Ao Onigiri — Restaurant in Kyoto

What a tasty onigiri I had here! This petite shop, Ao Onigiri, is not far from Ginkakuji and is easily recognizable by its blue banner. The space inside is narrow, but the owner greeted me kindly. The onigiri were displayed neatly with names in Japanese and English. Though the prices seemed a bit high (around 200 yen each), the unique varieties justified it. I bought five onigiri: salmon, cream cheese tarako, negi miso, nori shoyu, and abura age okaka, plus a side dish of takuan, konyaku, and dashi maki tamago, all for 1380 JPY. I loved the wrapping paper, stamped with fun words like ファイト and おにぎり食べたら大丈夫, and the onigiri type clearly labeled. The onigiri were small but filling, with densely packed rice and generous fillings. After just two, I was full. The side dish was also nice. This shop is definitely recommended. Don't forget to check out their original souvenirs, like tote bags, stickers, and tenugui, located just to the right of the...

Recently ate at Ao Onigiri not once but twice during our short stay in Kyoto. Makes a perfect place, in terms of taste, price, and convenience, to eat before or after the Philosopher's path. The solo chef, Mr. Toshihiro Aomatsu, and his culinary creations are quite impressive. Not only does he run his shop entirely on his own, but he manages to make the perfect onigiri unlike anything we have had before.With that said, it may be 25 minutes before you sink your face into that heavenly rice ball, but remember that this master chef and his onigiri are worthy of your respect, patience, and appetite. Knowing at the outset we could not craft a rice ball nearly as good as Ao Onigiri's , eating at his shop has inspired us to try making some onigiri of our own. Visit Ao Onigiri and you will not be...

Truly the best onigiri you will ever have, made to order, which is unusual these days.

I was last here years ago, and somehow the owner seemed to remember me from the year prior (2011), when I was briefly living in Kyoto. Very friendly and easy to communicate with in English, which made me super comfortable, especially in the more difficult parts of my stay when it seemed just a struggle to go out and do basic things with my limited Japanese skills.

The inside is quite small, so most of the locals seemed to be ordering takeout. There also seemed to be unusual hours at the time, so be sure to double check them before you go. The only thing I regret is not visiting...