Kyoto "Gastronomic Capital" 3: Izakaya and Yakitori/ 居酒屋 ・焼とり

“Lonely Planet” is one of the most popular foreign travel guides. While I was in Kyoto, I saw several foreign tourists who carried this famous guidebook. Italians, Spanish and North Americans had it in their language.
In the English guide which my friend possess introduces “Izaka-ya (居酒屋) and Yakitori-ya (焼とり) as popular drinking place at night. Izaka-ya serves a variety of dishes for drinking whereas Yakitori-ya mainly serves grilled chicken. What foreigners should be careful about is that they should select a right place because their stay is limited. Each day they should have a good experience and one disappointing meal will waste their valuable time. But how? I will give some tips and recommend some good places. First, do not go any places where young people and businessmen gather and make noises: screaming and chanting. Second, do not go where they have “Tabe-houdai & Nomi-houdai” style which can be translated as “All you can eat and drink.” This is the way to cheat customers and people do not care about food they eat would go. The method is to limit two hours and limit to 3 different dishes for the number of people to order at once. And they can order another when they finish one. If you go drinking in 10 or 20 people, what you can eat in two hours!
Third, you check atmosphere and customers. If they seem to enjoy food rather than having fun and the atmosphere is more reserved, then it could be a place to go.
My recommendation is to choose a place where they are specialized in fresh fish and “Sake”. The average age of customers there is higher and they are most likely to possess ability to behave. The places where they serve mainly beer is often bad.
“Izakaya, Gyoshin (居酒屋・魚紳)　is one of a place where you can enjoy food and drink in a quiet atmosphere.




Address：京都市中京区河原町三条下ル４筋目BALビル東入ル　クラリオンビル1F
Phone ： 075-212-8661
Open ：12:00-14:00, 17:00～23:00
closed : Monday
Access ：阪急河原町駅、京阪四条駅 徒歩７分 京阪三条駅　徒歩５分
河原町三条の交差点（三条通り）から河原町通りを下り3つ目を左京阪電鉄本線四条駅　徒歩7分
Site ：http://www.osashimi.com/index.html

For Yakitori, I recommend "Kushi Kura (串くら)". This is also “Michiya” style restaurant and if you make a reservation in a group, you have a chance to have your room. Here is a course that we ordered.












"If you reserve a room, after enjoy your meal, you can also do this"

Address ：京都市中京区高倉通御池上ル柊町584
Phone ：075-212-8661
Open ： 11:30-14:30　17:00-23:30
Budget: from 3500 yen
Note : English spoken
Access ：地下鉄「御池」駅徒歩5分 / By metro get off “Oike”station and 5 minute walk
Site ：http://www.fukunaga-tf.com/kushikura/index.html