Breakfast in Kyoto: Asagayu at Hyotei by Nanzen-ji, Breakfast Kishin and The Westin Miyako Kyoto

A Japanese breakfast is one of the easiest ways to taste Kyoto's gentle, lightly seasoned cooking, and some of the city's best-known places open only in the morning. This guide covers three breakfasts I have had myself: asagayu (morning rice porridge) at Hyotei, an old restaurant at the entrance to Nanzen-ji Temple; a Japanese breakfast at Breakfast Kishin near Gion (Kyoto); and the hotel breakfast at The Westin Miyako Kyoto, a short walk from Hyotei. Facts come from the official pages listed at the end; the "My visit" notes are my own experience.

Three breakfasts at a glance

Hyotei and The Westin Miyako Kyoto are on the east side of the city, by Keage Station on the Tozai subway line. Breakfast Kishin is in Gion (Kyoto), near a station on the Keihan line (Gion-Shijo Station).

Hyotei: rice porridge by Nanzen-ji

Hyotei says it began more than 400 years ago as a tea house that also served as a gatehouse at Nanzen-ji, and it now serves kaiseki (a traditional Japanese course meal) rooted in the tea ceremony. Its morning dish is asagayu, which simply means "morning porridge". A travel guide, MAPPLE, describes it as soft white rice porridge eaten with a thick, soy sauce-flavored sauce made with Yoshino kudzu (a starch from the kudzu root). The same guide says the Hyotei egg (Hyotei tamago), a boiled egg that is one of the restaurant's best-known dishes, has been served since its early days, when it came with tea.

Hyotei has two buildings, and they serve porridge at different times of year:

• Annex (bekkan): a room with chairs and tables, built around a garden. It serves asagayu from March 16 to November 30, and uzura-gayu (quail porridge) from December 1 to March 15, from 8:00 to 11:00 (last order 10:00). For uzura-gayu, Hyotei says the cooked rice is rinsed, then simmered with quail meat and broth and topped with seri (Japanese parsley).
• Main building (honten): separate tea-room buildings, including one with the thatched roof kept since the restaurant was founded. It serves asagayu only from July 1 to August 31, from 8:00 to 11:00 (last order 10:00). In winter, from December 1 to March 15, it serves uzura-gayu at lunch instead.

• Address: 35 Nanzenji Kusakawa-cho, Sakyo-ku, about a 6-minute walk from Keage Station on the Tozai subway line.
• Closed: the annex on Thursdays and the main building on Wednesdays, plus some other days.
• Booking: meals are for groups of 2 or more. Book by phone at 075-771-4116 (from abroad +81-75-771-4116) or online through TableCheck, which is linked from Hyotei's official site. Under Hyotei's cancellation policy, cancelling on the day, or not turning up, costs the full price; bookings made on a booking site follow that site's rules.

Who it suits: travelers who want a calm, traditional breakfast and plan to see Nanzen-ji the same morning.

My visit

I had asagayu at Hyotei on July 11, 2018, in the 8 o'clock hour. Rice porridge with a gentle dashi (Japanese soup stock) first thing in the morning has the kind of flavor that soaks right into your body.

After breakfast, I walked over to Nanzen-ji next door.

Breakfast Kishin in Gion (Kyoto)

Breakfast Kishin (Choshoku Kishin) serves a Japanese-style breakfast. The restaurant says its name, which means "joyful mind", comes from a Zen teaching that cooking and eating are part of practice, and that its model for a hearty breakfast is a mother's home cooking, made with fresh, local ingredients. It runs workshops on how to cook rice in a donabe (a Japanese clay pot), held on some days only. You choose your soup from three; for summer 2026 the restaurant listed a cold soup with summer vegetables and mackerel, a pork soup made with Kyoto white miso, and a soup of seasonal vegetables. The menu changes with the season.

• Where: 1st floor of a hotel (Rinn Hotel Gion Hana touro), 555 Komatsu-cho, Higashiyama-ku. From Exit 6 of the Keihan line station (Gion-Shijo Station), it is about 3 minutes on foot: walk east along Shijo-dori, turn south onto Hanamikoji-dori, then turn right at the second street.
• Hours: breakfast from 7:30 to 14:00 (last order 12:30). Closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Reservations only: book online or by phone at 075-525-8500 (from abroad +81-75-525-8500). You choose one of four slots: 7:30 to 8:50, 9:00 to 10:20, 11:00 to 12:20, or 12:30 to 13:50.

Kishin also runs a café in Kyoto, Kissa Kishin, with different hours and closing days; check that you are booking Breakfast Kishin in Gion (Kyoto).

My visit

I had breakfast at Kishin on the morning of September 30, 2022. For breakfast in Kyoto, this is the place for me. It isn't cheap, but it's delicious. The rice was served in a way I hadn't seen before: it is cooked in a donabe clay pot, and the first spoonful is niebana, rice just off the boil before it has finished steaming. One of the dishes was kumiage yuba (fresh tofu skin, scooped from warm soy milk).

The Westin Miyako Kyoto: breakfast at the hotel

The Westin Miyako Kyoto stands on the hillside at 1 Awataguchi Kacho-cho, Higashiyama-ku, about 2 minutes on foot from Exit 2 of Keage Station on the Tozai subway line, the same station as Hyotei. The hotel's official pages list:

• Breakfast: at All Day Dining Rakuu on the 2nd floor, from 6:30 to 10:00. You choose between a buffet of about 50 Japanese and Western dishes and a Japanese set breakfast. Egg dishes are cooked to order at a live kitchen, and there is an "Eat Well" menu of lighter, nutritious dishes.
• Check-in and check-out: check-in from 15:00, check-out by 12:00.
• Telephone: 075-771-7111 (from abroad +81-75-771-7111).

Whether breakfast comes with your room depends on the rate you book, so check the plan details when you book.

My visit

I stayed at The Westin Miyako Kyoto from March 14 to 15, 2023, in a junior suite. At the time I noted that breakfast came with the stay. Your plan may differ, so please check yours.

Nearby: Nanzen-ji after breakfast

Hyotei sits at the entrance to Nanzen-ji, a head temple of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, so a breakfast there fits well with a morning walk around the temple. Nanzen-ji's official site describes:

• The Sanmon gate: rebuilt in 1628, about 22 meters tall, and counted as one of the three great gates of Japan.
• The aqueduct (Suirokaku): part of the Lake Biwa Canal, which carried water from Lake Biwa to Kyoto. Work began in 1885 and finished in 1890, and the red-brick arches run beside the temple.
• The Hojo garden: a dry landscape garden of rocks and white sand from the early Edo period, known as the "Tiger cubs crossing" garden.

Please read our guide to shrine and temple etiquette before you visit.

Before you go

1. Book Hyotei (2 or more people) and Breakfast Kishin (reservation only) before your trip.
2. Check the closing days: Hyotei's annex on Thursdays, its main building on Wednesdays, Breakfast Kishin on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
3. For Hyotei, check which building serves porridge on your date.
4. If you stay at a hotel, check whether breakfast is included in your rate.

Still choosing a hotel? See where I stayed in Kyoto, and budget for Kyoto's accommodation tax. More on our Kyoto page.

Last reviewed: October 15, 2026. Seasons, hours and closing days change; please confirm on the official pages below before you go.

References

• Hyotei: official site (Japanese)
• Hyotei: official site (English)
• Hyotei: Seasonal dishes, including quail porridge (Japanese)
• Hyotei: Cancellation policy (Japanese)
• MAPPLE: Hyotei Annex (Japanese)
• JNTO: Japanese fine dining at Hyotei
• Breakfast Kishin: official site
• The Westin Miyako Kyoto: Breakfast (Japanese)
• The Westin Miyako Kyoto: Access (Japanese)
• The Westin Miyako Kyoto: Access by train (Japanese)
• Nanzen-ji: Sanmon gate (Japanese)
• Nanzen-ji: Lake Biwa Canal (Japanese)
• Nanzen-ji: Gardens (Japanese)
• Waraku Web (Shogakukan): Breakfast Kishin