Ayuchaya Hiranoya

The place seems rather legit even if slightly tourist-oriented. 🙂 I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Traditional interiors and exteriors, servers in yukatas, very interesting minimalistic/rustic food and its presentation. I thoroughly liked the fermented rice drink and the sweets! €7.5 for that is not exactly cheap but seems like a fair price given the experience.

We had an extraordinary experience at Ayuchaya Hiranoya tea room! We did not had many expectations since we did not know any place there where to eat. We arrived with a group of around ten people at lunchtime and were promptly seated. The lady who welcomed us invited to seat in the external tea rooms, detached from the main building, we wore comfortable slippers provided. We indulged in a traditional meal, particularly savoring the delightful sweets served with matcha tea, which had a distinct mandarin flavor—I believe they are called shinko. The beautifully decorated tablecloths added a touch of beauty, and various broths served with pickles and bamboo rice enriched the culinary experience.
Speaking of the location, the bathrooms were clean and the presence of a stream and forest behind the room where we sat made the atmosphere enchanting. The well-divided spaces maintained tranquility despite the number of people. The bill was fair and settled in cash. In summary, I highly recommend Ayuchaya Hiranoya for an authentic, delightful, and enchanting experience.

I’m sure this place doesn’t need another review, but sometimes you go somewhere where you just HAVE to leave a review, and Hiranoya is one of them because it’s just a stellar restaurant. You really miss out if you go to Arashiyama and don’t stop by this place.

First up: their website is extremely basic and no online reservations can be made. I’m very lucky my hotel helped to call and reserve a meal here and I recommend foreign tourists do so.

I had the yudofu (simmered tofu) course, and if you read the reviews and photos they obviously offer bento and simple tea, but that’s what I got. I came to Arashiyama specifically for Hiranoya and Gioji (an extremely beautiful mossy temple), and the bamboo grove thing was just an afterthought, a touristy checklist thing just because.

Ambience: World class. This is the best Kyoto has to offer. Even the washroom looks amazing and is constructed traditionally but with modern comforts. The vibe is amazing. They have a beautiful pond and I saw a guy getting some ayu sweet fish destined for the grill and ultimately our plates. It’s beautiful.

Food: Great doesn’t do it justice. I had my first and best ever yuba (tofu skin), and it was warm, savory, and delicious. The main course was two tofu blocks in kombu dashi and way too much for the three of us - we couldn’t finish. My dad, who doesn’t eat tofu, ate all the tofu dishes. The ayu fish was grilled and exquisite, there were wild mountain vegetables, a bit of wild boar meat, and the dessert was warabi mochi with thin matcha tea. Different tea was served with different courses.

Service: 6/5. The beautiful hostess spoke pretty good English and helped us book a taxi after our meal. The lady boss herself constantly walked around the entrance and assisted customers. As we were leaving in the taxi, in typical Japanese fashion the hostess stood nearby and gave a bow. Thank you for the great meal and memory.

Seriously, if you read all of that, we paid about ¥12,000 per pax, and it’s an absolute bargain. Best meal of all my 11 days in Japan, and mind you, I went to a few high-end restaurants!