Kyoto food tour: dinner evenings or three-hour walks
A Kyoto food tour usually runs in the evening and keeps to a few streets. Most routes stay around Gion, Pontocho and Kawaramachi, where restaurants and izakaya sit close together, and a guide leads you between stops. This page compares six options, from a 90-minute tea ceremony to two long evenings of about three and a half hours.
The difference is mostly how much you eat and drink. The dinner tours serve a full course with sake or other drinks.
Our picks: Kyoto food tours
The Gion dinner with sake tastings and the food night from Nishiki to Pontocho are the two long evenings, each about three and a half hours. The Kawaramachi crawl suits a tighter budget, and the kimono tea ceremony fits when you want a break from eating.
Hand-picked tours, booked through Viator and GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Gion night dinner with sake tastings
- Full dinner course with dessert
- 3 kinds of sake tastings
- 2 drinks
Three and a half hours of dinner with a certified guide at restaurants and izakaya in Gion and Pontocho. The two drinks can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic.
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Kyoto food night from Nishiki to Pontocho
- 10+ Kyoto-style course meal
- Sake, beer, whiskey or soft drinks
Starts at 5:00 pm sharp and spends three and a half hours between Nishiki, Pontocho and Kiyamachi. The menu changes with the season.
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Gion food walk
- One drink at 2 eateries
- English-speaking guide
The drink can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic.
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Gion and Pontocho food walk
- Up to 13 dishes
- Two drinks included
- Local guide
Three hours with a local guide, with up to 13 dishes at a restaurant and an izakaya. The two drinks can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic.
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Kimono tea ceremony in Nishiki
- Kimono costume
- Simple hairstyle
- Green tea and snacks
Beginners are welcome and children can join from age 7.
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Kawaramachi izakaya and bar crawl
- Help ordering at each venue
- 3 hours with a local guide
Three hours on foot between Kawaramachi and Kiyamachi venues with a local guide who helps you order. Some stops are standing bars.
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Evening dinners, Gion food walks, an izakaya crawl and a kimono tea ceremony, with live prices and availability.
Gion and Pontocho dinner tours
The premium night tour meets outside Exit 5 of Gion-Shijo Station, in front of the Izumo no Okuni statue, and lasts three and a half hours. It serves a full dinner course with dessert at restaurants and izakaya in Gion and Pontocho, plus three kinds of sake to taste and two drinks, alcoholic or not. It costs $158.62 per person.
The second long evening, the food night, starts at 5:00 pm sharp in front of Kyoto Plaza on Shijo and moves between Nishiki, Pontocho and Kiyamachi. It serves a course meal of more than 10 dishes and drinks of your choice, from sake and beer to whiskey and soft drinks, for $119.22. The menu follows the season. Alcohol is served from age 20, and the tour goes ahead in rain, so bring an umbrella.
Gion food walks in three hours
The Gion and Pontocho walk for $81 meets at the FamilyMart in Gion. It visits one restaurant and one izakaya for up to 13 dishes, with two drinks and a guide. The number of dishes is a maximum.
The Gion food walk for $84.01 starts in front of the Starbucks near Sanjo-Ohashi Bridge and takes three hours with an English-speaking guide, with up to 13 dishes at four eateries. A drink at two of the eateries is part of it.
Kawaramachi izakaya crawl and a tea ceremony break
The crawl for $38.77 starts in front of the Disney Store on Shijo-Kawaramachi and lasts three hours on foot through Kawaramachi and Kiyamachi, with some stops at standing bars. The guide helps you order at each venue and shares photos afterwards. Food and drinks are paid on site. Download WhatsApp before you come so the guide can reach you.
If you want a pause from eating, the kimono tea ceremony in Nishiki takes 90 minutes including getting dressed. It costs $52.44, beginners are welcome and children can join from age 7. The kimono goes back by 6:00 pm.
Nishiki Market tips
Nishiki Market runs along Nishikikoji between Teramachi and Takakura in Nakagyo ward. It is not the setting for the evening restaurant tours in Gion and Pontocho. Visit around 11:00 am, before it fills up. The market asks you not to walk while eating: eat at the stall or inside the shop where you bought the food, and leave the rubbish there.
Which Kyoto food tour fits you
For a special dinner, take the Gion sake dinner. For a long evening of 10 or more courses with drinks, the food night fits. On a tighter budget the crawl costs $38.77, though food and drinks are paid separately.
Dietary needs narrow the choice. The premium dinner and the Gion walk do not offer vegan or gluten-free menus, and the Gion and Pontocho walk takes dietary requests in advance. The premium dinner route is not suited to wheelchairs or strollers, and the crawl includes standing bars. Some venues on the evening routes may allow smoking.
Kyoto food tours: practical questions
How much does a Kyoto food tour cost?
Prices run from $38.77 for the Kawaramachi crawl to $158.62 for the Gion dinner with sake. The two Gion walks cost $81 and $84.01, the food night $119.22 and the kimono tea ceremony $52.44. All are per person.
Where do the food tours start?
The Gion dinner meets at Exit 5 of Gion-Shijo Station, the food night in front of Kyoto Plaza on Shijo and the crawl in front of the Disney Store. The Gion walk starts at the Starbucks near Sanjo-Ohashi Bridge, and the Gion and Pontocho walk at the FamilyMart in Gion.
Are drinks included?
The Gion dinner includes two drinks and three sake tastings, and the food night includes drinks of your choice. The Gion and Pontocho walk includes two drinks, while the Gion walk includes a drink at two eateries. On the crawl you pay for your own drinks.
Can I eat vegan or gluten-free on a Kyoto food tour?
The premium Gion dinner and the Gion walk do not offer vegan or gluten-free options. The Gion and Pontocho walk takes dietary requests in advance.