Kirameki no Tori — Restaurant in Kyoto

Ramen was good, but they are not friendly towards foreigners. I am Asian-American and was there with my Japanese-native friend. They were totally hospitable and friendly. I went back with my Caucasian husband and was not seated until I asked in Japanese to be seated. Then I asked about the free T-shirt offer—admittedly in broken Japanese, but at least I tried— and was outright lied to. The card clearly says buy 20 ramen and you get a free T-shirt. I was told you get a second free bowl of ramen (the first free bowl is after 10 bowls). Verified these things with my friends as I could have read it wrong. I don’t have enough Japanese language ability to argue with people in Japanese, but I have enough sense to not go back. There are plenty of ramen...

I enjoyed my lunch here greatly. Their ordering machine has English menu now (April 2025) and accepts international cards so all went pretty smooth. The staff was caring, asked in English about my preferences for the dish, even seem to have offered me a bib (I should have accepted…), they were constantly mindful about their customers - like, they asked people at the bar to please move seats so that a couple who just ordered could sit together. Mezumen was very nice, I ordered large since the price was the same and it was almost too much for me. The place was clean, well organized, and louder Japanese rock added some personality....

The staff speaks a little bit of english but we were able to order our ramen before taking our seats. You will need a little bit of japanese to thank them for this delicious ramen 🍜Make sure to arrive before noon and to leave as soon as you finished your plate in order for everyone to get a seat as soon as possible. I highly recommend this place and have a ride on your bike along the river...