Okabeya — Restaurant in Kyoto

￥3000-5000/person. Interesting & Diverse Tofu Cuisine, but Long Wait and Expensive.

TIP Come after 2:00 PM, and the wait time is much shorter. Don't go during the lunch rush!

This is a no-reservation-needed Kyoto Tofu restaurant, a little on the higher-end. You choose between their 2 specialties: (1) boiled tofu or (2) yuba (tofu skin).

Of course, that's not all you get. They will also serve you several tofu-based courses before the main tofu dish is ready to eat, ranging from grilled tofu, fried tofu, to picked tofu.

Keep in mind that this is NOT 100% vegetarian, because there might be shrimps or fish-based broth.

Going in might be confusing at first, but this is what you do:

Write your name and how many people are in your group (solo is okay) on the sheet.

They will call your name when they have a table ready.

They have English menus, but most of the staff are not able to explain how to eat the tofu (especially the yuba) in English.

If you order the yuba, let it sit on the heater and eat everything else first. After about 10 minutes, the yuba will slowly form on the surface.

It's quite the experience, despite/because it's a little confusing!

Would I go again? Possibly, but I might try a lower-end restaurant next time.

Should you go? Yes, at least once, definitely try a tofu restaurant while you...

If you like tofu then this is the place for you. I was able to cook my own (a first for me - boiling it for the right amount of time, then adding a rennet-type agent (but vegetarian and halal) and waiting for it to set - soft and creamy and, slowly as the meal progressed, it produced a skin). My companions had house-produced tofu that warned on the hotplate in front of them. Pickles, tempura, baked savoury egg custard and various types of prepared tofu accompanied the meal. Delicious roasted tea and cool beer to wash things down. Tofu is soft and fairly bland, so this is best described as an interesting rather than gastronomic experience. Large dining hall with benches. Spotless and the house-produced tofu making area is verging on clinical - quite a contrast and a peaceful oasis away from the tourist...

Clearly a very popular place, as we went right at opening and were told there was only counter space left, which were fine with. About 15 minutes after we were seated, we saw several tours worth of people come in to the restaurant having pre-booked! And on leaving the restaurant, there was a sign hung to say “no more availability for today”.

Food wise, it was a great experience trying yuba, skimming tofu skin off the top of boiling soy milk and dipping it into sauce. While I am more of a carnivore, I really appreciated the taste and texture of yuba, and very much enjoyed my experience. The side dishes of tempura, tofu skewers, and other assorted options included were solid as well. Glad to have had the chance to try this delicious tofu...