National Cuisine Shima — Restaurant in Kyoto

An amazing little family-owned establishment; they're very welcoming and friendly, and the food is delicious - I particularly recommend the seasonal salad, spare ribs, and tempura! The owners are a couple in their 70s, and they've been running the restaurant for over 40 years! The female owner speaks English and Chinese as well as Japanese. Most of the patrons are locals, which gives the place a warm 'hidden gem' feel. They also accept card, which makes things easy. Worth the 10 min walk from Kyoto station! Try the home-made umeshu; it's...

This was genuinely a highlight of my trip to Kyoto. The food here is to die for. The family who run it are joyful and are so lovely. We spoke basically no Japanese but a lovely lad was helpful translating. We also managed to translate most of the menu and all the staff were so lovely trying to help out. We actually went back the next day to drop off a thank you letter as it was THAT good.

Do what we did - order the first 4 things on the menu and enjoy. They take card and its...

The best experience I've had in a long time. There was such a wonderful neighborhood community feeling. And the food was fantastic. I'm sad I don't live here, or I would eat here...