I am not a gourmet or a foodie, and lately (due to my age) I am not even a glutton, but I am surrounded by many people who are knowledgeable about Kyoto's food and sake, and thanks to them, I have had the opportunity to experience many good things. Today, I was invited by a friend to come here. We had made a reservation for 6 o'clock, but I arrived about 15 minutes early and decided to kill time by taking a stroll around the area. It's still quite cold outside. Finally, I entered the restaurant. For my first drink, I naturally ordered a hot water split with sweet potato shochu. I left the ordering to my friend and leisurely looked around the restaurant. The atmosphere was calm, and the display of sake bottles was impressive, but unfortunately, I am not a fan of sake. The appetizers arrived. Oh, it's soup. Pork meatballs, spring vegetables (cabbage, mizuna, enoki mushrooms) swimming in a delicious broth. And finally, three pieces of marinated maroni. Hmm, they're playing around. Grilled sea bream finished with salt. Not just salt, but also drizzled with woodruff oil, delivering a complex yet punchy deliciousness. Miso-grilled mackerel. This is not your ordinary miso-grilled dish. In fact, there are no ordinary dishes here. The sea bream is marinated in miso, then grilled with the miso to impart the aroma of sea bream, and placed on top of lightly seared mackerel. An indescribably subtle flavor and a hint of a twisted effort that becomes more apparent the more you learn about it. Wonderful. Jellied sauce over free-range chicken. Truly a sophisticated taste. The jelly enveloping the chicken has a unique flavor that young chicken does not possess. Soft-boiled camembert cheese. I have had camembert cheese prepared in a Japanese style a few times, and I do not recall being particularly impressed, so when my friend ordered this, I thought, "Here we go again," but wait, wait, wait. The camembert is floating in the broth. This creates an interesting texture reminiscent of salted tofu. Absolutely delightful. Charred soy sauce on pork belly. This seems to be a specialty here. The pork belly has just the right amount of fat, making it refreshing to eat. When dipped in the high-quality mustard provided, it becomes even more delicious. Yellowtail with daikon radish. Of course, the typical yellowtail with daikon radish does not appear, and I was prepared for that, but what we received exceeded our expectations. Yellowtail marinated in daikon, accompanied by jelly sauce, vinegar, and kelp. The unique taste of yellowtail lingers but is refreshing and goes down smoothly. Lamb minced meat. I never expected to find lamb dishes like this. I surrender. The flavor is expertly Japanese-style, making it suitable even for those who are not fond of lamb. A complimentary dish of firefly squid. The vegetable-based sauce is delicious. Even people from Toyama would be impressed by this. Shall we finish up? Let's order two more dishes, as it's a special occasion. A grown-up version of parent and child rice bowl. Almost like a chicken rice porridge, with a runny egg yolk on top. Delicious. Delicious. Pasta with karasumi (bottarga). The homemade karasumi is also well done. When mixed with the pasta, it's just fantastic. A complimentary dish of tofu soup. This also has a homey yet uniquely finished taste. In conclusion, I am defeated. The carefully selected sake and detailed menu explanations. The portion sizes are not large, so it's a place where you can leisurely drink and eat alone, or with two to three people. Highly recommended. Please forgive me for some of the dish names being approximate, as I left the ordering entirely to my friend. Restroom: Unisex, non-washlet Western-style.

The grilled frost was very delicious. The one-ki mackerel simmered dish had a good taste but was too salty, so it was more like a small portion to nibble on while drinking alcohol. We tried various dishes besides the ones in the photos, but nothing surpassed the grilled frost. Each portion is quite small. The restaurant was almost full of regular customers, so it may seem intimidating to newcomers, but the owner treats everyone equally, so the atmosphere was nice.

After work, I suddenly felt like going for a drink and decided to drop by alone. The counter made it easy for me to enter even by myself. The staff were friendly and easy to talk to. If you're looking for a place to enjoy some delicious food in a small portion, this place is perfect! Thank you for the delicious meal.

I visited the restaurant around 11:30 am on Thursday, May 25, 2023. There was one customer already there. I sat at a vacant counter seat and ordered the parent and child bowl with chicken tempura. The dish arrived in just a few minutes, surprisingly fast! The freshly fried chicken tempura was delicious! The seasoning of the parent and child bowl was also good. It was not too salty, but had a perfect sweet and savory balance. The side dishes were also tasty. I can see why this place has a good reputation in the area. The owner was friendly too. Overall, I thought it was a great restaurant.

Near Karasuma Oike in Kyoto, there is a restaurant offering a daily changing set meal with plenty of vegetables. The highlight is the chicken tempura simmered in a special sauce, which is mild but with a hint of garlic, making it a delicious and easy-to-eat dish. The simmered mackerel, cooked for three days, is said to be a specialty, so I would like to try that next time. #Kyoto #KarasumaOike #KarasumaOikeGourmet #OshikojiStreet #Ryokawa #DailySetMeal #ChickenTempura #SimmeredMackerel #Lunch #PopularRestaurant #QueueWorthy

This is one of the must-visit restaurants in Kyoto if you happen to be in the area. The appetizers served in a small bowl are already amazing. I ordered the following dishes and had them paired with sake: - Ryo-kawa cheese - Namida salad - Fried saury fish with matsutake mushroom - Scallop butter All the dishes were seasoned perfectly to complement the sake. The fried saury fish with matsutake mushroom is especially delicious and goes perfectly with the sake. You can keep drinking endless cups of sake with these dishes! It's a cozy place where you can enjoy talking with the staff while savoring your meal and drinks.

I went to Kyoto after a long time, so I made a reservation for the evening. The restaurant was very stylish. Not overly fancy, with wooden counters and chairs, and cute little plates stacked up, creating an atmosphere that cannot be replicated in a short period of time. The appetizer was "soup?" made with enoki mushrooms, leeks, kelp dashi, and salt. It tasted unbelievably good. It was warm and comforting, especially since it was cold outside and I had been drinking since noon. The tuna sashimi salad was so delicious that I ended up drinking wasabi as if it were a side dish. And the eggplant and harami...!! So tender!! So delicious!! This is happiness...!! We also had many other delicious dishes. The selection of sake and wine was also fantastic. The finale of the parent and child rice bowl was also incredibly delicious, and I kept saying how delicious it was until the end. When I come back to Kyoto again, I will definitely visit this place.

I liked it so much that I made a reservation again for Friday and got a seat! I changed the dishes I ordered last time slightly. Cheese, sashimi with wasabi, wild boar menchi katsu, and curry rice for the finish. Since I sat at the counter, I had a fun night talking with the person next to me! I forgot to take a picture, but I highly recommend the iced coffee as well! ✨

Nengonya is a long-awaited visit. Although there are many regular customers, they warmly welcome first-time visitors as well. The appetizer of kelp and root vegetables in a soup was impressive. The grilled fish was also delicious with a rich flavor. The simmered dish was cooked for 17 years, resulting in a thick and flavorful dish. The chef's cooking method that brings out the best in the ingredients makes all the dishes delicious! This restaurant has become a definite repeat visit for me.

I visited GW no Yoru. It's like a creative izakaya with dishes that you can't find elsewhere, using a variety of ingredients. I ended up ordering too much because everything on the menu looked so tempting. There are some high-end ingredients, so it was a bit pricey, but I was completely satisfied! Everything was delicious. Reservations might be necessary. By 7:00 PM, it was already fully booked.

I happened to stay nearby and was looking for a place to have a light meal at night, and I found this place. It was a Saturday night, so I called just in case and they were able to prepare a seat for me. The person who answered the phone already gave me a good impression with their voice, so I walked to the restaurant. Inside, there were counter seats and table seats, and I was seated at the counter. It's a small restaurant run by 3 staff members. From the beginning to the end, the service was consistently warm and made me feel at home. They mainly had sake from western Japan, which was impressive as I don't usually see those in Yokohama. I ordered the "Sawayamatsu Moto no Muhari" from Kyoto, which was easy to drink and very delicious. For food, I ordered otsumami (appetizers), arugula and cream cheese salad, oden, grilled beef harami, and matsutake mushroom and beef tendon rice bowl. Each dish had its own uniqueness and the staff explained them to me, allowing me to enjoy the food even more. The attention to detail for each dish was impressive, especially the homemade mustard that came with the grilled beef harami. When I was leaving, the owner even came out to see me off (even putting on a jacket!), and chatting with him made me realize that the reason why customers keep coming back is because of places like this. That's why they have been in business for 17 years. I would love to come back if I'm in the area again.

The menu has a lot of unique items, and there is a wide selection of sake available. The appetizer was a mashed sweet potato soup. The sashimi platter included sea bream, yellowtail, and mackerel. The grilled saury was delicious. The simmered mackerel was rich and flavorful. The leek salad was refreshing. There were also four types of oden available. The drink menu included local beer, sake, highball, and sweet potato shochu with soda. The sashimi platter was my favorite, especially the grilled mackerel. The staff provided detailed explanations of the dishes and drinks. They were helpful in recommending sake and shochu based on our preferences. The restaurant was full on a Saturday night, but the cozy atmosphere made it feel welcoming. The customers seemed to be mostly middle-aged adults who appreciate good food. There were also two young women in their 20s sitting next to us. Overall, it was a great dining experience.

"Traditional simmered mackerel lunch with soy sauce topping. Visited this place for the first time after the COVID-19 lockdown and ordered the simmered mackerel set meal that is said to have been simmered with added soy sauce over time. Of course, I opted for extra rice. The simmered mackerel that arrived was indeed soaked in soy sauce, which seemed like it would go well with rice. And the taste... it was delicious, or rather intense, or should I say full of soy sauce! It was so well-cooked that the fish seemed to have melded with the soy sauce. While it might be a bit salty on its own, when paired with the warm, fluffy rice, it was just right. This is the essence of a traditional Japanese meal where a small portion of the main dish goes a long way with plenty of rice. The ambiance of the restaurant was also great, and I could imagine how enjoyable it would be to have a drink with some sake here in the evening. Overall, I was satisfied with the taste and atmosphere that lived up to my expectations."

I made a takeout reservation at 6:00 p.m. on a regular day and went to pick it up 15 minutes later as instructed. Special beef tendon curry rice for 950 yen. The broth was flavorful and the beef tendon was plentiful. The spiciness was manageable even for someone like me who can't handle spicy food. The portion size is on the smaller side, so it seems like a good choice for when you're not very hungry.

I have tried to visit this restaurant at night several times, but it was always full or closed early, so I couldn't get in. However, today when I was walking by, I noticed that it was open for lunch. I decided to go in and ordered the "Mackerel Simmered Set Meal" (820 yen). The mackerel simmered dish, typical of Kyoto, was cooked slowly and had a rich flavor. It was delicious. The side dishes included macaroni salad, simmered burdock, carrot, and fried tofu, as well as a soup. These side dishes were also tasty, making me even more eager to visit this restaurant at night.

I have been working in Kyoto city for a while, and in between jobs, I decided to try out "Ryokawa" in Karasuma Oike, a restaurant that caught my eye. I opted for their classic menu item, the "Chicken Tempura Oyakodon Set Meal." The dish consisted of chicken tempura and egg over rice, with a subtle and refined flavor that highlighted the natural taste of the ingredients, a characteristic of Kyoto cuisine. The side dish was simmered dried daikon radish and chikuwa, also delicately seasoned. The salad was a refreshing coleslaw-like mix with a unique and appetizing taste. Initially, I felt like something was missing, but as I continued eating, I felt a sense of warmth and comfort in the meal. I am now curious to visit this place for dinner.

During a break from work in Kyoto, I had a business lunch at "Ryokawa" near Karasuma Oike Station. I had the Mackerel Simmered Set Meal (830 yen tax included): - The mackerel simmered in soy sauce was well-cooked and had a rich flavor. You can have as much rice as you want, but opinions may vary. - The side dishes included bamboo shoots, carrots, konjac, and fried tofu in a light dashi flavor that brought out the natural taste of the ingredients. The bamboo shoots were delicious! - The salad was made of lettuce and root vegetables with a Japanese-style mayo flavor. It had a gentle, Kyoto-like taste that you don't often find in Osaka or Kobe. I'm curious about their dinner menu, but next time I'll try their daily special set meal.

Located in Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, is the izakaya "Ryosen". Despite having a rating of 3.60 on Tabelog, it ranks 620th in the Tabelog ranking for Kyoto Prefecture out of approximately 22,500 establishments. In the "Kyoto Prefecture [Izakaya]" ranking, it holds the 24th position. I visited for lunch. The restaurant is a 3-4 minute walk northwest of Karasuma Oike Station. Upon entering, I noticed a sign on the left side saying "Special simmered dishes, grilled dishes, and hidden sake". Inside, there were 2 groups of 5 customers on a Thursday at 11:46. The small space had table seating and a counter. I ordered the "Daily Lunch" for 750 yen (tax included). The lunch included chicken soup with onions, cabbage, shimeji mushrooms, potatoes, and zucchini, simmered in soy sauce, as well as side dishes like salad, rice, miso soup, and pickles. The soup was flavorful with plenty of vegetables and three pieces of chicken. The rice was a bit dry, but the soup's rich flavor made up for it. The "Mackerel Simmered Set Meal" also looked appetizing. The mackerel is simmered for several days, resulting in a shiny and delicious dish. Ryosen is a popular spot for casual lunches and transforms into a sophisticated izakaya at night. They offer high-quality Japanese cuisine without compromising on ingredients. The restaurant is non-smoking, which is a plus. In Kyoto, known for its rich food culture, there are many outstanding restaurants like "Kusakui Nakahigashi [4.67]" for Kyoto cuisine, "Mizai [4.67]" for Japanese cuisine, "Shunseki Suzue [4.70]" for kaiseki, "Ryoriya Stefan Pantel [4.18]" for French cuisine, "Yamaguchi [4.59]" for Italian cuisine, "Niku no Takumi Miyoshi [4.51]" for meat dishes, "Saika [4.52]" for Chinese cuisine, and "Shokugeki [4.04]" for Japanese sweets. Ryosen is a gem among these renowned establishments, offering a delightful dining experience. I look forward to exploring more gourmet experiences and expanding my knowledge in the future.

It has been a while since I visited Kyoto at night. I made a reservation at a highly rated restaurant on Tabelog and visited. Below are what we ordered and our evaluation: - Nana Honsen (unfiltered sake), Uron tea for my spouse - Appetizer: Chicken soup with cabbage, Nameko mushrooms, and maroni. The soup was made by crushing chicken thigh meat without using any strong-smelling ingredients like maple leaves. It had a clear and deep flavor that was quite enjoyable. - Ryosen salad: A salad with various fresh fish and prosciutto. It was okay, nothing special. - Salt-finished sea bream with wood sorrel oil. It was a well-aged dish, but the portion was too small for the price. It would be better to increase the quantity even if it means raising the price. - Duck loin: The cooking was excellent. The quality that makes you want to revisit. - Chicken, softshell turtle, and Kujo green onion in a thick starchy sauce. The softshell turtle was only a few small pieces, and the price difference compared to other sauce dishes was not justified. The broth was decent. - Adult's parent-child bowl: Why is it so soupy for adults? Lacks a punch as a finishing dish. I'm not sure about the appetizer and drinks, but the total bill came to 8,360 yen. The owner's effort in expanding to three stores is commendable, but overall, there is a sense of being overpriced. Conclusion: Osaka is still cheaper and tastier.

I dropped by for lunch. I ordered the daily special set meal for ¥750, the mackerel simmered set meal for ¥750, and the chicken tempura and egg bowl set meal for ¥700. The main dish of the day was "Beef and onion, Chinese cabbage, shimeji mushroom simmered in Japanese broth topped with onsen tamago." The two side dishes were pumpkin salad and simmered hijiki seaweed. The miso soup, rice, and pickles were all carefully prepared. The main dishes and side dishes both seemed to be made with care. The owner is also friendly. They seem to have a good selection of sake, so I'm looking forward to coming back for dinner as well! Thank you for the meal.

It was a late lunch on that day. I noticed that the usually crowded restaurant was empty, so I decided to go in. It seemed like the storm had passed, as the daily special was over, there was only one portion of chicken tempura bowl left, and only a few portions of simmered mackerel set. I was in the mood for chicken, so I ordered the last chicken tempura bowl. It came with two small side dishes and miso soup for 750 yen. It was quite satisfying with a good amount of food. The taste was not too strong, just a comforting flavor. Overall, I was very satisfied. Thank you for the meal.