Heritage trail · Kyoto
Kyoto: temples, kimono and the women of the old capital
Kyoto was Japan's capital for over a thousand years. Walk from the looms that weave kimono silk to the temple lanes and teahouses where women still keep the old arts alive.
Heritage restaurants
Tables to book ahead
Heritage cooking worth planning for, with what each restaurant asks for when you book. Rules change, so check the restaurant's page before you go.
Kikunoi Honten
Three StarsKaiseki (Kyoto ryotei)
Higashiyama, near Yasaka Shrine · 459 Shimokawaracho, Shimokawara-dori, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0825, Japan
- Reservations
- Booking required
- Good to know
- Lunch arrival 12:00-12:30, dinner arrival 17:00-19:30; closed 1st and 3rd Tuesdays and around New Year; reservation lines open 10:00-22:00; opened as a ryotei in 1913
- How to book
- +81 75-561-0015
Hyotei
Three StarsKaiseki, with a famed morning menu
Nanzen-ji · 35 Nanzenji Kusagawacho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8437, Japan
- Reservations
- Booking required
- Good to know
- Meals from 2 people; lunch groups of 6 or more contact the restaurant for pricing; main store closed Wednesdays, annex closed Thursdays; cancellation for course bookings 3 days before 50%, on the day 100%; groups of 6+ 7 days before 30%, 3 days before 50%, day-of 100%; no-show 100%; over 400 years of history, began as a tea house at Nanzen-ji
- How to book
- Phone, or online via Pocket Concierge, TableCheck (main and annex) or IKYU.com (main only) · +81 75-771-4116
Gion Karyo
Kaiseki
Gion, in front of Gion Kobu Kaburenjo · 570-235 Gion-cho Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0074, Japan
- Reservations
- Booking required
- Book ahead
- Same-day booking only for the 22,000 yen course, by phone
- Deposit
- Credit card required to reserve
- Good to know
- Groups of 7 or more contact the restaurant; online booking cannot be made with elementary school children in grades 1-3 or younger, call instead; guests who cannot eat fish or are vegetarian may be refused; seat requests not guaranteed; reservation may be cancelled if unreachable 30 minutes after booked time; 10% service fee on some menus 1 Nov-8 Dec
- How to book
- TableCheck online (restaurant links to it) or phone · +81 75-532-0025
Booking details from each restaurant's official website or booking page, checked 4 Nov 2026.
What to eat
Kyoto's quiet cooking
Obanzai
Kyoto home cooking, small seasonal dishes long made by the city's women.
Yudofu
Simmered tofu from temple cooking.
Kaiseki
A seasonal tasting menu, often served at ryokan.
Matcha and wagashi
Whisked green tea with a seasonal sweet.
Where to eat and stay
Recommended tables and ryokan
Michelin picks
Kyoto tables with a story, each with a booking link.
Book a table link comingOnsen ryokan
Inns run by an okami, with booking links.
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