Update-date: Feb 15 2024
Tempura is one of the most popular Japanese dishes. Tempura is a typical Japanese dish with a range of fans, regardless of age or nationality. Here, we have selected five authentic tempura restaurants in Kyoto. If you visit Kyoto for business or sightseeing, you should definitely visit them. They will introduce you to a different world of tempura.
Teramachi - Tominokoji Tempura Matsui
Enjoy authentic Kyoto-style tempura as a unique joy
Located a 5-minute walk from Karasuma-Oike Subway Station, this restaurant offers a tempura set meal unique to Kyoto. The warm, wooden interior with an attention-grabbing white wooden counter gives the restaurant a serious feel. At the counter, you can enjoy watching the tempura as it is fried and chat with the owner. You can also order the recommended tempura and enjoy a drink.
You can enjoy authentic Kyoto-style tempura at a reasonable price featuring the finest ingredients of the day, such as live prawns and fresh fish from the fish tank as well as vegetables from Kyoto. The restaurant offers a set meal that allows you to fully enjoy seasonal ingredients and skilled preparation, as well as seasonal tempura bowls and special lunches. Why not have a good time with a glass of local sake from Kyoto?
Tominokoji Tempura Matsui
Open: Lunch 11:30 am - 3:00 pm (L.O. 2:30 pm) / Dinner 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm (L.O. 9:00 pm)
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 8,000 JPY / [Lunch] 2,000 JPY
Access: From Karasuma Oike Station, take Exit 5 and head east on Sanjo Street, then turn right at Tominokoji Street, and it's a one-minute walk.
Address: 1F, Tominokoji Mansion, 540, Asakura-cho, Sanjo-sagaru, Tominokoji, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Map
More Details Reservation
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 8,000 JPY / [Lunch] 2,000 JPY
Access: From Karasuma Oike Station, take Exit 5 and head east on Sanjo Street, then turn right at Tominokoji Street, and it's a one-minute walk.
Address: 1F, Tominokoji Mansion, 540, Asakura-cho, Sanjo-sagaru, Tominokoji, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Map
Nishijin - Tenki
Enjoy traditional flavors in a beautiful and serene setting
Tenki is located in Nishijin, Kyoto. Founded in 1933, Tenki is known as the first restaurant in Japan to offer "tempura haute cuisine," a fusion of Kyoto-style cuisine and tempura. The restaurant has 10 private rooms, large and small, overlooking a Japanese garden in a Japanese setting reminiscent of a tea house. Counter seating is available without reservations, so come and enjoy a long-standing restaurant's flavors in a relaxed atmosphere.
The restaurant strictly selects seasonal ingredients such as fresh fish purchased directly from fishing ports and vegetables sent directly from contracted farmers. With ingredients that are properly deep-fried, the Tempura is a delight that allows you to enjoy the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves. In addition to prawns and Awaji conger (eel), pike conger is served in the summer. The Bowl of Boiled Food is full of the charm of Kyoto cuisine, with its elegant broth. Please try it as part of a set meal.
Tenki
Open: [Sunday,Tuesday - Saturday,Holidays,Day Before Holidays] 11:30 - 20:00 (last order 19:00)
Closed: Monday
Average price: [Dinner] 8,000 JPY / [Lunch] 5,000 JPY
Address: 89 Jozenjicho, Senbondori Imadegawa Agaru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Map
More Details Reservation
Closed: Monday
Average price: [Dinner] 8,000 JPY / [Lunch] 5,000 JPY
Address: 89 Jozenjicho, Senbondori Imadegawa Agaru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Map
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Katsuragawa - Kyoto Tempura Kawatatsu
Light Kyoto-style tempura in a traditional Kyoto-style room
A 15-minute walk from JR Katsuragawa Station, this well-known restaurant is located by the Katsuragawa River, a short distance from the center of Kyoto. After passing through the elegant white curtain, you find yourself in a relaxing setting with a Japanese atmosphere. All of the seating is at sunken kotatsu tables, so you can enjoy your meal without worrying about your feet. This is the perfect place to visit for entertaining clients and dinners as well as for times when you want to grow closer to others, such as banquets with close friends, family dinners, and dates.
A variety of set meals are offered, including seasonal vegetables from Kyoto and fresh seasonal seafood, served in a light Kyoto-style tempura. The beautifully arranged Shrimp Tempura features two freshly fried crispy prawns served with your choice of salt or tempura sauce. Made with Naruto Kintoki sweet potatoes from Tokushima Prefecture and deep-fried at a low temperature for about 30 minutes, the Sweet Potato Tempura is another favorite dish.
Kyoto Tempura Kawatatsu
Address: 65 Kuzekawahara-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Access: 15 minutes walk from Katsuragawa Station
Kawaramachi - Tempura Shinjuku Tsunahachi Kyoto Branch
A restaurant founded in 1924 with a long-beloved taste
Tsunahachi in Kyoto is located on the 7th floor of Kyoto Takashimaya Department Store, near Hankyu Kyoto Kawaramachi Station. Founded in 1924, this long-standing restaurant has long been beloved for its reliable flavors. The calm setting with Japanese touches has counter seats that are popular among single customers as well as private rooms and booth seats where you can relax in peace and quiet. This is a place to remember where you can enjoy a meal while shopping or for casually entertaining clients or dinners.
The chef himself carefully selects ingredients at the Kyoto Central Market. Some of the seafood is purchased live and some is processed to order, ensuring freshness and deliciousness. The restaurant is particular about the oil they use to fry tempura, using their original blend of fresh pressed Taihaku sesame oil. Their original blend of oil provides both “savory” and “light” flavors and is light and easy to eat. Be sure to try their signature dishes such as Seaweed-wrapped Sea Urchin and Fried Clams.
Tempura Shinjuku Tsunahachi Kyoto Branch
Address: 7F, Kyoto Takashimaya, 52 Nishiriru Shincho, Shijo-dori Kawaramachi, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Access: 1 minute walk from Kawaramachi Station
Access: 1 minute walk from Kawaramachi Station
Gion - Kyoboshi
Encounter tempura like no other in which techniques passed down from generation to generation shine through
A 4-minute walk from Gion-Shijo Station on the Keihan Line, Kyoboshi is tucked away on a small street in Gion. It was familiar to those in the know as a restaurant specializing in tempura for three generations, but it gained wide appeal both in Japan and abroad after it was listed in the Michelin Guide. With only 10 seats at the counter, it is a perfect setting to call a hideaway. Please enjoy the exquisite delicacies along with the joy of being invited to a special place and being embraced by the friendly smiles of the owner and his wife.
The menu consists only of a 12,000-yen set meal with 17 to 18 dishes. In addition to freshness and quality, ingredients "that would be delicious in tempura" are carefully selected according to their size, tenderness, and season. The fish are positioned like they are swimming and the beans are molded into shapes. The elaborate presentation is also a delight of the dishes. The batter is egg-free, so the fish is lightly fried, and the tempura is provided without tempura sauce. It is served with sweet and tasty salt and citrus juice.
Kyoboshi
Open: [Weekdays, Saturday, National Holidays, Day before National Holidays] 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm (L.O. 8:00 pm)
Closed: Sunday
Average price: [Dinner] 15,000 JPY
Access: 384 meters from Gionshijo Station
Address: 1F, Futaba Bldg., Hanamikoji-Sueyoshicyo-Higashiiru, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Map
More Details
Closed: Sunday
Average price: [Dinner] 15,000 JPY
Access: 384 meters from Gionshijo Station
Address: 1F, Futaba Bldg., Hanamikoji-Sueyoshicyo-Higashiiru, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Map
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Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.
