Food is a big part of trip, isn’t it? Here is a list of best restaurant, bakery, cafe, in Arashiyama, Kyoto where you can have Kyoto’s signature food, wagyu beef, cute breads, Japanese sweets, Matcha, coffee, etc.
What to Eat in Arashiyama, Kyoto?
There are a lot of restaurants, cafes and shops in Arashiyama area, it’s difficult to choose where to go, especially after walking around to explore in the crowd. I believe it’s good to have some ideas in advance, at least.
Best Restaurant in Arashiyama
I’d like to suggest some places where you can enjoy Kyoto vibes, i mean either in food or place (environment) because you travel to Kyoto!
Here are some restaurants that I’d recommend you from my experience and my friends’ opinions.
Kijuro : Wagyu Beef
Kijuro is a perfect restaurant to enjoy Wagyu with Japanese style garden if you are a meat lover! It might be a bit difficult to find because it’s not on the street, but that’s why you can have a nice calm moment at this restaurant. Especially after walking around many tourists.
I had Wagyu Yakiniku Bento which was “Today’s Lunch Special”. ( It looks like bento To-Go usually, but we could have it at restaurant ) Wagyu was as perfect as it could be and their Dashimaki Tamago (Egg Roll) is so soft and tastes great!
- 11:00am – 8:30pm（L.O.7:30pm）
- English Menu : Available
Instagram : ＠arashiyama_kijurou
Maikohan Arashiyama : Tempura
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Maikohan is a place where you can have some kinds of Tempura! Tempura is one of famous Japanese foods, and people would think it’s greasy, however it’s usually very light texture.
Maikohan in Kanji means “Maiko + meal”. The tempura here at Maikohan is a bite size which literally is food for Maiko who eats with their mouth open a little bit ( they don’t open their mouth much ).
If you order 16 sets of Tempura lunch, you can choose 8 out of 16 by yourself.
- 11:00am – 4:30pm（LO 3:00pm）
- Cash Only
- Reservation Needed *Noted Cancel Fee charged if cancel on the day
- Online Reservation Available (Japanese)
Maikohan Arashiyama – Official site (Japanese)
Gyatei : Obanzai
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Obanzai means home-cooking dishes (side dishes) in Kyoto, and you can try it at this restaurant. They have some of small plates of side dish, rice, and soup. It might be new for you because a lot of people go eat Japanese food, mainly Sushi, Udon / Soba noodle, ramen, etc at restaurant. It’s not only looking beautiful, but also well-balanced.
Gyatei has a set of 9 small plates and 12 small plates. It comes with rice and miso soup.
Best Bakery in Arashiyama
You can find bakeries in Arashiyama, it’s quite popular!
Bread & Espresso & Arashiyama Garden
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It’s very popular restaurant from Tokyo, although this shop in Arashiyama is made at Kyu (Former) Kobayashi Family house which is 210 years old building. They remodeled it but still a lot of parts remains.
The popular menu, Matcha French Toast is only served in this Arashiyama shop from 2 pm! As of now, April 2022, check it out on their instagram (above).
- Cafe 8:00〜18:00(L.O17:00)
- Bakery 10:00〜18:00
Bread & Espresso & Arashiyama Garden
Sakura Miffy Bakery
If you like cute stuff, you want to go to Miffy Sakura Bakery! It’s nice to get some and bring back to hotel for breakfast next day if it’s cool outside.
- 10am – 6pm
- 5 minutes from Arashiyama Station
Best Cafe / Coffee Shop in Arashiyama
It’s nice to stop by a cafe to rest for a bit while exploring. Here is
Ex Cafe
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They have Japanese sweets at Ex Cafe, it’s a main shop in Arashiyama. It’s remodeled the Japanese-style house, so you can enjoy the building itself, too.
Their parfait and Dango are popular, however they have other authentic Japanese sweets like Kuzukiri, Warabi mochi, etc. Also Matcha drink, of course!
- Weekdays 10 am – 6 pm（L.O5:30）
- Weekends & Holiday 8 am – 6 pm（L.O5:30）
- Business hour might be changed, check their instagram @excafe_official/
% Arabica Kyoto Arashiyama
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It’s a coffee shop from Kyoto! Now they have shops all over the world. The concept is “See the world through coffee”, that is coming from the founder’s life. It’s on the riverside so you can have a good river view with a cup of coffee!
Kyoto Signature Food Guide
More >> Kyoto Travel Guide Blog
Hope you enjoy your time with good kyoto food at restaurant, cafe and/or bakery in Arashiyama!
