Places to eat in Kyoto

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We happened to be going thru Kyoto station and were looking for a place to eat, so we went to the information board and saw a Grill Skewers restaurant ... located on the 10th floor above the Istean department store ..... upon entering we were given an English menu with photo's on them ....

Had some mushroom, chicken, shrimp and beef skewer's .... the prices were fair about 300 yens each skewer's and I had the best draft beer on my entire trip here ... I didn't get the name but it was a local Kyoto beer but I took a photo of it .....

Also since your the 10th floor you get awesome views of Kyoto ....

Looking for a fast and cheap place then you can't go wrong here !!!!

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When speaking to other travelers one of the first questions I get is always .... how's the food and how do you order .....

So I must say .... English is the international language of tourism ... just like English is the language of business, education, aviation, etc, etc.,

The Japanese people understand that speaking and reading Japanese for a non native is difficult. So they have made it a point in putting up signs everywhere a tourist and traveler might venture to in English.

And restaurants all over Japan have photo menu's ... Kyoto being a big destination is no exception. But patience and good manners go a long way in Japan ...... So when ordering pointing and smiling also works wonder ...... We entered numerous restaurants where no one spoke English and we had no problem ordering and eating .......

So when your on the run, don't be scared or intimidated by stopping in at a restaurant in the train station, the bigger the station the more selection you get .....

And eating in the train station saves you time and money ...... a big concern while in Japan since it's an very expensive travel destination !!!!!

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A casual atmosphere and reasonably priced food make this tiny place popular. Omen (vegetable udon) is the specialty, and the house's traditional style is to serve the wheat noodles in a flat wooden bowl, the sauce in a pottery bowl, the vegetables delicately arranged (sushi style) on a handmade platter with a bowl of sesame seeds alongside. You dip and mix yourself, unlike at other udon shops where it all arrives like a stew swimming in one bowl. Tempura, sushi, lightly fried tofu, and kamonasu dengaku (fried eggplant topped with a rich miso sauce) are among the other dishes offered.

We had Noodles with shrimp and bamboo shoots and some type of green vegetable !!!! It was great ... Very casual ... and they provide an English menu.

The portions are huge, 2 people can eat from 1 order !!!!

Ban Rim Naam is a Thai restaurant in Shijo. The menu is quite lengthy, perhaps a little too big. It was difficult trying to sift through and find exactly what I wanted and then going back through again took some time. Many of the dishes contained fried foods but with the size of the menu, you should be able to find something you like. The food was quite good. I like spicy foods and the soup I ordered was quite spicy and had a lot of flavor.

Perhaps the only downside is that the portions are a bit small so if you order one dish you will likely leave hungry. Of course, you could always order multiple dishes, but then you will also pay more. Still, the taste is good.

Somushi is a Teahouse and as such serves tea and a few small set meals. It is owned by an artist whose fabric works are displayed therein.

Favorite Dish: I had the vegetarian meal [pictured], which was very delicious and tasty. My tea was ginger-pomegranate.

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While the specialty of this restaurant is "silken tofu", the meal we were served was much more than that. I don't know the prices as the meal was included in our tour, but on the whole Kyoto is less expensive than Tokyo.

Favorite Dish: The tuna and yellowtail sashimi.

Himalaya is a Nepalese restaurant serving a handful of curry dishes and other popular South Asian foods. The naan here is excellent; in particular, the cheese naan is delicious! I've been to a few different South Asian restaurants in Kyoto and so far, Himalaya has been the best. The food can take a bit long to prepare and food is sometimes brought to the table as it is prepared rather than altogether but it's worth the wait. The ambiance is very nice here, as well. You sit on cushions on the floor around a low-lying table and there are lanterns on the ceiling providing a slightly-dimmed light. There are also South Asian motifs and artwork on the walls. Some international alcohols are available, including Nepalese beer, although the Nepalese beer is often out of stock since many customers order it.

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Sen Mon Ten is a small, dainty place where the gyoza is prepared on the counter by a lady wearing surgical mask and gloves. We stumbled upon this place in our meanderings from the Kiyomizu to Gion, drawn by the claim that its gyoza was ranked 5th among 60 establishments in 2010.

Favorite Dish: People come for the gyoza. It is bite-sized, its wrapper a golden sheen, firm but not crispy. The filling was subtly tasty. The waiter taught us how to mix the soy sauce/vinegar dip.

1. Dip the gyoza in soy sauce/vinegar. 2. Pop it into your mouth. 3. Chew. 4. Take a chopstick-ful of steamed rice. 5. Chase down with a Kirin. 6. Repeat the process.