Kyoto is in everybody's itinerary because its hands down the most beautiful and cultural city in Japan but somehow the food side of it, is less spoken about. But people from Osaka would travel to Kyoto because some of the yummiest restaurants are found in Kyoto!
Here are my top picks!
This was one of the best dining experience I had in my life. It's probably around 300 USD per person (in cash as its often the case in high-end restaurants in Kyoto). If you want to experience a true Japanese Kappo dinner, I would highly suggest it. It's definitely not a mainstream restaurant where you will find all the tourists. Instead, its one of those places where famous Kabuki actors go after their show! Super high-end, super good!
One-man show with only counter seats. This is one of those great value for money kinda place as dinner is priced around 50-70USD per person but you eat the freshest Japanese ingredient cooked in the finest way!
This is a 2 Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant. It's fancy, its hard to book, and its damn good! If you want the full experience, then go for dinner at around 300 USD per person but lunch at around 80 USD per person is a great deal to experience this fine-dining restaurant.
This is the restaurant that my grandmother was going when SHE was a student! And it has not changed the way it looks (except for the bathroom) since then! It's a Kyoto-cuisine with a very beautiful traditional interior. I suggest the bento box which comes with some seasonal dishes, special kind of Miso-soup and rice. The appearance of Bento is so beautiful that you won't be able to dig in without insta-storying it!!
If you are a beef-lover and want an ultimate beef experience, you must go here! Tucked away in the back-street of Hanami Koji, this little paradise on earth will fulfil your every beef dream!
Established in 1465, this soba restaurant is an institution! They even used to deliver to the Imperial Palace in the 1700s when the Imperial family lived in Kyoto. It's full of local soba lovers so be ready to queue for a bit!
Located inside the Nanzenji temple, this is the first yodofu restaurant in all of Japan. If you want a healthy meal of tofu simmered in hot water, overlooking the Japanese zen garden, include this restaurant in your trip!
If you like Japanese sweets, TORAYA is one of the oldest and most renowned Japanese sweet stores. When the imperial family moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, Toraya also moved their headquarter to Tokyo to continue serving the royal family! The location is a little bit out of the way but it has a garden that you can overlook as you enjoy yummy matcha & Japanese sweets!