Le Bouchon

Tried its lunch and dinner during our trip. My wife and I have been to more expensive and highly decorated restaurants. But we just love how genuine the food is in this place. Feel so casual but the food is so seriously prepared. You should not miss the house wine, tasted well at such a low price. What a treasury place in Kyoto!

I visited this bistro for dinner and the decor was very nice. I was warmly greeted and the servers were all polite and friendly. An older gentleman (I presume he’s the manager) was very friendly and provided great service and hospitality. If I’m not wrong, he speaks Japanese, French and English, which is really cool! I had the beef bourgunoin and escargots, both of which were cooked to perfection. I loved the pearl onions! My only issue is that it was quite warm in the bistro, I wasn’t sure if the airconditioning was switched on, but that’s reminiscent of summers in Europe so it’s actually an authentic experience.

Once you step inside, you would feel like you are in Lyon!! Such simple and authentic French bistro food they serve here. French restaurants in Japan tend to arrange their menu to be a bit more Japanese but this place serves exactly what you get at a very good bistro in France. Everything from baguette to steak frites and amazing desserts, they know their game. I would totally come back here again in the near future!!.

Quaint French-style brasserie that is famous for its hanger steak lunch. We made an 1130 reservation, but because of heavy traffic, we didn’t arrive until around 12 noon. By that time we arrived, they had already given away our table, and there was a line five couples deep. The manager, however, told us that we could either wait in line, OR if we came back at 1pm, he’d make sure to have a table for us. We chose to return at 1pm and were promptly seated. Good place to have lunch. It’s always packed, so reserve and go early.

An amazing overall experience. We arrived right when they opened, I believe reservation is preferred but they made room for us. Bread is offered, we both got the dinner set; one appetizer each, one meat or fish entree, and one dessert. Excellent wine selection and delicious espresso with dessert. Thank you for the wonderful experience, would definitely recommend! ¥ only

Food was super 🤤. House red wine pretty smooth , good taste. Staff was great. Atmosphere was super too. Especially , price was super reasonable…

No doubt this is one of the best french restaurants i’ve ever dinned. The service is absolutely amazing, cosy and delicious. The closest you can get out of french soul food cooked with love. My favorite place for french food in all kyoto prefecture! ❤️

My husband and I went there in high hopes of a delicious bœuf bourguignon, but the meat I received was not meat. It was the end piece, it seems like and 90-95% gelatinous fat. Even though I had to pay the extra 500 yen charge, I wasn't full at the end of the meal. That being said, everything else was great and reminded me of being back in France. The owner gave exceptional service to everyone who walked in. The experience was so great that I regret having to write negative comments at all.

We stumbled upon this place, and it was lucky we did. This is a French Bistro with the classic red and white checkerboard table cloths, and framed antique French posters on the wall. We loved the atmosphere. It was a small place, so our waiter might have been the owner. He was fluent in French, Japanese, and English, so communication was not a problem. And he had a wonderful sense of humor. You can go a la carte, or with 3 or 4 course meals. The multi course meals save money so we went with the 3 course. I had an endive salad, with blue cheese, and walnuts. The dressing was just right. I loved it. My wife had the salad with salmon (nova), and it was equally good. My entree was cassoulet. Bring your appetite for that one. It was a large bowl of white beans, duck leg, sausage, and some other meat all lovingly married into a stew. Another winner. My wife had a local white fish over wild mushrooms sautéed in butter. Equally good. Since we share everything, it was the only way we could eat all that food, since it was much lighter than the cassoulet. My desert was chocolate cake over a vanilla sauce. The cake had a bitter sweet edge, that played perfectly with the sauce. My wife had baked apple and vanilla ice cream, and she declared it the best baked apple she had ever had. Our house red wine was inexpensive, and paired beautifully with the food. Cash only, no credit cards. My wife and I endorse this restaurant whole heartedly.

Down-to-earth (at least for lunch) French brasserie, a rarity in Japan.