Despite it being mid-September and scorching hot, I visited Heian Shrine and then headed towards Marutamachi Station. Feeling the heat, I wanted to take a break and grab a bite to eat. I stumbled upon a slightly retro-looking shop with soba and chilled udon displayed in the window, and decided to go in. The interior had a calming Showa-era atmosphere, and I enjoyed a dish of "nishin soba". The soba broth was different from Kanto-style, and it was delicious. The shop was filled with locals, students, and other customers, showing that it was a popular soba shop in the neighborhood.

I went in the early afternoon on a holiday and the restaurant was almost full, but I was seated right away. They offer a variety of toppings for udon and soba noodles, as well as dishes like tamago-don, ankake, curry, etc. They also have a wide selection of rice bowl dishes, and even offer inari sushi and mackerel sushi. I ordered a small udon and sushi set, and the sushi rice was soft and the mackerel had a nice thickness to it. The udon noodles were not too chewy, but rather soft and had a good texture. The atmosphere was cozy and unpretentious. I would definitely stop by again when I'm in the area.

It's still hot in October, even though it's Saturday afternoon. After doing some outdoor work in the morning, I passed by this charming restaurant that I had been curious about. Located on the corner of Higashioji Marutamachi, the atmosphere inside instantly made me feel like I had traveled back in time. They offer a variety of noodle and rice bowl dishes, but on this hot day, I decided to go for the "Pork Curry Udon" (850 yen). The curry wasn't too spicy and the meat was incredibly juicy and delicious. The noodles were soft and Kyoto-style, and when mixed with the curry, it created a harmonious and tasty combination. Adding some spice made the flavor even more rich and I left feeling satisfied after sweating a bit. The other dishes looked appetizing too, so I definitely want to visit again. I hope this charming restaurant remains as it is for a long time.

There is a sample of dishes placed in front of the restaurant, which I have noticed every time I pass by. The interior of the restaurant has an old-fashioned atmosphere, with several regular customers dining inside. The tables are almost full, but I was able to enter without waiting in line. There is a large TV in the restaurant, and the dishes are served by an elderly lady. I couldn't see the face of the person in the kitchen, but it seemed like there were two people working there. The menu is displayed on the table, with various udon, soba, and rice bowl options listed. Set menus are written on the walls of the restaurant. Some sets include a mini egg bowl with udon, while some rice bowl options come with a mini udon, priced between 1000-1100 yen. Individual dishes range from 700 yen to 1200 yen. On this hot day, I decided to go for the "Yamakake Soba" priced at 950 yen in search of something refreshing. The combination of soba, egg, grated yam, wasabi, and seaweed was perfect for combating the summer heat. The soba itself was quite delicious, with a mild flavor that I could enjoy again the next day. I made sure to finish the grated yam completely by drinking up most of the broth as well. Although I thought I could finish it all, the broth became too strong towards the end, so I left a little behind and paid the bill. On another visit in September, I tried the "Zaru Soba Set (with Mini Jyuroku)" priced at 1100 yen. When I sat down, the lady at the restaurant kindly reminded me to check the set menu on the wall, so I decided to go for the set. The side dishes of green onions and wasabi were served in separate plates, and there was plenty of them. The flavor of the soba was simple but satisfying, and I didn't get tired of it. While the soba alone might not have been filling enough, the two pieces of inari sushi and two pieces of rolled sushi filled me up nicely. The rolled sushi was simple, made with egg, gourd, and trefoil. They did not serve soba broth on this occasion.

I explore new lunch spots whenever I have time. This week, I went to a new restaurant while getting my flu shot. The restaurant is called "Tokiwai" located near the intersection of Higashioji Street and Marutamachi Street. It looks like an old-fashioned noodle specialty shop with food samples displayed next to the entrance. I entered the restaurant before 1 pm and found about eight four-seater tables inside. It seems to be run by a husband and wife. The menu offers noodles and rice bowl dishes. I was torn between what to order but decided to try the Kyoto specialty "Kinoha Don" set. The set came with a side of small udon noodles. The "Kinoha Don" is a bowl dish made with thinly sliced fish cake and green onions bound together with egg, and also includes shiitake mushrooms and trefoil. I sprinkled some shichimi spice on top before eating. The egg was fluffy and delicious, complemented by the fish cake. The small udon noodles had a typical Kyoto flavor, different from Osaka's, and went well with the broth. Overall, it was a flavorful dining experience at this quaint restaurant.

Fox udon set with minced fox, Kujo green onion tempura, egg and rice bowl for ¥900. Completely non-smoking. On the day of the Kyoto Marathon, there was a sample showcase by the window where you could watch the runners while having lunch. By chance, since the neighboring Hatoya Shokudo was closed, I decided to try this place.

We decided to have a meal near the campus in Kyoto before participating in the owner's alma mater festival. It was getting cold, so we thought, "Let's warm up with some udon." We found a traditional restaurant with a cozy atmosphere that seemed popular with students. We ordered the table udon and chicken egg udon. Both were delicious and warmed us up. The udon came with a sprinkle of sansho pepper, which made it even more tasty.

This is a past log. I ended up here after wandering around looking for a place to eat because everywhere else had long lines. I ordered curry udon. Thank you for the meal! ^ ^

Beef bowl set with sansho pepper: Beef and Kujo green onion in dashi broth, Kujo green onion and fish cake mini udon for 980 yen. Today, Hatoya Shokudo was suddenly closed, so I came here instead. The food here is consistently delicious.

I wandered in without any information. I love this kind of atmosphere. There is a popular udon shop nearby with a long line, mostly tourists. In the shop, there is a foreign couple. They have a high sense of style. I ordered the kitsune udon set (kitsune and kudama don). It arrived in less than five minutes. The soup with a flavorful broth and chopped thick fried tofu was excellent. The udon, which lacked chewiness, is Kyoto-style udon. The kudama don was also really delicious. I would like to go back again.

Visited for lunch on 16.06.03 during the day, it's about a 6-7 minute walk from Jingu Marutamachi Station. Before heading to Heian Shrine, we stopped by for lunch. The interior of the restaurant has a traditional udon shop feel. I ordered a bottled beer to quench my thirst and looked over the menu. They had udon, soba, rice bowls, inari sushi, rolled sushi, and mackerel sushi. They also had set meals, with mini udon for rice bowls, mini oyakodon for noodles, and sushi sets. I was curious about the sushi, but I didn't want to eat too much. I decided to go with the curry udon, while my partner had the zaru soba. When I asked the staff if they had any recommendations for beer snacks, they said they didn't. The atmosphere created by the older lady working there was quite nice. The curry udon had a dark brown color and a strong curry flavor. It wasn't too spicy, but be careful not to burn your tongue (laughs). The udon was on the softer side. Thank you for the meal.

I visited "Tokiwa" in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto. It's a typical local soba and udon restaurant. Actually, I originally planned to go to the nearby ramen shop, Daiichi Asahi @ Kumano Store, but it was unexpectedly closed for the day! With limited time, I decided to eat here at this restaurant located at the intersection. The interior of the restaurant is quite ordinary. The menu consists of udon, soba, and rice bowl dishes, making it a classic casual dining spot. Surprisingly, they also serve soba here. I usually stay in Tokyo, and whenever I visit a place like this, I always end up ordering soba (^^;) There were some menu items that I didn't quite understand just by their names. - Keiran - Ikomayama Donburi I had no idea what these were. They are not common in Tokyo. - Noppei - Kayaku Toji I was also clueless about these...(^^;) - Shippoku Was this the dish with various toppings on it? I've never seen this in Tokyo. So, with all these mysterious menu items, I decided to go with a set menu displayed on the wall. It was my first time trying udon at a place like this. ● Kitsune Set (Comes with a mini egg bowl) ¥850 It arrived relatively quickly! The fried tofu in the kitsune udon was thinly sliced. It was cut in a way that reminded me of when you put it in miso soup. I thought Kyoto broth would be transparent, but it had a decent soy sauce color to it. Well, it's much lighter compared to Tokyo broth. The broth had a decent umami flavor and felt quite mild. The udon was smooth with no chewiness. It was as expected, just like I imagined it would be (laughs). The egg bowl was decently made with a runny consistency. Overall, it was a typical local udon restaurant experience. The udon and rice bowl dishes served were just as expected. This kind of reliability is really helpful for everyday dining, I thought. It's a place that locals would find very convenient. Thank you for the meal. 2015.12

I visited Tokiwa in Higashiyama Marutamachi after a long time. It was a late lunch, so the restaurant was empty. I sat down and ordered the "meat curry bowl with a side of soba noodles". The curry here is interesting because of its dark brown color, typical of Japanese soba and udon restaurants. When it arrived, the soba noodles were slightly sweet and soft. I finished the soba noodles and then used the remaining broth as a sauce for the rice bowl. The curry was quite tasty, with a clean and pure Japanese flavor. The location is great, but the prices are a bit high. However, if I get change back from 1000 yen, I have no complaints. Thank you for the meal. Restroom: Located at the back of the restaurant, shared by both men and women, and has a Japanese-style toilet.

This is a charming udon restaurant in Higashiyama Maruta-cho. The elderly lady who runs the place has a somewhat blunt attitude, which is refreshing in this age of excessive service. The taste is similar to ○○ mochi, with noodles that seem like they could be bought at a supermarket for a few tens of yen. The broth is quite strong, so the udon, soba, and rice bowls all have a rich flavor. The cost performance is not great, but these kinds of places tend to be viewed as expensive since the rise of fast food chains like Nakau. It's just the way the times are changing...

I felt like having some mackerel sushi and decided to visit this casual restaurant for lunch. It's a typical local eatery with a few small tables for 2-4 people. The TV was quite loud, but I managed to place my order with the waitress. I asked if the daily set meal included mackerel sushi, and she confirmed that it came with two pieces each of mackerel sushi and inari sushi. I requested warm small udon noodles to go with it. The mackerel sushi was thick and delicious, with just the right amount of seasoning. The sushi rice had a mild vinegar flavor, and I added a little soy sauce. The inari sushi and thick roll had a sweet Kansai-style taste, which was not bad. However, the rice in the thick roll was slightly dry at the cut edge. As for the small udon noodles that came with the meal, the broth was surprisingly sweet! It was made with kombu and bonito dashi, but the sweetness was a bit unexpected. Interestingly, no one else in the restaurant seemed to be ordering dishes like the leaf bowl or ramen at the moment. Overall, I found it a bit odd that the broth didn't quite match my preferences in a restaurant that mainly serves udon and soba dishes. Nevertheless, I appreciated the value of the 980 yen set meal and the easy communication with the waitress, who had a laid-back attitude.