Kikyo Sushi

If you’re looking for a great sushi restaurant in Kyoto… THIS IS IT! The sushi is amazing. Like best I’ve ever had, haha! It’s family owned and the family is incredibly kind and their restaurant has a great atmosphere. Plus, the English menu is really good with pictures and the son speaks English really well. I loved the number 1 platter and my wife loved the rolls. The sake testing was also so fun!

We wanted a good sushi lunch before we fly back to Seoul and we found this restaurant. A family business and good quality of sushi. We had 1 sushi platter, 1 lunch sushi set, 3 bottles of hot sake and 8 uni sushi (¥700/each). All delicious and we paid only ¥10,650. Reasonable price!

We were recommended to go to this sushi restaurant by Aya after our tea ceremony experience. The restaurant is a family business with the youngest generation speaking great English. This was our favourite sushi from our trip to Japan with the tuna being the highlight. The presentation was unique and a nice touch. The price was very reasonable and nowhere close to some of the restaurants on the main tourist streets.

This place was delicious and one of the best meals I've had in Japan. It was very easy to make a reservation online through their website and I got a confirmation within 24 hours. It's a family owned business and like other reviews mentioned, the son of the restaurant speaks English. The menu provided is in English. No issues ordering. The fish was fresh and large in portion compared to anywhere I've ever eaten. Fulfilling and satisfying. Please be sure to make a reservation ahead of time because they were insanely busy and may have to refuse seating to you.

Friendly staff. Really fresh, authentic and delicious Sushi. The Sake tasting goes really well with it, definitely a recommendation! It was a lovely experience. We asked for Omakase and loved every piece.

Great family run restaurant with good sushi. We got the sushi sakura set. It’s good to make a reservation since they can get quite busy. Staff are very nice and it is tourist friendly as the youngest staff speaks English :)

This was my favourite meal in Kyoto by far! Delicious, well presented and incredibly fresh sushi with an excellent Saki pairing. Excellent service and very reasonably priced.

Wow what a highlight from our trip to Japan! TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): Amazing sushi, amazing people, great for locals and tourists alike. Do yourself a favor and make a reservation. This family run restaurant is everything you’re looking for. Very friendly service, the food is absolutely - chef’s kiss, and it’s mighty convenient reading from English menus. Also, their son, Mitsuru, who prepares the food alongside his father speaks English which made for an incredibly memorable conversation. My girlfriend and I each got a combination plate of sushi with some premium pieces added. We also shared the combination tempura. Everything was fresh and absolutely delicious. The tempura was so light and fluffy, it was amazing. As we finished up our meal and with the help of Mitsuru translating our interaction, this generous man welcomed us tourists with open arms. We struck up fun and insightful post dinner conversation and our new friend was even kind enough to share his Shochu with us. After dinner he took us out on the town for a once in a lifetime night. If you’re looking for a local sushi spot with amazing food and a comfortable atmosphere, this is your place. P.S. There is a small craft cocktail bar around the corner called Bar Material that has AMAZING cocktails.

This place absolutely rocks. Probably the best sushi I have ever eaten. The prices are clearable to average sushi restaurant back in Dallas but the quality is, I think, beyond anything we have. Even our "nice" sushi spots dress it up with all sorts of fancy stuff. I think if you really want to know how the place is, try the nigiri. How's the rice and the fish? Here, it's phenomenal. I loved the food and the service and the vibe. You can tell they have been careful to curate the experience nicely. In many ways it tailors to western diners, but without abandoning tradition and maintaining its own authenticity. The menu is very thorough. Plenty of English. Clear and easy to understand. All the personality of the family comes through. We arrived on a Thursday at prime time with no reservation and were offered the back room, which we thought was incredible and a more subdued vibe than the front room, which was perfect for us, especially with our rambunctious 6-year old son being a bit wild. Front room was not the place for him! My daughter is 9 and also a huge fan of sushi. She has been working on her Japanese and told the chefs "totemo oishikatta desu". The whole front room was cheering and applauding to hear a nice compliment in Japanese from a little American girl and it made her feel great to have it received so warmly. Do not sleep on eating here. It's a must-do!

We were drawn in by the great Yelp reviews, but our experience was not so good. The quality of sushi was moderate at best, and service was slow and forgetful. On the positive side, the chawan mushi was tasty and pricing was reasonable for the area. There were no other Japanese customers when we were there - usually not a good sign.

Kikyo Sushi is the site of my first Yelp review. After consuming this Fatty Tuna roll after a long day of biking through Kyoto back in 2018, I needed somewhere to put my appreciation so I took to Yelp. 661 reviews and 2 Yelpies later, here we are. I came this time 6.5 years later and it was just like I remembered it. I got a plate of the Kikyo Nigiri and the premium Toro. Everything was sensational, but just like the last time, the Toro went NUTTY. Melted in your mouth. It's always nice when you confirm a good memory or feeling isn't just due to nostalgia. This 2018 trip to Japan was one of the things that began my growth into adulthood. I was a 22 year old kid who thought he had it all figured out, but this trip showed me I knew absolutely nothing. I had no idea how differently people lived. "Not everyone wants what I want in life? Not everyone wants to make as much money as humanly possible? Maybe there is more to life than just monetary success...?" I began to wonder. I write this to you now, fresh off a solo Japan trip and more fulfilled with life than I've ever been. Albeit I'm still not where I want to be, but I believe I'll get there... and even if I don't it's okay. I'm working hard, treating people well, and having a blast along the way. What more can you ask for? IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov_reviews

Best sushi we ever had! My son, sushi lover was on cloud9.Wow what an experience. Everything we tried was just perfect! We got the Sushi Daimonji platter, Salmon nigiri, Unagi rolls and Tempura. The seafood was so fresh! Beautifully served too. It is a small place where you can see a multi-generational family cook right in front of you. All the waiters speak great English, and the restaurant and they had an English menu which made ordering easy. They were so kind to accommodate 40mins before closing time even they had several parties waiting. Glad to find such a gem of a place on our last night in Kyoto!

My husband and I were on the hunt for the best sushi in the area. I read some promising reviews on Kikyo Sushi, which happened to be located a few blocks away from our hotel. I made reservations for 8pm on a Friday. Kikyo Sushi was quite the popular spot. The place was fairly busy when we got there, but the turnaround for parties was continuous our entire meal. We sat right at the chef's counter, which was cool because we got to converse with the family who has been holding down the restaurant for 3 generations. In general, the staff was amazing. We were greeted by the sweetest hostess. The mom, AKA "The Boss," was an adorable lady who gladly took pics of us, including a kanpai (cheers) pics with her son. Speaking of her son, he was awesome to chat with. Super friendly and personable. My husband and I ordered several items. Between the 2 of us we got a mixed tempura plate, fried oyster, Kikyo set#2, Premium set#2, saba nigiri set, and a few a la carte nigiri like toro, tamago, unagi, and salmon. I loved everything I ate. The tempura was crispy and lightly battered. The quality and freshness of the fish was outstanding, and what's great was how affordable all of this was. We have been in Japan for a week, and we both have felt that we've only had incredible sushi once so far. Kikyo Sushi exceeded my expectations, and my biggest regret was finding it on our last day in Kyoto. In my honest opinion, the best food I've had so far on my trip in Japan is from a mom's and pop's shop. Kikyo Sushi is a testament to that. Their humble story is on their menu, and it's worth the read!

Heading out from Haneda airport and running into this spot before leaving was great! I had some of the freshest of sushi here and the service was impecable. They are a small family owned business is what I understood but we really enjoyed it here. Again, everything we tried was fresh and just tasted so amazing. I hope to be able to visit this place again in the future. The Unagi rolls, and tempuras were so delicious and didn't have the fried taste you get in other location. I highly recommend for sure.

Visiting from the US, the Visa Infinite Concierge recommended this restaurant. The good: accepted reservations, moderate pricing, friendly service, charming atmosphere, fresh toro, tasty tempura batter. The bad: the picked ginger was the same stuff you get in a supermarket tray, they didn't include any grated radish along with the tempura, and the quality of the sushi making was mediocre. Overall, this restaurant would be considered average in the US, so I'm giving it a below-average rating for Japan.

Glorious sushi and Kyoto. This family run and owned sushi restaurant is a joy to visit and eat at. The sushi is making fresh and handcrafted with over three decades of experience. The tempura here is quite tasty, so make sure to go and get some for yourself. Impressive selection of sake. Awaits those who want to wash down the sushi with glorious rice wine. Most of the staff understand English, and the son is quite good at speaking it. Everyone as personable and attentive.... As it's expected in Japan. I recommend making reservations online, or the way could exceed an hour.

A spot run by three generations of the same family. Food variety is good. Has a traditional room with several tables where shoes are not allowed. Also has several regular tables if you are not familiar with the no shoes etiquette. It was pretty painful for me to see the foreigners who got messy with the shoes changing (socks on the dirty ground then directly on the tatami... no no) and lack of polite tucking in of the outside shoes under the bench, etc. I encourage whoever wants to try tatami room to learn how to transition properly from outside shoes to slippers and tatamis, plenty of YouTube videos to learn from. I am sure it will be more pleasant and appreciated by locals.

Had a one-niight stop in Kyoto and randomly found this place from Yelp reviews. Had a party of 6; walked in and waited about 30min to get seated. Let me tell you, this place is amazing. In the states, there is access to similar sushi, fish, depending on how much you pay. You get higher quality here for the fraction of the price. Our party ordered pretty much one of everything available and it was 100% worth it. Seating areas are small so I would recommend getting a reservation ahead. It's too bad we are leaving because I would eat here everyday!

We made reservations to make sure we were able to try this sushi restaurant and were so thrilled! My friend cannot eat any gluten and they have a full menu of gluten free options. The sushi was fresh and delicious. The service was great. I am only sad we are leaving town and cannot come back for more!

We travel from Hawaii to Japan at least once a year and always come here. The sushi is first class and the family is equally as wonderful. Book in advance as they are always busy.

Right around the corner from my hotel, Kikyo Sushi delivers excellent quality, fresh sushi and a relaxed vibe. I started with the tako tsukemono and Japanese oyster with vinegar. For sushi, I got the Sakura set (maguro, ebi, chutoro, kampachi, unagi, anago, tako). I added on ikura and uni gunkan rolls. I also got the oolong tea (cold) and 3-sake flight. I was seated at the sushi counter and told that, as they had reservations coming in, I would have the seat for an hour. Which was completely fine and I was done within 45 minutes anyway. As others have said, the staff here do speak English, and they even have an English menu! I can read Japanese, but only at a rudimentary level, so I requested to have both menus. I wish that there was more interaction with the sushi chef. I understand he was relatively busy, but he just placed all the sushi at once on a leaf in front of me without saying a word. (I thought it was cute that they used a leaf as the tray/plate.) Also, he made the gunkan rolls at the same time - I would have rather had him wait until I was ready for them so that the nori didn't get damp before I ate them. As all the sushi was made at once and placed before me at one time, I felt a little rushed. I understand they needed the seat back, but it wasn't too busy even when I was finished with my meal. Fair warning, the Japanese oyster is HUUUUGE! It took me two bites to finish the oyster. I'm much more a fan of small, U.S. east coast oysters. The pickled tako was very good - tentacles and all! The sushi was delicious - it was my first sushi meal on this trip, so I was super excited for it! Of the sake flight, I liked the dry sake more (it was a combo of 2 dry and 1 slightly fruity sake). Overall, I had a good time here. The price is very fair - my meal was only $60 total, and that's with drinks! I'd probably try to find another place to dine next time, as this place seemed to be flooded with tourists, and I'd like to find a more hole-in-the-wall place with more locals than tourists. If you're visiting as a larger group, definitely make a reservation in advance, as space is limited!

Very small place. Their fish are simply delicious. Staff are attentive and friendly! We highly highly recommend this 3 generation establishment.

Great spot and even better Sushi! This family owned spot has a very special atmosphere. You'll see the Father so focused in his art, the mother with the sweetest smile and the son who is such a pleasure to talk to! Not to forget all the servers that make ordering so easy. My husband and I now have a favorite spot in Kyoto :)

We had a delicious dinner at this Kyoto restaurant. They welcomed English speaking diners and made us feel at home. We enjoyed the sake sampler with three different kinds of sake. The sushi was fresh, and their specials were yummy. It was oyster season, so there were fresh and fried oysters to enjoy. We would go back here again!

Small mom and pop type of sushi joint. Located within a 10 min walk from Marutamachi subway station but a few min walk from our Airbnb. Sushi combos were good. Spent $100 for a family of 3. Daughter loved the gindara so much we had to order another.

The food and service is great at this mom and pop sushi restaurant. A good selection of local sake and the freshness of the seafood make this worth the time. Would highly recommend.

This place has the best sushi in Kyoto! Family owned business. Speak English, very friendly, and nice ambience. Good for the family or just have a date. Absolutely loved it.

Wow sushi sampler, specials of the night, sake sampler. I think YES! awesome staff who made sure we were happy and got everything we wanted. Also have English menus which made it easier on us. Though not expected. Small setting, which is usual of Japan, and amazing food. I would absolutely go back! Make sure to do the tempura oysters if they are on the menu!

THE BEST! We stumbled upon this place while in Kyoto and fell in love! It is family owned and they are very friendly! The sushi was great quality and the sushi chef even made some wonderful recommendations! When we come back to Kyoto we will definitely revisit this gem! Thank you!!

Fabulous food delightfully presented. It was a plus to have an English menu snd owner!

Great sushi! English speaking staff- very kind people - cool location. We were there for lunch and they let us sit down even though they were closing in 30 minutes. Would go back!

We had 8:30 reservations and arrive a bit early ... we were taken to the back room for about 10 minutes and they came and got us. The restaurant is very small and simple ... The prices are extremely reasonable for the quality. The unagi they served was out of this world good. Its a family runned place and one of the owners (the younger one speaks perfect english) and English menus are provided. We were in and out in 30 minutes. As we were leaving a small wait started to form outside. The directions is very simple to find. Dinner for 3 with 1 beer and 1 sake was 7200 yens .. Make reservations through Facebook messenger and owner will answer within a day.

A great sushi spot near the Nijo castle. 3rd generation, apparently over 50 years in business! The sushi was delicious. Very fresh! Prices are reasonable. They have bar seating and a few tables. They speak great English (the son does) and very friendly.

We were looking for Sushi within walking distance of our hotel (ANA Crown Palace）and decided on Kikyoz from the good reviews and English compatibility. The place has a great history, Sushi was fresh and delicious , reasonable price, we were not disappointed. Much better than many large, more glamorous options. We feel we got our Kyoto sushi fix here and enjoyed feeling a part of the local community.

Delicious sushi and sashimi. We liked the tuna best. We also got cucumber rolls that were crunchy and very fresh. Wonderful environment, excellent service! Very fairly priced. Highly recommend!

This place is a hidden diamond! The toro was the best I've ever had. The uni perfect and delicious. There's no way I would have found it without Yelp. Way hidden away in an alley so definitely a destination point. The prices were very reasonable. They could charge 50% more and I'd still be super satisfied. Eat here!

The best sushi I've ever had. Great atmosphere. Ran by a small family with a son who is learning the trade. Very English speaking friendly and was quick to give recommendations for our sake tasting pilgrimage.

The toro is so good! Plus they have an English menu which makes things really easy! The service is great as well!

Amazing place! We stumbled upon the place while walking the neighborhood of our hotel, this place is an experience we shared all the dishes we tried the sake tasting and everything from miso soup to the Toro was worthwhile, we lucked out and got in with no reservation but we saw many people getting rejected or having to wait, plan this visit ahead of time. It's worth it.

Near Di Jo castle, walked there from the Crown Plaza. Great sushi, family owned, son speaks excellent English. Can be a bit busy, but nice.

This place is a great little find. As mentioned one of the owners speaks English to ease the experience. They take great pride in their restaurant and are extremely outgoing. This is very affordable sushi from a great family.

A perfect first meal in Kyoto! The sushi was delicious, fairly priced, and beautifully presented. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for an authentic Japanese sushi experience.

Great sushi place! The sushi is prepared with fresh ingredients before your eyes. Very friendly people, with the son who speaks excellent English. Not a very large place so you might have to wait a bit. Reasonable prices, highly recommended.