A small, family run shop that makes excellent Okonomiyaki. They don’t speak much english, but do have english menus available.

On Sanjo-Dori, 2 blocks west of the Westin Miyako Kyoto on the North side of the street.

Order the Okonomiyaki (a pizza-like dish made with eggs, vegetables, meat and plenty of oil!) and it will be grilled at the table. The Yakisoba is also good. The soda bottles have a little marble in it. Fun.

Small bakery filled with traditional buns and Japanese sweets.

The small bakery is on the west side of Shirakawa-dori, around Imadegawa-dori.

Perfect place to stop for breakfast or a snack as you walk up Shirakawa-dori to the Philospher’s path. The sugar buns are highly recommended (be warned, some are filled with curry!). If you miss this bakery, keep walking north along Shirakawa-dori and you’re sure to run into many more bakeries (a patisserie and gift-shop is just north of Yamata Bakery)

A traditional ramen shop packed with Japanese hurriedly slurping down noodles.

Take the subway to Imadegawa station and walk west 1/2 block along Imadegawa-dori. Tenkaippin is on the south side of Imadegawa-dori between Muromachi and Karasuma. The entrance to the shop is down a little alley next to vending machines. Look up above the buildings for the sign if you have a hard time finding it.

This place is popular among locals who wait patiently in line outside the sliding door to get in. Tourists are not common here, so stand in line and pretend like you know what you’re doing. When the door attendant gets to you, signal how many people are in your party and wait to be called in. Once inside you may be asked to order before even sitting down to keep everything moving quickly. Point to something you want to order and enjoy. Eat quickly and slurp loudly, this is a fun, authentic place for a quick ramen lunch.

Toraya has been making traditional Japanese confectionery since the 16th century. They keep the Imperial family stocked with beautifully designed, impressively made sweets.

On Karasuma-Dori on the NorthWest side of the Imperial Palace. There is no English sign outside the Kyoto shop so just keep your eye out for a shop with a long counter full of sweets.

After picking out your favorite confections, enter the Imperial Palace across the street and eat while sitting in the garden (tables are available).
Toraya is worth a visit, but it is not as impressive as expected considering their long history and reputation. There are many other great sweets shops in Kyoto with better tasting sweets at a less expensive price.

Sushi is loaded on a conveyor belt that runs throughout the restaurant. You grab what looks good as it goes by your table. Great for people who don’t speak Japanese since you don’t actually have to order.

Take the subway to the Keihan-Sanjo station and walk west along Sanjo-dori. The sushi place is located on the Southwest corner of Sanjo-dori and Kawaramachi-dori. No signs out front, just look for lines of people.

You don’t have to speak Japanese to order, but you do have to be familiar with the customs of the restaurant in order to get seated. The place is always busy, so you have to put your name down on a piece of paper to “sign in”. You will probably have the only name on the list written in western characters, so the hostess will know to look for a gaijin even if they’re not able to pronounce your name. When you sign in there will be two columns – sign your name in the left column if you want a table, sign in the right column if you want a counter seat only.
Once you are seated you make your own tea with tea bags on the counter and cups provided overhead. Grab whatever sushi you like as it passes by—you will be charged based on the color of the plate. Once you are done with the meal, push the round button by your seat and someone will come up and tally up your bill.

Bufftet breakfast at the hotel.

If you are tired of Japanese food, the buffet breakfast at the Westin Kyoto will have all the comforts of home – eggs, bacon, french toast, etc.

551 Horai is well known for the meat buns that they sell to-go. Try the butaman—BBQ pork buns. They are the best. There’s no ambience (it’s fast food) but it’s great.

@ downstairs in the Kyoto Station.

“551” is pronounced “go-go-ichi” in Japanese. So if you’re lost, just ask for “go-go-ichi-horai”. It’s really fun to say 10 times fast too.