Kyoto Bar Guide
30+ bars across Kyoto's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
Kyoto bars are tiny, quiet, and perfect. The Pontocho alley along the Kamo River runs paper-lantern-lit cocktail rooms in 200-year-old machiya houses. Bar Rocking Chair has held an Asia 50 Best position multiple years. The drinks lean yuzu, shiso, sansho pepper, and Japanese whisky. The bars seat ten people. The bartenders make one drink at a time.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the action. Pontocho is the riverside lantern-bar spine. Gion holds the geisha-district machiya speakeasies. Kawaramachi runs the polished hotel-bar layer. Kiyamachi covers the cocktail-and-music strip along the canal. Higashiyama is the heritage temple-area district.
Cocktails run JPY 2,000 to JPY 3,500 ($14 to $24). Many bars charge a table fee of JPY 500 to JPY 1,000. Tipping is not expected. Most bars run to 1am. Reserve everything — Kyoto bars are tiny.
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Cocktail Bars in Kyoto
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Kyoto
Skyline drinks
Date Night in Kyoto
Romantic spots
After Work in Kyoto
Apéro-hour bars
Live Music in Kyoto
Bands and DJs
Craft Beer in Kyoto
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Kyoto
Unmarked doors
Sports Bars in Kyoto
Watch parties
Top Picks This Week
Bar Rocking Chair
Kyoto's most awarded cocktail bar. Asia 50 Best regular. Twelve seats. Bartender Hisashi Kishi is a Tokyo cocktail legend. Reserve weeks ahead.
L'Escamoteur
Speakeasy themed around French magic. Carved wooden interior, leather banquettes, and a serious classics-driven menu. Reservations only.
Bar K6
Heritage cocktail bar with a long marble counter and a serious whisky list. The Kyoto cocktail-industry's regular spot. Reservations recommended.
Bee's Knees
Tiny Pontocho cocktail bar with eight seats. The bartender hand-cuts every ice cube. The most authentic small-format Kyoto cocktail experience.
Sour
Speakeasy reached up a staircase in a machiya house. Twelve seats. Citrus-forward cocktail menu. The Kyoto creative-class cocktail crowd's regular spot.
Sake Bar Yoramu
Sake-only bar with sixty varieties. The bartender selects the right sake for your palate. The most authentic Kyoto sake experience.
Neighbourhood Guide
Pontocho
The riverside lantern-bar spine along the Kamo River. Ten blocks of paper-lantern-lit cocktail rooms in 200-year-old machiya houses. The most photogenic Kyoto drinking quarter.
Gion
The geisha district. Heritage machiya cocktail rooms, the most exclusive ozashiki (geisha tea-house) bars, and the most photogenic old-Kyoto evening atmosphere.
Kawaramachi
The polished shopping-and-bar district. Hotel cocktail rooms, restaurant-bars, and the most dressed-up Kyoto evening crowd.
Kiyamachi
The cocktail-and-music strip along the Takase canal. Speakeasies, jazz bars, and the loudest Kyoto weekend nights.
Higashiyama
The heritage temple-area district. Heritage taverns near the Kiyomizu temple, sunset terraces, and a quieter weekend pace.
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