Eat the city: Kyoto

Once the cultural and political heart of Japan, Kyoto has culinary traditions that are as rich as its history. The ancient capital’s cuisine is famous for spotlighting local ingredients, including delicious sake and tofu made with its soft water, and the nutrient-rich heirloom kyoyasai vegetables grown in the prefecture. From luxurious kaiseki feasts and seasonal and home-style obanzai meals to shops specialising in pickles or soba noodles, the city offers plenty of ways to enjoy the flavours of nature’s bounty. .

1. Kyosaimi Nomura

A beautifully presented traditional Japanese breakfast is the best way to start your day in Kyoto. At Kyosaimi Nomura , which has a couple of branches in the city, diners select several obanzai dishes from a display case to build their own meal. Popular dishes include colourful, seasonal kyoyasai options cooked with Fushimi water and Rausu kombu, whose umami flavours bring out the vegetables’ natural sweetness. Complete with rice, miso soup and small sides featuring myriad seafood and meat, this nourishing meal will give you the energy you need to trek around the city’s beautiful sights. 

2. Seiwasou

A visit to Kyoto would not be complete without an elegant multi-course kaiseki meal, where seasonal ingredients are artfully presented on exquisite vessels to reflect the time of year. Located in the laid-back neighbourhood of Fushimi, Seiwasou offers the ideal backdrop for this elegant feast. After settling in at one of the private rooms overlooking a traditional Japanese garden, you’re served a multitude of edible artworks featuring plenty of local vegetables and seafood at a leisurely pace, all meticulously prepared to accentuate their natural flavours. Short on time? The restaurant offers an abbreviated kaiseki lunch set on weekdays. 

3. Sanmikouan

Located in the historic Higashiyama district, Sanmikouan is a casual restaurant specialising in handmade soba buckwheat noodles. Inside the century-old heritage building, you’ll try a range of hot and cold soba dishes with various side dishes and toppings, including tempura, roast duck and Kujo negi leeks, as well as seasonal specialities. Tip: ask for a table on the patio in the summer, where you can enjoy the view of a nearby stream and even spot fireflies dancing around the greenery in the evening. 

4. Kintame

Kyoto is famous for a variety of tsukemono, or vegetables pickled in a combination of salt, sweet vinegar, miso, nuka rice bran and other such ingredients and seasonings. At Kintame , a café and shop specialising in everything pickled, you can try regional specialities, such as the thin-sliced turnip senmaizuke and the magenta-hued salty-sour shibazuke featuring aubergine, cucumber and purple shiso leaves. Order the signature grilled gindara, or miso-marinated cod, which is served alongside rice, soup and about a dozen small portions of pickles. 

5. Ippodo

Established in 1717, Ippodo is one of the oldest teahouses originating in Kyoto and now has multiple locations across the country. The brand’s teaware, Uji-Shimizu matcha powder and loose tea leaves and teabags make the perfect souvenirs for tea connoisseur friends back home. Head to Ippodo’s main store near the Kyoto Imperial Palace to stock up on gifts and enjoy a matcha soy latte or hojicha green tea at the recently refurbished tearoom before you go.

6. Kacto

Some of the trendiest restaurants and bars in Kyoto are located along the Kamo River. One of them is Kacto , a casual all-day dining café set in a traditional wooden townhouse. It offers comfort food with a Japanese spin, such as a wagyu mince katsu sandwich, pan-roasted salmon filet with sake cream sauce, and black sesame panna cotta with maple mascarpone cream sauce. If it’s a nice day, book a table on the patio (open from May to September) to soak up the sun and views of the river at this restaurant with a view. 

7. Katsukura

With multiple branches across the country, the Kyoto-based Katsukura restaurant specialises in tonkatsu fried pork cutlets. Crispy, juicy slices of pork are dipped into the restaurant’s house-made sauce, featuring red wine, jujube and apple, and mixed with ground sesame seeds for a sweet, nutty flavour. Not a fan of meat? Vegetarian options, such as the deep- fried yuba (tofu skin) and vegetable roll, and yuba croquettes, are also available.