祇園下河原 おりじん（Wine bar Origin） — Restaurant in Kyoto

Quick summary - a must eat in Kyoto mixing Japanese food with an excellent selection of wine. Please go, you will be just as delighted as we were.

We have been in Japan for two weeks and this will definitely be one of the meals we talk about to our friends and family. It is such a cozy, welcoming, and local environment which can be hard to find as a tourist.

Dinner was excellent, ranging from octopus to fried mushrooms and olives to a traditional rice dish. For our drinks we started off with an amazing craft beer and carried on through the night with some incredible white wines. We are quite picky about white wine after living in France and the selection was just superb.

There is a lack of photos to share because genuinely we were having such a lovely time we forgot to take many more! Chef Junya Tai was excellent company for the night as he made the dinner right in front of our counter seats 💕

I saw someone else leave a review that it deserves like a Michelin Bib or Star and I would agree. This is definitely a unique meal and an experience I would go out of my way to have again and we will be recommending to all our friends traveling to Kyoto.

A big thank you for an...

Easily one of the best experiences I’ve had in Japan. Junya seemingly runs this gorgeous bar by himself - cooking food and serving drinks while you chat and watch. His food is superb - fried sweet pickles, a ragu that my companion will not stop talking about, wagyu katsu that was so tasty. He has delicious sake, wine and beer - and clearly knows his stuff as he presents the options. Gentle jazz in the background, and an unrushed, unhurried air. We lingered here for far longer than we intended because the vibe was perfect. If I make it back to Kyoto again, I know where I’ll go…

The place is slightly tricky to find - you’ll see a sign for “wine bar” on the street and a very narrow alleyway with a few stones on the ground. Follow that down to...

This place was recommended last minute by Yoko, the sommelier at komorebino, a natural wine bar, as one of her favorite places. It did not disappoint! A small (seats 10 people), minimalist modern wood interior, and intimate and friendly atmosphere. It’s hidden and you need to walk the narrow breezeway between the houses to reach it. The owner/cook/server/sommelier was super cordial, professional, and flexible. He spoke some English. and he readily obliged when we asked for more vegetables than were on the menu. But the shrimp and sashimi and veggies were exquisite. small portions were very welcome, and we walked away very satisfied with food and wine selection (not...