Omen Ginkaku-ji

We waited not too long for a table at about 2pm. The food was absolutely incredible - best udon noodles we've had and the tempura was so light and not greasy at all. The chef was very welcoming and ensured we knew the correct way to eat the soup, spent some time chatting with us and even gave us some recommendations of local places to visit. Would absolutely recommend to stop here for lunch if you are in the area.

We visited Omen Ginkaku-ji on a warm day in mid-May, and while the food turned out to be phenomenal, the wait was definitely a test of patience. This place is clearly popular—with both tourists and locals—and seating is competitive. What we didn’t know when we arrived is that you need to write your name on a list at the entrance to get in line. There's no real signage or staff guidance about this, so it’s easy to miss. There’s a tiny bench with shade for maybe two people, and the rest of us waiting either stood in the sun, crossed the street to find some shadow, or leaned against the nearby parking lot wall. The staff calls names without much warning or volume, so if you’re not right by the door and paying attention, it’s easy to miss your turn—which is exactly what happened to us after over an hour of waiting. No one checked in with us, even though we were clearly waiting. That said, once we finally got in, the mood changed completely. The service was fast and friendly, and honestly… it was the best udon I’ve ever had. Deep, rich flavors, perfectly cooked noodles—completely worth the hype. They have an English menu, and some of the staff speak English as well. Prices were fair for the area, and they were even kind enough to let us charge our phones, which we really appreciated after a long, hot day. Just be prepared for a potentially long, loosely managed wait—but know that a great meal awaits you.

Delicious food and great experience. Servers were super sweet. Partner and I tried hot versus cold and it was fun to experience both. Try the spices on the side of the table.

My mama used to come by here all the time because her University is just around the corner. Compare with before, price is so much more but it is always nice to come by. There are some new menu maybe for foreign sight seeing guests. When I was living in NY, I also had meals often in Manhattan, what was long time ago, so Omen has special memories for me. When I was single, went to NY store with my friends, and here close from Gonkakuji. sometime with my mother, and now with my Australian husband. He was enjoying meals in here, too. We skipped our BF and Lunch and came here to fill us up. It was nice indeed. Their service is nothing special and easy to imagine they are handling so many customers daily, so I don’t blame it. Thank you and I shall come back to here again in the future.

Like lots of good restaurants, there will be a wait. It's totally worth it. Wonderful udon sets with plenty of food. The tempura was great. Service was matter of fact, but they have a non-stop flow of customers. Come here before or after your walk down the philosopher's path.

It was delicious udon but nothing so special to be wow. Went ate good and for good price. Didn’t queue long too.

Amazing udon! The cold noodles are very refreshing in the Japanese summer. I recommend ordering the cold noodles with tempura. The Onsen egg is great too! The meat with rice bowl was also amazing. Many flavors to take in during this refreshing and replenishing meal. If you are in Kyoto this very local shop is a must stop to try one of the best udons in town!

Wonderful! Friendly staff and delicious beautiful food. Worth the wait. We walked in during lunch ahead of the line but line didn’t seem too bad. Full of locals for good reason! Highly recommend. One of our fav experiences of the trip.

One of my favorite restaurants during my two week trip to Japan! This place serves udon with broth to dip it in, similar to tsukemen. You choose whether you want the dashi broth hot or cold (hot was rec by staff), and you also get seasonal fresh vegetables and sesame seeds to mix in the broth for extra flavor. Pretty unique style, highly recommend. They make their own chili powders, which you can buy, which I did. 3.56 Tabelog, 5 min wait @ 12:15pm

Outstanding service and udon noodles! We came here around 3:30 for a late lunch since most other places were closed just before the dinner hour. It's close to philosophers path and we ordered the "most popular" tempura udon. Let me just say there is no comparison to the udon in the U.S. The noodles were chewy and flavorful. We also loved all the side fixings that kicks it up ten notches.

Omen Ginkakuji Honten | Kyoto | $ Cold Soba Noodles + Tempura add on Hot Soba Noodles + Mackerel Sushi Add on The noodles here are hand pulled and of excellent quality. You can really taste all the #goodeats if you get them cold. I felt that getting them hot blended all the flavors together a bit too much. Some of the veggies stood out on their own but again much better with the cold noodles and dipping sauce. If you get the additional egg, I'd recommend against putting it in the dipping sauce as you'll lose most of it. Our rookie mistake. The mackerel was higher quality and wasn't fishy at all which I appreciated. Service is kinda slow since this is a really popular spot and they were slammed even as early as 5:30. The interior has a lot of space and they're used to seating large groups of foreigners.

Listed as one of the best udon spots in Kyoto. I admit to not being enough of an expert to weigh in, but it was absolutely delicious; Get a noodle set - you can choose hot or cold broth - with tempura. It's a truly cozy restaurant in an incredibly walking suburban neighborhood. After dinner, strolling along the paths in Ginkakuji is a wonderful way to wind down.

An udon restaurant that not only serves delicious noodles but also toppings which you can pick and choose. My friend and I were recommended this restaurant by a Kyoto local and it definitely did not disappoint. This was my first time having dipping udon and I loved how the soup had a light citrus taste that was refreshing and the udon noodles were perfectly bouncy. I ordered a set that included some divine beef (that melted in my mouth), a mochi on a stick, tofu, and lotus chips (must try-crispy and umami!). I had such an incredible and satisfying meal at Omen and I willl be recommending this place to whoeever visits Kyoto.

Really tasty, soft and chewy udon noodles at this famous udon location near the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji). It's less than five minutes from the road of shopping tents (turn right before heading up the road to Ginkakuji and walk for about 300 meters) and Omen is on your left. They offer both counter seats and traditional Japanese seating and have two restrooms (both of which are extremely tight and narrow, typical of Japanese restrooms). Their English menu offers a limited selection of noodle dishes and drinks. If you have someone who can speak Japanese I would suggest perusing the Japanese menu, which apparently offers a wider variety of foods. The tempura set was cooked perfectly and the okazu for noodles are offered with the sauce and irregardless of hot or cold noodles you will dip them into the sauce versus having a typical udon soup you sip on. The restaurant also offers four different types of spices you can add to your sauce to change the spiciness of the sauce. I wish the sign for this place was bigger! We mistakenly walked into the wrong building as per our google map instructions. When we walked a little further we saw the small sign on the side of the building before reaching the main entrance with the larger signage.

Fast service but the udon noodles are fresh and delicious. Perfect texture! Arrived right as they were opening at 11am. Tempura was okay but keep in mind that you're here for the udon noodles!!! Great overall eating experience with the different vegetables and spices. Definitely recommend!

The noodles themselves are cooked to perfection (not too soft, not too hard) but the selling point is the soup that you dip them in. There are a variety of spices on the side that you can add to the soup to change up the flavor as you eat it. Only take American express for cards.

Great place to try out Udon near the Path of Philosophy or the numerous temples in the area. Others have commented on the quality of the udon (tasty!) but I'll add a recommendation for the tuna and avocado salad (chunks of each in a light dressing) as this was very good on a hot day. They even gave us helpful instructions on how to eat Udon properly.

So far, this is one of the most memorable restaurant in Kyoto, Japan. Even my meat lover husband admit how much he loved the udon when his dish has no meat at all. We both ordered the hot version. Double dipping and slurping are allowed. The udon is al dente and all the vegetables and condiments compliment the udon. I also really enjoyed the hot chili pepper powder.

One must have noodles when in Japan! This is an udon place recommended by our hotel. They have both Japanese floor style and Western chair style seating. Fortunately, they can accommodate a large group. We had a group of 6 people, walked in for a late lunch with no reservations, and were seated upstairs after maybe a 15 minute wait. Why go: 1. Great udon noodles. I tried and loved the cold udon noodles. 2. Great saba sushi (marinated mackerel). Kyoto is inland, so fresh fish is hard to come by. To prevent spoiling, they marinate or pickle the fish in a vinegar sauce. Kyoto is known for the saba sushi. Try and enjoy! 3. They have an English menu (but try the non-English menu, which has more options, if you're adventurous)! 4. It's very near one end of the Philosopher's Walk. Eat first, then walk off the calories while philosophizing with friends. :)

Absolutely delicious. Very close to silver pavilion shrine. Can eat this before walking the philosopher path or what we did was visit the golden pavilion, zen garden, and then silver pavilion followed by the philosophers path which took about 30minutes. We then took the bus to come back and eat the udon. The vegetarian option is delicious. All I had to say was "vegetarian" and they understood. It was off the menu. All the veggies you put into the udon broth is vegetarian. I also put some of the spices. The broth itself is probably not as flavorful as the non-vegetarian option but it was sufficient, especially after putting all the spices and veggies in. The udon noodles were nice and soft. The meal itself was very filling and delicious. My husband says this is the best udon. He has the non vegetarian tempura udon set. He was very happy with it and usually dislikes udon but this udon definitely changed his mind. Would highly recommend.

This family friendly restaurant specializes in Udon. They also have delicious tempura and many other dishes that are very hearty and tasty. You can request a vegetarian udon stock that is made with non-fish broth.

Very good udon and tempura. Skip the mackerel, unless you're a big fan of it. Do NOT miss the green tea ice cream. The tatami mats were perfect for the fam.