Kyoto is one of the most visited tourist cities in Japan along with Tokyo and Osaka. The city is known for its well-preserved historic monuments and towns as it used to serve as a capital city of Japan called Heian-kyo before it moved to Edo (the former name of Tokyo).

In Kyoto, you can have a unique dining experience as many historic buildings are now used as  restaurants, serving traditional Japanese cuisine such as Kaiseki dishes (traditional Japanese course meal). There are also numbers of award-winning and Michelin starred restaurants in Kyoto.

If you wish to have an exceptional dining experience, dining at one of Michelin awarded restaurants in Kyoto is highly recommended. There are 200 restaurants on the list of Michelin Book and 7 Michelin three-star restaurants in the western capital of Japan.

In this article, I’d like to introduce the 10 best Michelin Star restaurants in Kyoto. In addition to the authentic tastes of their dishes, you can visually enjoy the restaurants seeing their creative dishes and historical buildings! As the listed restaurants are highly popular among locals and tourists, please make sure to make a reservation in advance through the attached link on each restaurant’s information.

For more restaurants recommendations:

*Please note that this article contains affiliate links.

1. Ryosho

Located in Gion, full of Kyoto’s traditional atmosphere, Ryosho (凌霄) is one of 17 two-star Japanese restaurants in Kyoto. This famous restaurant offers a course meal with around 10 to 12 dishes prepared according to the season’s ingredients of the day. The excellent cuisine of the chef Mr. Makoto Fujiwara combines perfectly the traditional Japanese cuisine and the French cuisine, since he have experience in both. The dishes can be enjoyed with a selection of over 700 different wines and a diverse range of Japanese sake.

▶︎Book your seat of Ryosho online in this link!

Access: 5 mins walk from Gion, Shijo Kawaramachi or Higashiyama Yasui bus stop /9 mins walk from Gion-Shijo Station (Keihan Main Line)

Hours: Weekdays 17:00～23:00/ Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 11:30～14:00 (Lunch), 17:00～23:00 (Dinner)

Closed: Monday

Price Range: around 40,000 yen (tax included, 10% service charge)

Genre: Kaiseki

2. Nakamura

Want to experience the gorgeous dinner with Kyoto’s traditional style? The top-rated restaurant named Nakamura (なかむら) has been on the list of Michelin 3 stars restaurants since 2011 serving Kaiseki dishes. You can enjoy tasting top quality Japanese food including Tempura and sashimi cooked with the freshest ingredients from the local region which are changed by season. It’s also valuable experience to dine at the Japanese traditional style rooms with tatami where you can view the Japanese garden. Book your seat of Nakamura as soon as possible since it is too popular to have the seats.

▶︎Book your seat of Nakamura online in this link!

Access: 5 mins walk from Karasuma-oike Station (烏丸御池駅)

Hours: 12:00～14:00 (Lunch)/17:00～19:30(Dinner)19:30

Closed: Sunday

Price Range: 15,000–20,000 yen (Lunch)/ 20,000–30,000 yen (Dinner)

Genre: Kaiseki

3. Sushi Hayashi

Sushi Hayashi (鮓 はやし) is one of three sushi restaurants in Kyoto with one Michelin star. It’s a new restaurant compared with some of the traditional restaurants in Kyoto. After studying abroad, the chef opened Sushi Hayashi in 2019 and in less than 4 years since it has already achieved a Michelin star. Sushi Hayashi’s sushi is a unique style that combines Edomae and Kyoto sushi. The restaurant also offers a variety of wines and sake that go well with sushi.

Note: Edomae is a style of sushi originated in Tokyo (former Edo). To preserve the fish, they started to marinating the raw fish with salt, vinegar or soy sauce.

▶︎Book your seat of Sushi Hayashi online in this link!

Access: 8 min walk from Demachiyanagi Station (Keihan Main Line) or 12 min walk from Imadegawa Station (Karasuma Line)

Hours: 12:00～14:00 (Lunch), 18:00-～21:00 (Dinner)

Closed: Wednesday and Thursday (Monday lunch time)

Price Range: 18,000–30,000 yen (Lunch)/ 15,000–30,000 yen (Dinner)

Genre: Sushi

4. Jiki Miyazawa

Jiki Miyazawa (じき 宮ざわ) is one of the most popular Kaiseki dish restaurants in Kyoto, which is listed on the Michelin Guide with 1 star. This Michelin Star restaurant is literally “a very good restaurant”, serving the quality and creative Kaiseki dishes at a relatively affordable rate. It’s noteworthy that shinny white rice is served in some ways at the final phase of the course. This is the authentic traditional Japanese food you can’t experience abroad. Jiki Miyazawa is located near the convenient station Shijo Station while it’s away from the hustle and bustle. Reservation is required there.

▶︎Book your seat of Jiki Miyazawa online in this link!

Access: 5 mins walk from Shijo Station (四条駅)

Hours: 12:00～13:45(Lunch)/18:00～20:00(Dinner)

Closed: Thursdays and irregular Wednesdays

Price Range: 4,000–7,000 yen (Lunch)/7,000–15,000 yen(Dinner)

Genre: Kaiseki

5. Gion Nishikawa

Gion Nishikawa (祇園 にしかわ) is Michelin 2 Star restaurants, which gained its first Michelin Star just after it opened in 2009 by virtue of its skillful chef Masayoshi Nishikawa. It serves various seasonal Kaiseki dishes which vary depending on season. If you want to enjoy communicating with the chef while eating, it is recommended to book the bar counter seats. Nishikawa’s dishes are just “excellent cooking that is worth a detour”, which is the definition of 2 Stars of Michelin.

Access: 13 mins walk from Gion-shijo Station (祇園四条駅)

Hours: 12:00～15:00(Lunch)/ 18:00～19:00 (Dinner)

Closed: Sunday and Lunch of Monday

Price Range: 8,000–10,000 yen (Lunch)/ 20,000–30,000 yen(Dinner)

Genre: Kaiseki

6. Yuyu

Yuyu (悠々) is a small Japanese style restaurant that received one star in the Michelin Guide Kyoto 2023. The chef Tetsuya Shimoda trained for 13 years at a famous restaurant in Kyoto, and now in his own restaurant offers delicate flavors that bring out the taste of the seasonal ingredients. The cuisine is not limited to Japanese cuisine, such as their famous sashimi sandwiches, but they offer a variety of dishes, from traditional to unusual and they can accommodate to your requests. They meals can be paired with delicious sake, shochu, plum wine, wine, and whisky.

▶︎Book your seat of Yuyu online in this link!

Access: 3 min walk from Kitaoji Station (Karasuma Line)

Hours: Tuesday: 18:00～21:00/ From Wednesday to Sunday: 11:30～13:30 (Lunch), 18:00-～21:00 (Dinner)

Closed: Monday

Price Range: from 6,000 to 8,000 yen

Genre: Kaiseki

7. Gosho Iwasaki

Under the concept “Food is the soul of a person” Gosho Iwasaki (御所 岩さき) dishes, that reflect Mr. Iwasaki’s mature techniques and casual Kyoto style, have received one star in Michelin Guide Kyoto 2023. The restaurant’s popular hotpot dishes are cooked right in front of you to deliver the aroma of freshly cooked food and the delicious rice is delivered from the chef’s hometown, in Kyotanba Town.

▶︎Book your seat of Gosho Iwasaki online in this link!

Access: 4 min walk from Marutamachi Station (Karasuma Line)

Hours: 12:00～14:00 (Lunch), 18:00-～21:00 (Dinner)

Closed: Wednesday

Price Range: 10,000–15,000 yen (Lunch)/ 15,000–30,000 yen(Dinner)

Genre: Kaiseki

8. Nakatsuka

With the concept of “scent”, the smell of delicious freshly cooked food, Nakatsuka (ナカツカ) is one of two one-star innovative restaurants in Kyoto. After working at one of Japan’s most famous restaurants, the two-starred restaurant “NARISAWA” and many famous restaurants in Europe, Takayuki Nakatsuka opened his own restaurant in his hometown, Kyoto where makes use of his experience in molecular cooking, such as using espuma and smokers, which he learned in Spain.

▶︎Book your seat of Nakatsuka online in this link!

Access: 6 min walk from Karasuma Oike Station (Karasuma Line)

Hours: 12:00～15:00 (Lunch), 18:30-～22:00 (Dinner)

Closed: Tuesday/ Every two weeks on Wednesdays

Price Range: around 11,000 yen (Lunch)/ 16,500 yen(Dinner)

Genre: Kaiseki

9. Kichisen

Kichisen (吉泉) is one of the 7 Michelin 3 Star restaurants in Kyoto. It offers Cha-Kaiseki (tea ceremony) style dishes including sashimi (raw fish), sushi and a few main dishes cooked with the finest and freshest seasonal ingredients from all over the country. The beautifully cooked Kichisen’s dishes visually entertain you as well as it satisfy your stomach. The Michelin 3 Star restaurant is located a little far from the center of Kyoto’s downtown, but it is totally worthy visiting for the highest level of Kyoto’s Kaiseki dish. Reservation is required there.

▶︎Book your seat of Kichisen online in this link!

Access: 10 mins walk from Demachi-yanagi Station (出町柳駅)/15 mins from Kyoto Station (京都駅) by taxi

Hours: 12:00～14:30 (Lunch)/18:00～22:00(Dinner)

Closed: Irregularly

Price Range: around 10,000 yen (lunch)/20,000–30,000 yen (dinner)

Genre: Kaiseki

10. Hyotei

Hyotei (瓢亭), the Michelin 3 Star restaurant, has its 400 years history: originally opened as a tea house around 400 years ago. It serves Kyoto’s traditional Kaiseki dishes with the set meal style and bento box style. Its specialty is Asagayu, which is the porridge are less seasoned, so that you can taste the authentic rice flavor. The Kaiseki restaurant is surrounded by the small Japanese traditional garden. Hyotei’s food is the “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey”!

Access: 6 mins walk from Keage Station (蹴上駅)

Hours: 11:00～19:00

Hours (Breakfast): 8:00～10:00 (1st July to 31st August)

Closed: Tuesday

Price Range: 6,000–7,000 yen (Breakfast)/25,000–30,000 (Lunch and Dinner)

Genre: Kaiseki

▽Also check out more Michelin restaurants in other areas Japan??▽

Kyoto is the best historical city to travel including temples and shrines. In addition to the tourist sites, Kyoto’s traditional dishes are really recommended to experience if you visit Kyoto!! For more info about Kyoto, you might also like these articles below!

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