Restaurant in Kyoto, Japan
Old-Kyoto oden worth booking at ¥¥
Takocho is a late-19th-century oden restaurant in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward, awarded the Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025. At the ¥¥ price tier, it delivers fourth-generation family service, a light Kyoto-style dashi broth, and a room that feels genuinely historic — not styled to look it. Book it for depth and authenticity at a price that removes the decision entirely.
Picture this: a bow-tied fourth-generation chef tending gleaming copper saucepans, the deep scent of dashi broth settling into the room like a welcome you didn't know you needed. That's the opening scene at Takocho, an oden restaurant in Higashiyama Ward that has been operating since the late 19th century. The atmosphere tells you immediately whether you're in the right place — and if you're a food traveller who values craft, continuity, and a room that feels earned rather than designed, you almost certainly are.
Book it. At the ¥¥ price tier, Takocho is one of the most compelling value propositions in Kyoto's dining scene: a Michelin Plate recipient in both 2024 and 2025, serving a cuisine category — oden , that most visitors to Japan have never experienced at this level of seriousness. This is not a backup option for nights when kaiseki feels too heavy. It's a first-choice destination for anyone who understands that Japanese comfort food, done with this much attention and this much history, is its own form of precision cooking.
The atmosphere at Takocho is deliberately unhurried. The sounds here are quiet and purposeful: the soft simmer of broth, the clink of copper, the occasional murmur of conversation. This is not a loud room. If you're coming from a long day of temples and want somewhere that doesn't ask anything of you except to pay attention to what's in your bowl, Takocho delivers that without effort.
The service framing at Takocho is where the experience earns its Michelin recognition most clearly. The fourth-generation owner-chef in his bow tie and the proprietress in her traditional smock-style apron are not performing heritage , they are it. At a ¥¥ price point, you are receiving a calibre of hosting that many ¥¥¥¥ restaurants in Kyoto cannot replicate, because it cannot be hired or styled into existence. It comes from decades of the same family, in the same room, doing the same thing with accumulated skill. That is a direct answer to the service-versus-price question: the service here over-delivers for the spend by a meaningful margin.
Menu is listed on wooden tags, but off-menu items are worth asking about. The light-flavoured dashi broth and Kujo spring onion are cited as hallmarks of the Kyoto style , restrained, clean, built on subtlety rather than intensity. The restaurant's name comes from its popular octopus dish, adopted in the mid-20th century, which gives you a useful signal about what to prioritise when you sit down.
Takocho sits at the more accessible end of the Kyoto booking spectrum. At ¥¥ with a 4.1 Google rating across 275 reviews and a walk-in-friendly format for many oden counters of this type, this is not a venue requiring weeks of advance planning the way kaiseki institutions like Hyotei or Isshisoden Nakamura do. That said, booking ahead is sensible for dinner on weekends or during peak tourist periods , cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons in Kyoto are genuinely busy, and a venue this well-regarded in its category will fill. For weeknight dinners outside peak season, arriving early in the evening is your leading hedge if you haven't pre-booked.
There is no published phone number or website in Pearl's current data for Takocho. Your leading approach is to book through your hotel concierge if you are staying at a property with a Higashiyama-area presence, or through a restaurant reservation service familiar with Kyoto's traditional venues. This is standard practice for many of Kyoto's older, family-run restaurants and should not put you off , it is a logistical step, not a barrier.
Takocho is the right call for food travellers who want depth over novelty. If you've done kaiseki on a previous Japan trip and want to understand a different register of Japanese cooking , one that is equally serious but entirely unpretentious , this is where to go next. It's also a strong option for solo diners or couples who want a quieter, more intimate setting than the large kaiseki rooms allow. Groups looking for a high-energy, sake-forward night should look elsewhere; this room rewards those who are prepared to slow down.
If you are travelling through the Kansai region more broadly, Takocho makes a useful point of comparison with oden specialists in Osaka such as Man-u and Yoshitaka. Osaka's oden tradition runs slightly richer and bolder in flavour; Takocho's Kyoto interpretation is lighter and more restrained, which is a matter of preference rather than quality. Both cities are worth exploring for this format if oden is your focus.
For your wider Kyoto planning, see our full Kyoto restaurants guide, our full Kyoto hotels guide, our full Kyoto bars guide, our full Kyoto experiences guide, and our full Kyoto wineries guide. If you're building a broader Japan itinerary, restaurants worth knowing include HAJIME in Osaka, Harutaka in Tokyo, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa.
Takocho is located at 1 Chome-237 Miyagawasuji, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0801. The price tier is ¥¥, making it one of the more affordable Michelin-recognised venues in the city. Hours are not currently published in Pearl's data , confirm before visiting, particularly on public holidays or during Kyoto's major festival periods. Booking difficulty is rated Easy. No website or phone number is currently listed; book via hotel concierge or a Kyoto restaurant reservation service.
Quick reference: ¥¥ price tier · Michelin Plate 2024 & 2025 · 4.1 Google (275 reviews) · Easy to book · Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto
The octopus dish is the most historically significant item on the menu , the restaurant adopted its current name as a direct reference to it in the mid-20th century, so it's the natural starting point. Beyond that, Kujo spring onion and the light dashi broth are cited as quintessentially Kyoto in character. Off-menu items are reportedly worth asking about; the wooden-tag menu is not the full picture of what the kitchen can produce.
Yes, with the right expectations. The Michelin Plate recognition, the fourth-generation family ownership, and the late-19th-century provenance make this a genuinely meaningful dining experience. At ¥¥, the price point is modest enough that it works as a standalone dinner rather than a formal celebration meal. For a milestone occasion where you want a longer, more ceremonial format, a kaiseki venue like Gion Sasaki would be the stronger fit. Takocho is better suited to a special occasion defined by depth and authenticity rather than by length of menu or level of formality.
Counter seating is the standard format for traditional oden restaurants of this type in Kyoto, and the room's setup at Takocho , with copper saucepans and the chef in view , suggests counter dining is central to the experience. Pearl's current data does not confirm specific seating configurations. If counter seating matters to your group, confirm when booking.
Oden is a dashi-based cuisine, which means fish stock is typically foundational to the broth. Strict vegetarians or those with fish or shellfish allergies should contact the restaurant directly before booking , the octopus dish the restaurant is named for signals that seafood is integral to the menu. Pearl does not have confirmed dietary accommodation data for Takocho. Given the traditional and family-run nature of the venue, complex substitutions may be limited.
For a different price register in Kyoto, Fuyacho 103 and Oito are worth considering depending on your cuisine preference. If you want to compare the Kyoto oden style against Osaka's interpretation, Man-u and Yoshitaka are the relevant reference points. For a full-day Kyoto dining itinerary, see our Kyoto restaurants guide.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takocho | The rich aroma of dashi broth fills an interior that recalls the warmth of the old days. The restaurant name in kanji is framed on the wall; copper saucepans are polished till gleaming. Preserving tradition at this restaurant, which has been in business since the late 19th century, are the fourth-generation owner-chef, resplendent in bow tie, and the proprietress, dressed in a traditional smock-style apron. The name ‘Takocho’—with ‘tako’ meaning ‘octopus’ —was adopted in the mid-20th century as a nod to the shop’s popular octopus dish. In addition to the menu inscribed on wooden tags, off-menu items are intriguing as well. Light-flavoured broth and Kujo spring onion are quintessentially Kyoto.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | ¥¥ | — |
| Gion Sasaki | Michelin 3 Star | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| cenci | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥ | — |
| Ifuki | Michelin 2 Star | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Kyokaiseki Kichisen | Michelin 2 Star | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| SEN | Michelin 1 Star | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Oden is a dashi-based broth dish, which means fish stock is foundational to the cooking here. Strict vegetarians or those with fish allergies will find the menu difficult to work around. The format at Takocho — a small, traditional counter with set items on wooden tags — leaves limited room for substitution, so flag any restrictions before you go rather than expecting flexibility on arrival.
Counter seating is the format at Takocho, which makes it a natural fit for solo diners and pairs. The copper saucepans are tended directly in front of guests, so the counter is where the experience is — not a fallback option. If you're a group of three or more, confirm seating arrangements in advance given the intimate scale of the room.
For kaiseki at a higher price point, Kyokaiseki Kichisen and Gion Sasaki are the serious options — both operate at a different budget level entirely. Ifuki and cenci offer modern takes on Kyoto cooking for diners who want contemporary format over historical atmosphere. SEN sits closer to Takocho's accessible price range if you want a different cuisine style without the ¥¥¥+ commitment.
The octopus dish is the reason the restaurant adopted its current name mid-20th century and remains the reference order. Beyond the wooden-tag menu, off-menu items are worth asking about — the Michelin Plate recognition specifically calls out the intriguing off-menu selection. Kujo spring onion, a Kyoto staple, features in the broth and is worth ordering if available.
It depends on what kind of occasion. Takocho at ¥¥ with a Michelin Plate and a fourth-generation owner in a bow tie has real ceremony to it — the setting rewards guests who appreciate craft and continuity. For a milestone dinner where the spend itself signals occasion, the price point may feel understated next to kaiseki alternatives like Gion Sasaki. As a meaningful, low-pressure dinner for a couple or a solo traveller marking a trip to Kyoto, it delivers more than its price suggests.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
