Gion Duck Noodles — Restaurant in Kyoto

Visited here 3 years ago and today. We live in Tokyo but come to Kyoto here and there and this was an amazing find last time so we decided to come back. For context, last time we came we stumbled upon this place randomly and were the only people, but it now seems to have a long line and from the reviews this is common. I'm going to assume it's been on Tiktok or similar.

This time around we were left extremely disappointed. The duck is incredible, like honestly really good. The problem is the ramen - we ordered the ramen, tsukemen (dipping noodles) and also the duck rice. Everything was so incredibly bland it was difficult to finish, and we didn't. We were given a mikan dashi (orange broth) to add to the tsukemen sauce and rice and this has to be for show only. The siphon looks cool, but it added nothing to the rice, as a matter of fact it actually just felt like it was showered with water instead.

We added a truffle topping and I watched the chef grate it a total of 3 times adding what couldn't have been more than 0.01g of truffle. This added nothing to the taste. I ate the truffle by itself, and also no flavour. It's obviously been kept out far too long.

We waited about 1h30 for this, but it is what it is with the influx of travel and the supposed hype around the restaurant. This came to 7000 yen for two people without drinks, and this is not reasonable for ramen. For context, many Japanese people consider ramen above 500 yen to be expensive.

They now also sell "fast passes" for 1,500 yen per person to skip the queue and this does not contribute to the food price. This isn't Disneyland, this shouldn't be happening in the restaurant industry especially when the restaurant is so small already. It would suck to wait 1h30 only to have someone come in front of you for the next hour continuously.

The 2 stars are for the duck. Again, absolutely incredible. Unfortunately the ramen was a massive let down. They have clearly sacrificed...

Was spending more than two hours in a dark, narrow alleyway worth it? Surprisingly, yes.

The restaurant’s simple branding - literally just 🦆🍜 - immediately stood out. I loved how even the menu leaned into this minimalism, using just emojis to describe each dish. Thankfully, while waiting in line, a server came out to explain the menu and take our orders. This efficiency meant that once we finally made it inside, our food arrived almost instantly.

We opted for the duck noodles in broth with extra duck meat and the dipping noodles with orange sauce, also with extra meat. You can choose between duck breast or thigh for the meat, and we decided on a mix of both. To round things off, I ordered their house-brewed beer - something I wouldn’t usually go for, but after the long wait, I felt like I had to try it!

The broth was incredible - light but still with a depth of flavour from the duck that paired beautifully with the fresh, chewy handmade ramen. The egg was cooked to perfection, its vibrant orange yolk adding a creamy richness to each bite. The duck meat was tender and beautifully cooked, with a perfect colour.

The dipping noodles were another highlight. The sauce was thicker and more concentrated, and I couldn’t resist adding truffle shavings, which elevated the dish even further. The orange sauce brought a delicate sweetness that complemented the duck meat perfectly. My only regret? Not ordering even more meat as I devoured everything far too quickly!

The restaurant itself is intimate, seating just nine guests at a time. It’s cosy and atmospheric, with an open kitchen where you can watch every dish being meticulously prepared. I was particularly fascinated by the vials and kettles used to extract the duck broth - it added a distinctive charm to the experience.

Despite the long wait, I think 🦆🍜 lives up to the hype. If you’re planning a visit, definitely brace yourself for the line, or try coming at an off-peak time as they’re...

It took around 1.5 hours of waiting in a dark alleyway to get a feed at Gion Duck noodles. According to photos, started lining up at 5:30pm on a Saturday and food arrived at 6:55pm! I can’t fault them for the line as if they had a booking system, you would never get a seat for those who just stumble around for restaurants. Also the restaurant is very small. (~9 seats) still manage to fit a full toilet in the restaurant which is cool.

We had the duck ramen, orange tsukemen and cherry tsukemen which is definitely an over order but 1.5 hour wait means this place was a one and done so better try it all.

My honest opinion is the duck ramen is mind blowing. The stock and duck pairs so well with so much umami and flavor. The honest part is I would honestly skip the tsukemen as I feel Tokyo restaurants does it better based on my personal taste. I believe the dipping base is the same for both cherry and orange with the sauces only on the plate making the subtle difference between cherry and orange.

Staff are very nice and accommodating. Izakaya vibes with service staff able to speak fluent english. It was also cool to see the chefs work in unison to create the beautiful dishes.

Note that its in an alleyway and the line splits into 2 (gap in the middle) as only 1 person can pass at a time in the middle passage so just follow towards the main street to start lining up.

Overall we had a lot of time in Kyoto so we were patient and it was an interesting experience. If you’re time poor, plan ahead but the hype/wait didnt live up to...