What to eat in Kyoto (city, Tango coast) now
An old capital with no sea, where Kyoto cuisine grew around cured mackerel sushi and finely scored hamo. In winter, some travel north to the Tango coast for crab and yellowtail.
Kyoto city is far from the sea; fish was carried in from Wakasa (Fukui) along the "Mackerel Road". The Tango and Maizuru coast to the north faces the Sea of Japan and is known for crab, yellowtail and egg cockles
Open UmamiHop →Today's picks for where you are, a help card to show the chef, and a menu translator. Free to use.In season in October
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Saba-zushi (cured mackerel sushi)
Mackerel cured in salt and vinegar, pressed into a log of rice and wrapped in kombu — a Kyoto taste for festivals and celebrations. Best in autumn and winter when mackerel is fatty. Easy to take away.
- Season
- All year
- Best
- Oct – Dec
- Where
- Sushi shops and takeaway counters around Gion and Nishiki Market
Show the staff: 鯖寿司（鯖の棒寿司）
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Hamo (blanched pike conger, hamo shabu)
Kyoto's summer means hamo — July's Gion Festival is even nicknamed the hamo festival. Finely scored, blanched and eaten with plum paste. In autumn, try hamo shabu or a clear broth with matsutake.
- Season
- Jun – Oct
- Best
- Jul
Show the staff: 鱧（はもおとし・鱧しゃぶ）
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Guji (tilefish) grilled Wakasa-style
In Kyoto, tilefish is called guji and is a prized fish in Kyoto cuisine. Grilled Wakasa-style with its scales on, the scales turn crisp while the flesh stays soft.
- Season
- Oct – Mar
- Best
- Nov – Jan
Show the staff: ぐじ（甘鯛）の若狭焼き
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Nishin soba (herring soba)
A Kyoto specialty: sweet-simmered dried herring on hot soba. Born from inland Kyoto's way of using dried fish.
- Season
- All year
- Best
Show the staff: にしんそば
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Chirimen sansho (baby anchovies with sansho pepper)
Tiny dried baby anchovies simmered with sansho peppercorns — a classic Kyoto souvenir. Tingly and fragrant on a bowl of rice.
- Season
- All year
- Best
Show the staff: ちりめん山椒
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Yudofu (simmered tofu)
Tofu made with Kyoto's soft water, warmed in kombu broth. Many restaurants are around Nanzen-ji and Sagano.
- Season
- All year
- Best
Show the staff: 湯豆腐
Coming in November
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Imobo (ebi-imo taro with dried cod)
A winter Kyoto dish of ebi-imo taro slowly simmered with rehydrated dried cod. Despite the name ("shrimp taro"), it contains no shrimp — the taro is just shaped like one.
- Season
- Nov – Feb
- Best
- Dec – Jan
Show the staff: いもぼう（海老芋と棒鱈の煮物）
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Taiza crab (Tango snow crab)
Snow crab landed at Taiza, a small port on the Tango Peninsula. Small boats fish on day trips, so it arrives very fresh — it is called the phantom crab. Boiled, grilled or in hot pot.
- Season
- Nov – Mar
- Best
- Dec – Jan
- Where
- Taiza on the Tango Peninsula, about 3 hours from Kyoto Station by train and bus
Show the staff: 間人ガニ（丹後の松葉ガニ）
Local specialties through the year
| 🍣 Saba-zushi (cured mackerel sushi) | All year |
| 🐟 Hamo (blanched pike conger, hamo shabu) | Jun – Oct |
| 🐟 Guji (tilefish) grilled Wakasa-style | Oct – Mar |
| 🍜 Nishin soba (herring soba) | All year |
| 🍲 Imobo (ebi-imo taro with dried cod) | Nov – Feb |
| 🦀 Taiza crab (Tango snow crab) | Nov – Mar |
| 🐟 Ine winter yellowtail | Dec – Feb |
| 🍣 Tango egg cockle (torigai) | Apr – Jul |
| 🦪 Maizuru rock oysters | Jun – Aug |
| 🍚 Chirimen sansho (baby anchovies with sansho pepper) | All year |
| 🍲 Yudofu (simmered tofu) | All year |
Other regions
Nagoya (Aichi) · Fukuoka (Hakata) · Hiroshima · Hyogo (Kobe, Akashi) · Hakuba (Nagano) · Hokkaido (Sapporo, Otaru) · Seoul · Busan
Seasons shift with the weather and the catch each year. Ask the restaurant what is in today.