should sit at a counter. Being immersed in the cooking of the food before one's eyes and enjoying conversation with the chef deepens the enjoyment of the food.
At this restaurant, guests can enjoy Kyoto cuisine, in which the real charms are drawn out with careful preparation of the carefully selected ingredients, as well as chef's choice courses. Examples of this preparation include directly stocking vegetables from contracted farmers in Kyoto and adding paper salt (this technique involves wrapping the food in water-wetted Japanese paper and sprinkling salt on top of the paper) to fish in the sashimi, which uses seasonal fish. For their rice, they use high-quality Nitamai rice cooked in an earthenware pot. In addition, there is hotpot cuisine available (reservations are required for groups of 4 or more and for orders 2 days or more in advance). It is prepared by the owner himself when one goes to the tatami room counter, which is limited to one group per day. This hotpot has amazing flavors that can't be tasted in everyday life.
Kyoto Cuisine Jikishinbo Saiki
Closed: Wednesday
Average price: [Lunch] 14,000 JPY
Access: 8 minutes walk from Gion-Shijo Station
Address: 441 Kamibentencho, Yasaka Torii Mae Sagaru, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Map
More Details Reservation
Chinese Cuisine - Ching Ming Gion Branch
This restaurant offers the luxury of enjoying authentic Chinese food while gazing at Gion and Yasaka Shrine.
Located a 5-minute walk from Gion-Shijo Station. Ching Ming Gion Branch is located on 5F of a building on Hanamikoji-dori Street, the main street of Gion. This restaurant lets guests taste classic Beijing cuisine that has been beloved by locals for many years. Its interior has an extremely high-class, relaxing atmosphere. From the window seats, one can gaze at the Gion townscape. At night, spend a mature time enjoying authentic Chinese food and Shaoxing wine while gazing at the illuminated Yasaka Shrine.
Their menu options have classic, delicious flavors that guests will absolutely want to try. These include the Babao Yakisoba, which boasts a deep-rooted popularity since the restaurant's founding; the Shrimp Boiled in Chili Sauce, with rich sauce and plump textures; and the Whitefish and Egg White Saute, which lets guests taste the textures of the fluffy egg whites and rich yolks. For those who want to enjoy luxurious ingredients, the Shark Fin Sauce Fried Rice Soy Sauce Flavor with Crab Meat is especially recommended. The staff adds the sauce to the fried rice on a hot ceramic plate before guests' eyes.
Ching Ming Gion Branch
Closed: None
Average price: [Lunch] 1,000 JPY
Access: 5 minutes walk from Gion Shijo Station
Address: 5F, Yasaka Gion Bldg., 268 Gion-cho kitagawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Map
More Details Reservation
Japanese Cuisine - Kappo Yoshizen
Guests can comfortably enjoy dish after dish of seasonal foods with elaborate flavors in a Kyoto-style space.
The Chef's Choice Kaiseki courses let guests enjoy menus that change depending on the season and the stock that day. For the ingredients, the restaurant head goes himself to Nishiki Market every morning. There, he carefully inspects natural seafood from the nearby sea and Japan Sea, as well as vegetables from all over Japan, including Kyoto vegetables. In addition, he gets extremely fresh seafood from a fish wholesaler called Katsugi, which directly stocks its inventory at ports and fishermen. Enjoy the true value of carefully prepared Japanese flavors with carefully selected seasonal ingredients.
Kappo Yoshizen
Japanese Cuisine - Washiomachi Hotaru
Join the ranks of food connoisseurs at this Kyoto counter-style Japanese restaurant that guests want to boast about knowing about.
Located a 10-minute walk from Gion-Shijo Station. Close to Yasaka Shrine, Washiomachi Hotaru is in a corner lined with long-standing restaurants. This restaurant, which is made from a renovated townhouse and has a Kyoto-style atmosphere, has just 8 counter seats, and is an old-fashioned Japanese style that foodies can freely visit. Enjoy the authentic Japanese cuisine using copious amounts of seasonal ingredients that show off the skill of the restaurant head, who has dedicated himself to Japanese cuisine for 35 years.
Washiomachi Hotaru
Sushi - Kyo Gion Hikohachi
A convenient location when returning from shrine visits. Guests can freely enjoy delicious seafood and Japanese food.
Located a 10-minute walk from Gion-Shijo Station. Kyo Gion Hikohachi is in an excellent location close to Yasui Konpira Shrine, famous for its relationship-breaking and matchmaking, and along Higashioji-dori Street near Yasaka Shrine. They have counter and table seats, as well as private rooms with sunken kotatsu tables that can be used by 4 to 8 people, which give off a home-like feel. At this restaurant, guests can enjoy Japanese cuisine and sushi made with carefully selected seasonal ingredients at affordable prices.
They have a rich variety of Japanese cuisine and sushi that use carefully selected seasonal ingredients every season, as well as individual foods that go well with sake. The restaurant head goes to a central wholesale market in Kyoto every day, which gathers fish from all over Japan and stocks mainly natural fish with careful consideration given to Japanese domestic products. They boast hotpot cuisine, with conger eel in early summer and fugu and crab in the winter. For lunch on shrine visit days, the luxurious Hikohachi Two-Step Rice Bowl, which has an assortment of around 12 seasonal toppings, is highly recommended.
Kyo Gion Hikohachi
Average price: [Lunch] 1,500 JPY
Access: 10 minutes walk from Gion Shijo Station
Address: 44-16 Bishamon-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Map
More Details Reservation
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