Sukiyaki in Kyoto Prefecture! 15 popular spots by area where you can enjoy top quality Wagyu

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Kyoto Sanjo Haku is a ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant) tucked away on a small path along the Kamo-gawa (Kamo River) in Kyoto Sanjo, and it is popular because you can dine in a place where historical figures active in Japan once lived.

Inside, you will find an extraordinary Japanese-style space, and they also have Private rooms with views of the Kamo-gawa and the garden, making it a good choice for a meal with someone special or for a celebration.

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It is also popular for the live feel of having the staff carefully prepare sukiyaki right in front of you, letting you enjoy even the sounds and the aromas spreading through the air.

The Wagyu they use includes Kobe beef and Omi-gyu (Omi beef). In limited quantities, you can also enjoy a luxurious sukiyaki made with top quality Chateaubriand.

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The food is served in a kaiseki-style (traditional multi-course meal) format, with dishes that pair well with alcohol brought out one by one. The plating feels seasonal and seems to show the delicate touch Kyoto is known for.

They also offer a wide selection of wine, Japanese whisky, and Japanese sake, so you can drink at a relaxed pace and enjoy the hospitality.

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Hoheto is a sukiyaki specialty restaurant on Kiyamachi-dori, a street lined with Kyoto-style buildings and many places to eat and drink. It is on the 4th floor of a white kura (traditional storehouse)-like building.

Inside, the ornate chairs and wallpaper create a Japanese modern feel. The restaurant has lively table seating on the main floor, as well as Private room options where you can relax.

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The All you can eat course featuring Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black Wagyu) sukiyaki is popular. To start, the staff cooks large slices of Kuroge Wagyu at the table in the Hot Pot, so you can enjoy the meat’s flavor directly.

They add large crystal zarame (coarse sugar) and warishita (soy sauce based sukiyaki sauce), giving it a sweet and salty flavor.

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Lining up the vegetables and Kuroge Wagyu and letting them simmer away is part of the fun. Sukiyaki is traditionally enjoyed by beating a raw egg and dipping the meat and vegetables into it before eating.

For an extra charge, you can add Kobe beef, and you can also enjoy high quality Japanese whisky, making for a luxurious meal.

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Pontocho Shabu Shabu Sukiyaki Kiraku is located in Pontocho near Gion-Shijo Station, a narrow street with the kind of charm that feels very Kyoto. It is known for serving Japanese cuisine supervised by a French chef.

The interior is in a renovated kominka (traditional townhouse). With a calm space that incorporates Japanese style decor, you can relax and enjoy your meal.

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The courses vary depending on your budget, with options centered on either sukiyaki (Japanese hot pot) or shabu-shabu (Japanese hot pot).

The popular Toki Course lets you compare high quality kurogé Wagyu (Japanese Black beef). Guests can enjoy about three kinds of Wagyu, including tongue and Strip loin from brand name beef such as Kobe beef, and many say it is fun to taste the different kinds of umami in each one.

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Sukiyaki is first grilled in an iron pot, then simmered with a sauce called warishita. Another feature is that once it is cooked, you can enjoy it coated with the restaurant's original mousse-like egg.

They also offer a good selection of alcohol, including Japanese sake and wine from Kyoto.

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Kyoto Gyu Kaiseki Inayoshi is a Japanese restaurant next to Pontocho Park on Pontocho-dori, where you can feel the charm of traditional Japan. Here you can enjoy Kyoto-gyu (Kyoto beef), a high-quality Kuroge Wagyu.

The Japanese-modern interior has a row of Sunken kotatsu seating that can be used like Semi-private rooms, and it also has tatami-floored Private rooms with views of the Kamo-gawa (Kamo River).

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You can enjoy a course meal where you choose the main dish from steak, shabu-shabu, or sukiyaki. Each option features Kyoto-gyu (Kyoto beef) with beautifully marbled fat.

The sukiyaki is also a highlight because they cook it right in front of you. They grill the Kyoto-gyu, add a special sauce, and serve it with whipped egg for dipping.

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During the summer, they set up a noryo-yuka (summer riverside terrace) like an open terrace, where you can dine while taking in the scenery of the Kamo River up close.

In the basement, there is a bar with a wine cellar stocking more than 100 kinds of wine, and this restaurant also lets you enjoy alcohol such as Special selected wines with your meal.

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Kyoto Dining Masayoshi stands on a street tied to the historical figure Sakamoto Ryoma in the Kawaramachi area, one of Kyoto’s liveliest districts, and focuses mainly on dishes made with Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black beef).

One highlight is the stylish renovation of a building that is over 150 years old. The space has a calm Japanese modern feel, and there are Private rooms as well.

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For the sukiyaki course, you can choose the brand of beef, such as Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black beef) from Kyoto or Miyazaki, or Kobe beef. Every option is said to be tender and full of flavor.

For the first serving of meat, the staff cooks it right in front of you. After that, you can add more meat and vegetables whenever you like, which is another nice touch.

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The signature Kuroge Wagyu is Pine-gyu, raised on pineapple lees at the restaurant's own ranch in Miyazaki. It is known for its tenderness and rich aroma.

The egg mixed into the sukiyaki is Ran-o (brand eggs) from Oita Prefecture. You can enjoy sukiyaki made with a thorough focus on ingredients.

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Taishu Sukiyaki Hokuto Shijo Karasuma Ten is a restaurant on the second floor of a building near Daimaru Kyoto, the department store along Shijo Street. This is the Kyoto restaurant of a sukiyaki spot that is popular in Osaka.

The retro space combines reclaimed wood and mortar. It is also perfect when you want to enjoy a lively casual meal with friends or family.

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They use Awa Kurogyu (Japanese Black Wagyu), a type of kuroge wagyu raised in Tokushima Prefecture. You can choose from three portion sizes for the meat.

It is served in an individual pot, and a key feature is that you season it yourself. The staff will show you the steps, and there is also an easy-to-follow illustrated guide, so even first timers can make sukiyaki without any trouble.

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In addition to enjoying sukiyaki (Japanese hot pot with soy-based sweet-savory broth) by dipping it in raw egg, you can also enjoy it with tororo (grated Japanese yam).

You can add udon to the sukiyaki, and the fried rice made with the leftover sauce after finishing the meat and vegetables is also popular.

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Omi Gyu Sukiyaki Shabushabu Miyako is a sukiyaki and shabushabu restaurant on the second floor of a building just off Kawaramachi-dori onto Ryoma-dori. They also offer presentation that you can enjoy with your eyes.

The space has a Japanese modern feel that makes use of the natural wood grain. There are about 20 seats in total, with tables spaced comfortably apart.

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In the Kansai area, it is traditional to make sukiyaki with zarame (coarse sugar). Here, they place wata-ame (cotton candy) on top of the ingredients instead of zarame.

When they pour on the special warishita (sukiyaki sauce) and heat it, watching the wata-ame melt is a moment you can enjoy with your eyes as well.

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The meat is A5-grade "Omi gyu (Omi beef)." Raised in the rich natural surroundings of Shiga Prefecture, it has a fine texture, and stays tender even when simmered.

The Appetizers served first are also well liked, beautifully arranged in small dishes and decorated with seasonal plants that add a touch of the season.

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Kyoto Tsuyu Shabu CHIRIRI Honten is a Japanese restaurant located on Muromachi-dori, on the west side of the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

The interior is a renovated old Kyoto-style building with a modern Japanese feel. Some seats look out onto a well-kept inner garden, and you can enjoy your meal in a calm setting.

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This restaurant is known for its shabu-shabu, where you swish pork through broth before eating, but you can also enjoy Omi gyu (Omi beef) in sukiyaki.

It is simmered in a sweet sauce, letting you enjoy melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu.

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Both sukiyaki and shabu-shabu are served as course meals. There is also a course where you can enjoy Omi gyu (Omi beef) as roast beef and as "Omi gyu nigiri" shaped like sushi.

Guests also speak highly of the careful preparation of the sukiyaki right in front of them and the service that shows a real spirit of hospitality.

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Ushiya Yohei is about a 7-minute walk from Marutamachi Station, near Kamanzadori, a street lined with trees. In addition to the sukiyaki-ju (sukiyaki over rice), where sukiyaki is served on top of rice, you can enjoy beef dishes in a range of styles, including sukiyaki Hot Pot.

On the first floor, there are tables for two, while the second floor has zashiki (Japanese tatami seating) where guests take off their shoes.

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The menu centers on dishes made with little-known local Japanese Black Wagyu such as Genji Wagyu from Aichi Prefecture and Dandosan Kogen Gyu.

A popular choice is the "Sukiyaki Ju." It features Japanese Black Wagyu and tofu seasoned sukiyaki-style served over rice, so you can enjoy it together with the rice soaked in the sauce.

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Only available at dinner time, they also serve a “sukiyaki-nabe (sukiyaki Hot Pot),” where Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black beef) and vegetables are simmered in a pot.

This set comes with a vegetable Hot Pot, beef, and a raw egg for dipping and enjoying everything together. If you want a more filling meal, adding rice or udon to enjoy in the soup after the meal is also recommended.

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Sukiyaki Niku no Hiroshige Muromachi is a sukiyaki restaurant located about a 4-minute walk from Karasuma Station, in the southwestern area of Kyoto Gosho (Kyoto Imperial Palace).

The exterior is a Western-style stone building, and the interior has a calm atmosphere with old wood adding a warm touch.

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There are three sukiyaki options—Matsu, Take, and Ume—which differ in the amount of meat and the number of dishes included in the set, and all of them use A5-ranked Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black beef).

They cook the meat right in front of you in the pot and season it with warishita sauce made with sugar and soy sauce from Kyoto. The meat is said to be tender and delicious.

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They simmer negi (green onion), shiitake mushrooms, and tofu in the sukiyaki Hot Pot, then add udon after eating the rest. The udon, coated in the broth enriched with Wagyu fat, is the perfect way to finish sukiyaki.

They also have Japanese sake from Kyoto and wine, and you can enjoy the owner's recommended Japanese sake pairing.

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Ryotei Yachiyo is a Kyoto cuisine restaurant located at the entrance to the approach leading to Nanzenji, which has expansive grounds and buildings designated as National Treasures. It also has a long history, having started as a fish wholesaler in the 1580s.

Set against the backdrop of Higashiyama, the garden carefully finished by skilled artisans is one of the highlights. There are also seats where you can view the garden up close.

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Inside, wide glass windows make it easy to look out over the garden, and the space in the back also has Sunken kotatsu seating styled after a kabuki or noh stage.

Here, sukiyaki requires an advance reservation. It is finished in the Hot Pot right in front of you, and you can enjoy tender Wagyu.

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The signature dish is yudofu (tofu Hot Pot). It is made by warming smooth tofu made with high quality underground water in a pot, then enjoying it with the restaurant's original sauce.

Along with yudofu, you can enjoy delicate Kyoto cuisine that values the feel of the season. It is a great fit for people who want to try a traditional meal in a calm Japanese setting.

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Shabu-shabu Sukiyaki All you can eat Wagyu to Buta Sanjo Kawaramachi Ten is on the 9th floor of a building on Kawaramachi-dori, about an 8-minute walk from Sanjo Station. You can enjoy either sukiyaki or shabu-shabu as All you can eat.

The interior has a calm atmosphere with black as the main color. Large windows look out over the Kyoto cityscape, and at night you can dine while taking in the view.

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The Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black beef) served here is "Satsuma Nishiki Gyu" from Kagoshima Prefecture. It is high quality meat graded A4 or higher, known for its slight sweetness and tender texture.

Several reviews also say the sukiyaki (Japanese hot pot) is outstanding, with the sweetness of sugar, the aroma of soy sauce, and its rich flavor, plus the taste of the vegetables' broth and the fat from the meat.

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The sukiyaki All you can eat course, where you can enjoy as much Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black beef) and branded pork as you like, is popular.

In addition to the meat and vegetables added to the Hot Pot, side dishes such as deep-fried skewers and potato salad are also All you can eat. This is recommended for anyone who wants to fill up on sukiyaki.

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Izutsuya Pontocho Ten is a restaurant specializing in sukiyaki (Japanese hot pot) located about a 5-minute walk from Sanjo Station, on Pontocho-dori (Pontocho Street), an area full of Kyoto charm. In pursuit of the ideal beef, they even handle breeding their own cattle.

The entrance sits tucked away down an alley, giving it a hideaway-like feel. You can dine at table seating arranged in a washitsu (traditional Japanese room).

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With its history as a butcher shop, the restaurant is said to pay close attention not only to the brand of Wagyu but also to how it is cut, so guests can enjoy it at its best.

For the sukiyaki, you can choose from different kinds of meat such as Tanba-gyu (Wagyu from Kyoto), lean cuts, or beautifully marbled cuts, and another plus is that you can enjoy it as a course meal.

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One highlight of the course is watching the staff carefully prepare sukiyaki right in front of you. It seems you can also enjoy your meal while chatting with them.

In fall, you can also have sukiyaki with matsutake (pine mushrooms), and in summer, you can dine at the terrace seating called noryo-yuka (riverside summer platform), where the Kamo River is right in front of you.

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Gion Gyuzen is a Hot Pot restaurant on the 4th floor of Gion Kaikan, near Yasaka Jinja (Yasaka Shrine), which has a history of more than 1350 years, and it serves a wide variety of dishes made with Wagyu.

The spacious interior has a clean Japanese modern feel. It offers Private rooms with zashiki (tatami seating) and large table seats, making it suitable for everyone from solo diners to groups.

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If you want to eat lots of meat with sukiyaki (Japanese hot pot), the recommended option is the "Domestic Beef Sukiyaki All you can eat" plan. You can enjoy as much high quality meat as you like within the set time.

There are also plans where you can have all you can eat Omi gyu (Omi beef) and Kobe gyu (Kobe beef), and you can also add vegetables and ingredients such as tofu.

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In addition to sukiyaki, the specialty here is a menu item called "suki-shabu," which lets you enjoy shabu-shabu at the same time. They use an original Hot Pot that heats the two dishes side by side.

People also like that they can enjoy the beef in two different styles, alternating between the light taste of shabu-shabu, where the broth removes some of the fat from the meat, and the richer flavor of sukiyaki.

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Kyoshunsai Yusho is a Japanese restaurant on the second floor of Hotel Emion Kyoto, near Umekoji-Kyotonishi Station, one stop west of Kyoto Station.

The stylish interior has table seating and counter seating, and they also offer Private rooms with a sense of privacy.

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The lunch Special Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black Wagyu) Premium sukiyaki Gozen set is popular. You can enjoy sukiyaki made with high quality Wagyu in a one person Hot Pot.

The warishita sauce made with sugar and soy sauce is said to go well not only with the beef but with the rice too. It is also recommended to dip the beef in beaten raw egg, then pour the remaining egg over the rice and enjoy it.

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The lunch menu comes with several Japanese side dishes that let you feel the season in a Kyoto-style way. The beautiful presentation makes it enjoyable for the eyes as well.

For dinner, there is also a reservation-only course where you can enjoy sukiyaki and temaki-zushi (hand-rolled sushi) made by placing rice and fillings on nori (seaweed).