Try These Dishes When You Come to Gion! Introducing Gion’s Specialties

Hello! Kimono Rental Wargo here!
Here are some of Gion’s famous restaurants that represent Kyoto.
We picked up popular stores you don’t want to miss when you visit Gion!
 

Gion Kinana Honten | Kinako Ice specialty shop

The first shop is Kinako Ice specialty shop in Gion Shijo, “Gion Kinana”, and the popular menu is called “Freshly made Nana – Plain”, it is a simple dish with freshly made ice cream with kinako flavor.
It is incredibly smooth and creamy, and since it only uses carefully chosen kinako powder, the simple flavor of kinako is very pure and delicious! Some people come to Kyoto only to eat this ice!
It’s that popular!!
 

Gion Kinana makes six flavors of ice cream; kinako (roasted soybean flour), azuki (sweet red bean), kurogoma (black sesame), kuromitsu (black sugar syrup), maccha (powdered green tea) and yomogi (mugwort), all real Kyoto’s traditional Japanese flavors!
Other than plain ice, parfaits are also popular!
We recommend Berry parfait!
The sour taste of the berries and the aftertaste is refreshing.
The entrance of the restaurant is also elegant, so it is a gourmet spot that not only tastes delicious but looks good as well!
 

Address: 570-119 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto
Phone number: 075-525-8300
Access: 7 minutes on foot from Gion Shijo Station
Business hours: Sun – Sat | 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
 

Okaru | Udon noodle restaurant

The long-established restaurant “Okaru”, offers Kyoto-style udon with a lot of umami taste from the dashi soup stock.
They are most famous for their delicious curry udon.
The special soup stock is made by carefully boiling kelp, mackerel and urume (The red-eye round herring)!
Geiko and Maiko often come to eat here because the restaurant is close to the Kabuki Hall.
A lot of signatures of famous people and Maiko decorating the store.
 

The restaurant is good to visit at lunch as well as at night, many people eat udon and soba noodles after drinking!
There are plenty of menus other than curry udon, so please check them out at the restaurant!
 

Address: Yasaka Shinchi Tominagacho 132, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Prefecture
Phone number: 075-541-1001
Access: 3 minutes on foot from Gion Shijo Station (Exit 7) on the Keihan Main Line
Business hours: 11am–3pm, reopen at 5pm–2:30am
 

Izuu | Sushi Restaurant

“Izuu” is a restaurant specializes in mackerel sushi (saba-zushi), it’s a long-established store in Kyoto that even appeared in the comic “Delicious Shinbo”!
 

The entrance looks very nice.
Saba-zushi is one of Kyoto’s traditional dishes that has been homemade for festivals and celebrations since ancient times.
“Izuu” was the first to offer saba-zushi at a restaurant in the Edo period!
 

The restaurant has a calm atmosphere like a tea shop.
Saba-zushi is made from a thick mackerel pressed on to vinegar-flavored rice (shari) and wrapped in thick sheets of konbu seaweed.
The ingredients are carefully selected, to deliver the best umami flavor to the customer!
If you want to enjoy Kyoto’s traditional meals in Gion, Izuu is recommended!
 

Address: 367 Kiyomotocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Phone number: 075-561-0751
Access: 5 minutes on foot from Gion Shijo Station (Exit 7) on the Keihan Main Line
Business hours:
[Weekdays / Saturdays] 11:00-22:00
[Sundays / Holidays] 11:00-21:00
(Closed on Tuesdays)
 

Gion Tokuya | Japanese sweets restaurant

At Gion Tokuya, you can eat warabi-mochi, a popular sweets from Kyoto!
It represents Gion’s pure Japanese-style sweets.
The special menu “Hon-warabi-mochi” 「本わらび餅」 is often featured on gourmet sites.
You can eat the warabi-mochi as it is, or pour the black honey syrup or the kinako powder that comes with it, don’t worry because all of them taste amazing!
The arrangement of warabi-mochi that lined up around the ice look so cute, it’s great for instagram pictures!
 

In addition to warabi-mochi, kuzu-mochi and kakigori (shaved ice) are also popular!
At certain times the waiting line gets quite long, so be prepared!
Right after lunch time, the line is relatively short, so aim for it!
 

Address: 570-127 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Prefecture
Phone number: 075-561-5554
Access: 6 minutes on foot from Keihan Main Line “Gion Shijo” Station (Exit 6)
Business hours: 12:00-18:00 (Open every day, Opening hours might change during the New Year holidays)
 

Try These Dishes When You Come to Gion! Introducing Gion’s Specialties

Kimono Rental Wargo Gion Shijo store can be reached by 1-minute walk from Keihan Gion Shijo Station!
Please stop by when you visit Gion.
Your trip to Gion wouldn’t be complete without trying delicious Japanese delicacies while wearing Japanese traditional clothes, kimono!!
See you at Gion!!!

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