My Quest to find the best dessert in Kyoto

Join me on my quest to find the best dessert in Kyoto! Kyoto is fabulous for dessert, sweets and green tea from nearby Uji.

On my trips to Kyoto, I would often eating from supermarkets, because I really liked the choice of vegetarian sushi there. Then I’d spend my food budget on dessert. I would have a lovely break in the middle of a very hot day and enjoy a sweet treat after cycling and sightseeing all day. There are some very cool desserts in Japan. And hanging round in a traditional japanese dessert restaurant was a great way to spend the time cooling down on my days sightseeing or waiting to check into my hotel. So I had a lot of dessert in Kyoto, and one seemed better than the other – time to keep a record on the best dessert in Kyoto.

And then, a funny – or maybe scary – thing happened: Just after writing this first paragraph on best dessert in Kyoto, I closed my laptop, made dinner, got cosy on the sofa and was wondering how to spend my relaxed evening watching mindless TV when Netflix suggested I watch Kantaro: The Sweet-Tooth Salaryman (さぼリーマン甘太朗). So I watched the first episode, and I must say it is bonkers but the desserts are delicious-looking and my Tokyo map is now full of places to visit if and when I get there.

And the show was a motivation to share my favourite Kyoto dessert restaurants. Do they serve the best dessert in Kyoto? Well, it’s up to the customers, but I loved everything that made its way into this post.  I came across some of these restaurants randomly when looking for kakigori, or somewhere convenient to spend an air-conditioned hour, and I found some in a cool Japanese Kyoto guidebook. So, less Insta reels, more… Japanese recommendations. The book is great, very aesthetic, and super cheap. I cannot find it online, so I will post a photo of it. It is less than 1000 JPY, and available in bookstores in Japan – I got my copy at Tsutaya in Sasayama, and I use it to practice my Japanese and just marvel at the lovely colourful pages.

This post about finding the best dessert in Kyoto will be a work in progress, as I will hopefully travel to Kyoto again and visit more fabulous dessert restaurants that social media won’t tell you about.

Some traditional Japanese desserts

Here I am going to introduce you to some typical and mostly traditional Japanese desserts I have encountered on my dessert trips, with photos coming later under the restaurants.

Kakigōri (かき氷 or 欠き氷) : the Japanese version of shaved ice. Known and loved since the Heian period, this is a summer dessert of wafer-thin ice with topping of syrup, fruit, cream… you name it.

Anmitsu (あんみつ): a sweet concoction of agar-agar (kanten) jelly cubes , shiratama dango (sticky rice dumplings), guyhi (another rice flour concoction), fruit and anko (adzuki bean paste) often served with fresh fruit or boiled peas and topped with syrup. It it a Meiji-era invention and although all this sounds weird, the combination of flavours and textures is amazing. If you just take the kanten and beans/peas, it’s called mamekan (まめかん) which has been enjoyed since Edo times.

Wagashi (和菓子): Generic term for traditional Japanese sweets, but often wagashi is meant a small piece of traditional patisserie from rice or wheat flour and sugar, shaped beautifully. Wagashi date back more than a millennium, and are usually enjoyed with a cup of green tea.

Parfait (パフェ): Well the Western parfait can be a type of ice cream or a rich pate, but a Japanese parfait is most akin to an ice cream sundae, with an emphasis on fresh fruit, jelly cubes, anko… you name it. They are another Meiji Restoration import and can take on pretty scary dimensions.

And then… you also get Western Origin desserts that are popular in Japan like Montblanc. 

Let’s start the Best Dessert in Kyoto Quest!

Okay, here come the desserts. I will give you the location, a few pointers about the shop, opening hours, prices. I must add, these are all relatively high-quality desserts so the price point is moderate. Please refer to the restaurants web site for exact opening hours. Generally speaking, these dessert places open in the late morning and close in the early evening, with early afternoons and late being the busiest times. I never had to queue or wait on any of my trips to any of these, but they are popular and you may be asked to wait at busy times.

The following are sorted in the order I have visited them, and trust me, only the finest establishments will make this list!

Kyogori Yukimi-An 京氷ゆきみ庵

After being so fixated on kakigori in 2023 in what I thought was a very hot Nagasaki summer, I arrived in Kyoto in May and went straight looking for kakigori, only to be disappointed to not fuind much , as kakigori season usually lasts from late June to late August.

So, a specialist kakigori salon was needed, and the one I found was a bit out – in a residential area near Nijo Castle. But I had a bicycle and I was heading out to Kitano Tenmangu, Ninna-ji and Myoshin-ji anyway, so I stopped there on the way back.

The shop looks tiny from the outside, but has a lot of seating inside. It is relatively quiet and friendly. You can read a picture menu on the ticket machine at the entrance, and the staff can assist you as the descriptions are in Japanese. A portion of kakigori here has pretty hugee dimensions and costs from about 1200 JPY to about 2500 JPY.

The first time, I ordered the Uji Matcha, one of my favourite flavours when travelling in Japan. It was a revelation and pretty much beat all matcha kakigori I had before. The ice was of a wonderful consistency, fluffy and not too cold. Matcha quality was good, and then I discovered the core of thick whipped cream, or possibly clotted cream, inside my mini iceberg, which went extremely well with the slightly bitter matcha and the anko bean paste hidden somewhere in the iceberg, too.

Second time around, I went for a fruity variety and chose mango. It was more expensive, but full of fresh fruit. It also had a core of clotted cream, which did not quite go so well with the fruitiness of the excellent flavour mango, but altogether, it was a kakigori worth the sweaty bike ride in 35C heat.

The only downside of this shop is really that they have no bicycle parking. I parked at an apartment block opposite which seemed to have lots of space the first time and a hardware store about 200m away after asking for permission the second time.

Address: 16-45 Nishinokyo Hoshigaikecho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8416, Japan.

How to get there: A stone’s throw from Nijo Castle and train station, or cycle from central Kyoto.

Website: now website. Instagram is www.instagram.com/kyogori_yukimian

Tsukigase (Sakaimachi) 甘味処 月ヶ瀬

Tsukigase was a chance find. I was travelling up to Kyoto from the Kumano Kodo and had to wait an hour to check into the Tabist Kiki Hotel Sanja Takakura. A quick look on a map showed this shop to be just around the corner. So I walked there in the blazing July heat and found a bright, air-conditioned cafe with the loveliest welcome and a hot cup of tea. Of all the places I have been, this was the loveliest, staffed by older ladies who really make you feel welcome and give you their friendly attention. They did not speak English, but the menu had pictures and English descriptions, so it was easy to order, Their website also has an English option.

Having been on the train for five hours, I had not eaten lunch, so I went all out and ordered a kakigori set (1450JPY) since I could not live a day without it, and anmitsu. Tsukigase started as a confectionery store in Kyoto in the 1920s in nearby Shijo Kawaramachi, and anmitsu was their signature dish.

I had not eaten anmitsu for a very long time and this was a revelation – so many different textures, cool, refreshing yet not too sweet! I also had a an iced matcha, which was of very good quality. I thoroughly enjoyed my little waiting break, then rolled back to my hotel room for a nap, before eating and drinking more at the Gion Matsuri Yoiyama.

Address: Japan, 〒604-8106 Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, Marukizaimokucho, 675 1階.

How to get there: Easily walkable from Downtown, with Sakaimachi Oike the nearest bus and KArasuma Oike the nearest underground stop. Another branch is in Takashimaya Department Store.

Website: https://tsukigase.jp

Shimizu Ippoen 茶匠清水一芳園カフェ

Kyoto is full of tea shops and matcha cafes due to its proximity to Uji, one of Japan’s premier tea-growing regions. When admiring the lovely photos of my Kyoto guidebook one night, I came across pictures of green tea desserts and two matcha cafes in close proximity in the Kiyomizudera area.

Shimizu Ippoen is primarily a tea wholesaler, so their tea is excellent and you can buy some from the small shop corner which inobtrusively sits in the calm cafe, which is relatively small, with self service for ordering and water, a bit of a service step down from similar places. However… desserts are freshly made and brought to the table, the atmosphere in the cafe was calm and friendly, they definitely place the tables far apart and it’s a welcoming comfortable atmosphere.

I chose the kakigori, again, because it was another how day and I had just cycled from Ginkaku-ji in the sun and was in dire need of refreshment. The matcha espuma on top of the kakigori is a bit of a signature move by Shimizu Ippoen, and it graces pretty much every of their green tea desserts. And well… it was excellent. Fast melting ice than some other places, extraordinary taste of everything including the iced matcha I ordered on the side.

By the time I left, it was lunchtime and there was a small queue outside. This cafe is very popular with the Japanese, so it’s best visited on a weekday outside the main Kyoto tourist season.

Address: 665 Honkawaracho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0963, Japan

How to get there: 

Website: https://ippoen.co.jp

Where to Stay in Kyoto

If you are in Kyoto for good food, it doesn’t matter so much where you stay, but my advice is to stay in central Kyoto but away from the incredibly busy Kawaramachi Shijo area. Parts of Gion are also good – just pick somewhere with not many bars in unless you are a night owl yourself.

If you have the budget, a lovely traditional ryokan or luxurious hotel in Higashiyama makes a lovely base for your stay in Kyoto. If you are on a moderate budget, like me, I will give you some recommendations on places I have stayed myself and which I can highly recommend, with a carefully researched “dream stay” at the end where I haven’t stayed – but I am saving up for it!

Tabist Kiki Hotel Sanjo Takakura

The Tabist Kiki Hotel Sanjo Takakura is a small and very smart four-star hotel at the back of ShinPuhKan. I paid 83 Euro for one night in a reduced price room as there was a window but very little daylight. Other than that, the room was great – large, with a full size bath, two immensely comfortable twin beds and a tatami-covered sitting area with nice accents form Kyoto design house Sou-Sou. I’d say the beds were the most comfortable I slept in for a long time on a trip.

Prince Smart Inn Kyoto

The Prince Smart Inn Kyoto Sanjo is a very smart moderate budget option. Not only did this hotel have bicycle parking, but I liked the location even better – a stone’s throw from the northern end of Teramachi Shopping street with some of my favourite Kyoto shops, Kyukyodo, Misuyabari Sewing Needles, Musubi… and cult cafe Smart Coffee. The surrounding area was a great mix of small restaurants, upmarket apparel shops and art supplies and paper stores. 

The hotel is bright and modern, rooms rather spartan but large enough, with very comfortable beds that are close to the Tabist Kiki in quality. There’s a small fridge under the basin for snacks and drinks, and a laundry and ice machine on the central corridor. The only thing I really missed was a kettle for my morning coffee and my green tea. I paid 163 Euros for three nights including a relatively sparse breakfast.

Hotel Resol Kyoto Kawaramachi

Of all the Hotel Resol locations in Kyoto, Hotel Resol Kawaramachi is the best, right opposite Mina Shopping Mall in a downtown area full of hotel and shops. It is a rather small hotel in Japanese style but with Western beds – and bicycle hire! Expect to pay 60-120 Euro per person per night depending on room type.

Kiraku Inn

This charming little guesthouse is in Northern Gion, but I am adding it anyway, as it is an excellent comfortable and clean private room budget option.

I stayed at Kiraku Inn Kyoto on a previous trip. It’s a very simple accommodation in a historic Kyoto Machiya. I had a private room, bathrooms were shared. I liked it, my room had everything it needed, it was quiet (except for the crows at 4am, thank you) and clean. I paid under 100 Euro for three night sin a clean private room with access to a small kitchen in a super central location – and I could also park my bicycle there thanks to the very accommodating owner.

It is worth noting the true lord or the mansion is Tama, a huge tomcat, who is allowed everything and everywhere, so if you have a problem with cats or a severe allergy, it might not be for you.

Ryokan Shimizu

I stayed here a few years ago and if you can get in, the lovely budget-friendly Ryokan Shimizu really is the best traditional experience you can get in Kyoto on a modest budget, with large tatami rooms, a big bath, for about 50 Euro per person. English spoken, and a stone’s throw from Kyoto Station. But you need to book well, well in advance.

Chourakukan

The Chourakukan is a Western-style mansion built in the Meiji Era for state visits and is now a hotel, with the communal areas interior kept pretty much intact, a curious blend of Belle Epoque and tatami-clad banqueting halls. Being a sucker for old hotels, this one is pretty accurately what I like, but comes with a price tag of about 400 Euro per night. Given my last fancy stay was the Pera Palace some time ago, I think it is time again.

Rooms are modern in a calm mid-century modern style, with mostly Western style interior, fireplaces, and they’re huge – more like small apartments

And yes, for a spare 4000 JPY you can enjoy the afternoon tea there as well, keeping in line with the dessert theme, and that’s what I shall do on my next trip!

 

The Small Print

This post was written based on my experience of two trips to Kyoto in 2024, but this post is a work in progress, so further worthy dessert restaurants will be added. I have visited each restaurant at least once, as always, paid in full. All prices are correct at the time of writing in October 2024. This is not a sponsored post. You can trust me for unbiased reviews and opinions. This post contains some affiliate links to Booking.com. PLease refer to my Terms and Conditions for further details.

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