Delectable Diversity at These 11 Kyoto Station Restaurants

Umekoji Park Cafe offers genuine oven-baked pizza in a posh cafe environment. Enjoy neapolitan pizza made with fresh homemade dough and seasonal Kyoto-grown vegetables. The restaurant also offers terrace seating, making it an ideal location to relax with a coffee, and there is a park nearby for families with young children. It’s just one of many restaurants near Kyoto station accessible on foot.

Dinner: Varies / Lunch: 600 JPY

One of the best restaurants near Kyoto Station, Goichi Pizza features traditional pizza fired up in a brick oven and served with nostalgia in a cute, informal environment. Their ever-popular margherita pizza features a crispy crust made with just the right amount of yeast for a tender and delicious mouthfeel. Be sure to also try the house specialty “Homemade Oil-Pickled Sardine Pizza,” featuring sardines marinated in olive oil for a mature flavor that pairs perfectly with an alcoholic beverage.

Dinner: 2,500 JPY

While it is perfectly fine to choose one of many Kyoto Station restaurants, some culinary wonders are just minutes away. A six-minute walk will bring you to Korean Dining Mison, which specializes in Korean home-cooked style food, using the best of local Kyoto ingredients. Enjoy Beef Tendon, made with a family recipe that has been handed down for generations.

Dinner: 3,500 JPY

Those with hearty appetites are sure to appreciate Japanese-style barbecue at Yakiniku no Bunya. Dishes like Salty Beef Tongue and Thickly-Sliced Sirloin feature tender and juicy meat sourced from domestic Japanese black cattle, while the Homemade Japanese Beef Tail Soup is stewed for over ten hours until the soup is brimming with collagen and nutrients. The restaurant plays soothing jazz music to help customers relax, a soothing complement to a fine meal.

Dinner: 3,500 JPY

An elegant meal is in store for those dining at Jumelles 29, which specializes in French cuisine. The extensive menu offers around 60 different items, from hors d’oeuvres to desserts, but the main focus is meat dishes that pair well with wine. Jumelles 29 prides itself on its use of exquisite Ozaki beef, procured directly from the Ozaki ranch where cattle are reared in a stress-free environment, giving the meat a distinctly intense and savory flavor. In addition to the succulent Ozaki beef, be sure to try their signature Rich Sea Urchin Custard with Garlic Toast for superb sea urchin served on top of freshly baked Kyoto bread.

Dinner: 4,000 JPY

No trip to Kyoto would be complete without an excellent Japanese meal. Kyoto Ichoya provides just that, enhancing the use of classic Kyoto ingredients with a nod to modern sensibilities. Enjoy dishes such as soba noodles, elegant in their simplicity, topped with layers of yuba (tofu skin), a traditional ingredient of Kyoto. The flavor of the yuba works wonders in culinary concert with the soba! The menu also includes original dishes such as Yuba Omurice (fried rice topped with omelet), Fresh Spring Rolls Wrapped in Yuba, and Yuba Natto Donburi (rice topped with tofu skin and fermented soybeans), a dish as quintessentially Kyoto as they come.

Dinner: 3,000 JPY / Lunch: 800 JPY

Don’t miss gastro pub dining at the stylish yet reasonably-priced izakaya Enmado. Specialties include Kyoto’s traditional “obanzai” home-cooked dishes made with seasonal local area vegetables. The menu changes daily according to availability and to the chef's expertise. The famous Chicken Wing Bomber, an acclaimed dish featuring chicken wings cooked with a special sweet and spicy flavoring, also comes highly recommended.

Dinner: 3,500 JPY

At Ginnan, another of the great parade of restaurants near Kyoto Station, experience a range of creations made with namafu, a type of traditional Japanese seitan (wheat protein), from basic dishes like Namafu Dengaku (namafu baked and coated with miso) or Deep-fried Namafu to original creations like Western-style Eggplant with Shrimp Yuba Covered in Thick ‘An’ Sauce, a light yet full-flavored dish. Ginnan uses other traditional ingredients like yuba, as well, which gives it the air of a classic Kyoto restaurant. Their popular Yuba Soba (dried tofu noodles) and Kyoto-style Teriyaki Pizza with Yuba and Nama-fu are both huge hits.

Dinner: 3,000 JPY

Visit Shinkiro for Japanese cuisine imbued with a sense of history. Located in an old wooden house complete with traditional tatami flooring, Shinkiro offers delectable dishes conscientiously prepared before guests in an open kitchen. Their ingredients are sourced primarily from the Kyoto area and are always extremely fresh, with vegetables provided by a local green grocer. The rice used at Shinkiro is a blend of Kyotamba and Omi, for a fluffy texture that provides a delicious accompaniment to any dish. The restaurant takes great pride in their Kyoto Duck Liver Simmered in Sweet Broth, a moist, tender, and extremely flavorful dish that pairs perfectly with Japanese sake.

Dinner: 4,000 JPY / Lunch: 1,000 JPY

Though not technically a Kyoto Station restaurant, cafe&dining fleur Kyoto is just one minute away from everything, thus providing a relaxing environment in which to pause and take a break from the hustle and bustle of exploring the ancient capital city.

Dinner: 2,000 JPY / Lunch: 1,000 JPY

While the wooden building that houses RISTORANTE MISATO may seem like a traditional Japanese restaurant, it is in fact home to an incredibly elegant Italian restaurant that’s the perfect location to celebrate any special occasion. RISTORANTE MISATO specializes in refined flavors and aromas, with adjustments made to the ingredients and seasonings of each dish so that it pairs beautifully with the wine that the customer has on the table. Don’t miss the Carpaccio of Smoked Scallops, featuring Hokkaido scallops smoked with a blend of Italian wood chips. This is just another restaurant that makes choosing where to eat near Kyoto Station so deliciously difficult.

Whether they are conveniently located nearby or right inside the building itself, Kyoto Station restaurants hold delicious culinary wonders for every taste and occasion. Whether just arriving, exploring the town, or heading back home, epicurean explorers are sure to be satisfied. For a full guide to the best food beyond the station, throughout Kyoto and all across the country, be sure to check out Savor Japan's listing of restaurants near Kyoto station.