Arata in Kyoto

Good place for having the most traditional food from Hiroshima in Kyoto, Okonomiyaki! It's very close to Kyoto Station, so it is a good option to have some food if you are in the zone. Nice people working there, quick and efficient. The food was pretty good and you can choose a traditional Japanese seat or the counter in front off the chefs.

Great food! Delicious and friendly service. Not cheap, but a very good meal.

One of the most heartwarming and incredible food experiences I've ever hadWe had to wait for a table for 20 minutes but once we returned we were seated at the main table where the chefs were cooking in front of usAn English menu was on hand and came in handy for orderingWatching the chefs at work right in front of you was brilliant and they serve the food quicklyThe tofu was sensational, the cheesy potatoes were delicious, the cows neck was unbelievably tasty. However the okonomiyaki was beyond exceptional! I'd eat the okonomiyaki for every meal for the rest of my life and be beyond happy with the range of tastes, flavours and notes it provides on the paletteThere weren't any fluent English speakers working when we went but the staff were more than friendly and understood all of our orders perfectlyI can't speak highly enough of this restaurant, I will be returning there again as soon as possible and will have incredible memories of the service and the food served

I absolutely recommend Arata. If you really want to try one of the best Okonomiyaki in Kyoto, this is the place for you! The service is absolutely nice and helpful!

Tiny out of the way place with a bubbly, friendly host. The food was delicious and the space was cozy and warm (it was a chilly, drizzly day). They had an English menu, too! Inside we saw tourists (like ourselves) as well as what seemed to be local regulars. Would definitely go back if I lived in the area!

Great okonomiyaki close to the station. I was the only foreigner at the place so it made for a more authentic experience. Staff spoke very basic English, but enough to get by.

Pretty cheap and just so delicious. Staff are very friendly and helpful and the food is just amazing. If you can't get in on the night reserve for the next night. As a group of 8 we did this twice. It was the only place in our Japan trip where we ate at twice. Highly recommended!!

Chanced upon this restaurant near kyoto station and decided to try it. We tried the okonomiyaki with pork, yakisoba with pork and grilled squid. Food was served promptly. Taste was not bad just that it was a bit too salty for me. Service was good too. There were lots of locals dining in this restaurant. Do make a reservation if going as it seems to be quite popular. We waited about ten mins when we went at 8.30pm without a reservation.

Good food for a decent price. Very nice staff and they understand and speak English.10/10 would recommend

Nice place. Delicious omelette

Excellent food and a lively local atmosphere. We had more expensive meals in Japan, but this was our favorite. It’s small and traditional. Amazingly friendly service.

Very delicious, and the staff were very kind. Cheap meal Australian dollar wise also

Unassuming looking restaurant with amazing food. Best okonomiyaki I have had in Japan so far. All of the staff are welcoming and the atmosphere friendly. Recommend if you want to try okonomiyaki go here!

Life changing, tbh. Great food, amazing service. English menu available.

Amazing place! We were the only non-locals there, but were treated with the same wonderful hospitality as everyone else. Everything is in Japanese, including the sign out the front, but they do offer an English copy of the menu which is helpful. Lively, fun, friendly atmosphere. Traditional, delicious food. We only had to wait 15 - 20 minutes with jo booking on a Friday night around 8.30pm, and it was well worth it :)

Ordered Okinomiyaki with beef, beef with vegetables, squid "arms" with salt, tofu steak. All were well prepared. Staff was friendly. Yes there was an English menu. And ended up being ~$40 for two people with 4 dishes and soft drinks. Recommend going right at 5 pm when they open or getting reservations if later than when they open. Fills up fast.

Delicious and a great experience! Staff were very friendly, and they cater for dietary requirements (including vegetarianism).

The food is very delicious! I haven't eaten that tasty food for a while now 🤤 The portions are smaller, but great thing you can order several dishes and split. Great place to socialize, but not more than 4 people at the table. It was 7 of us, so they had to split us into 2 tables and gave us 1 hour and 15 minutes to finish our food and leave, also we had to order same things for both tables... but it was fine with us. Make sure you visit this place, you will remember the tastes for a while!

Wow. Insanely good food and good prices. English menu available but you won't see many non Japanese patrons! Perfect spot to get a great meal in Kyoto. Authentic Japanese seating as well.

Everything you could ask for from a local restaurant. Delicious and authentic food, served by welcoming and kind hosts who made every effort to accommodate our lack of Japanese. Sitting in front of the hot grills while it's made is really enjoyable, and the other tables have hot grills too, although perhaps locals will know this already! The okonomiyaki is an absolute must try and we really enjoyed the tofu steak as well. Congratulations to the whole staff on such a lovely restaurant!

Definitely a local place - we were the only foreigners in the joint but they were very kind and patient with us. It is a small place, so if they tell you to wait, a) believe them and b) it's worth it...We waited outside for about ten minutes and they handed us an English menu... as we were waiting two locals on their way out, unprovoked, told us the Okonomi with beef was the way to go.We took their word for it and boy was it the right call... filling, delicious and inexpensive... and getting a front row seat to the process was pretty cool too.Don't let any bad reviews scare you off. The staff was all class and the food was legit, too. Jump right in there.

Try the okonomiyaki - you won't rdgret it. Restaurant is very popular with locals and this might be the most underrated place ever. Dish was so delicious and the staff was extremly friendly!

This place is great!! Friendly staff and a great menu. Staff speaks English and there's an English menu. Show up early if you don't have a reservation, so you can place one. (Or call in.)

The best okonomiyaki we had the entire trip!! Could not recommended this place enough. The staff were amazing and the one server was so entertaining and nice. This was very tasty okonomiyaki and made even better as it was served on a hot plate in front of us. Try the fried rice and corn, both amazing as well!

The okonomiyaki is very delicious and the staff very friendly. We had a great time eating and drinking some beer there 😁 ごちそう さま でした (we are europeans and were treated very friendly, i can't confirm the bad 1 star reviews)

Delicious!! English menu available, servers speak English as well. We had our meal on the second floor. Lots to choose from on the menu and the prices were reasonable. Besides the okonomiyaki, the squid and butter scallops are a must. So good we had to order the scallops twice even though we were stuffed! The ginger ale had a strong ginger taste for anyone that likes the rich ginger taste.

My wife and myself had our first Okonomiyaki at Arata and we loved it! (01.11.19) The staff was friendly and nice, the atmosphere was great, our waiter was super welcoming & friendly and the food itself was great. There were a few American tourists, but they left a few minutes after we arrived. Overall a great evening at a lovely restaurant.

Every time we visit Kyoto, we go here.This is a local place a little walk away from the tourist attractions but its well worth it.They have the best okonomiyaki in Japan and the staff and owner are very friendly!The Mochi Cheese okonomiyaki is the most delicious!

The restaurant is cheap and the food is very delicious. We were lucky and could eat without reservation. If it does not work, then reserve for the next evening. The staff is very friendly and helpful. It is highly recommended.

This place is 5 minutes walk from new Miyako Hotel, and the food is quite delicious! The service is superb! Very impressed by the genuine service from a young guy serving in second floor, super friendly and haven’t stopped working the whole time while we were there. I know Japan doesn’t have the practice of tips, but we wanted to give some gratitude tips for his amazing service, but he just said thanks and refused to take it! Again, very impressed, both food and service!

Looking for authentic Japanese and the right price? Then look no further. I would advise booking but it’s worth it, don’t miss this gem in Kyoto.

Really great food! Both Hiroshima and Osaka-style okonomiyaki, plus other grilled specialties- friendly staff, too. English spoken well, English menu available- but the food is outstanding.

This was a hidden find! We had okonomiyaki with pork, yakisoba with beef, garlic fried rice, omelette, shiitake mushroom, squid etc. All dishes were excellent but very salty, you could try asking for restaurant to go easy on the salt. Atmosphere was amazing, felt like I was meeting friends after work sharing our life over beer and street food. Challenging to have kids (no high chair, very hot plate), but we managed to corner our 1yo, and our 6yo was at a corner too. It felt like an authentic dining experience.

This is really great local food. If you are staying near the train station in kyoto try to visit much more authentic than all the restaurants at the station. I cannot speak Japanese but the staff were so helpful and friendly that it was no problem, made to feel very welcome.

Amazing Okonomiyakis! They also have some side dishes. Staff is super friendly and they have an English menu. They cook in front of you. The restaurant is quite small, if possible make a reservation, not good for groups bigger than four. We will definitely come back on the future.

Lively convivial place. Food is great. English menu available too.

Food was so delicious here we had to make a reservation again two days later. Famous among the locals but not tourists but I guess that's the true kind of authentic cuisine you get in Japan. Would have it again and again if we could!

Good food, cold beer, friendly service with an English menu. Quite busy. Waited 15 mins for a table at 930pm on Friday. Seating on 1st and 2nd floor, 1st floor is more lively (and smoky) and has traditional tatami seating available. Cute Hawaiian decor on 2nd floor. Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba comes with squid mixed in! Appx 4500¥ for two people with drinks. English menu uploaded.

Just wow. This place rocks! Kind and attentive servers with a fantastic system for delivering food whether you are on the ground or second floors. Try to get there between when they open and 6:30 because they get busy fast and you'll have to wait but it's worth it. The food...I don't have words to describe it. The prices are what you'd expect for a night out. If you can't decide where to eat, trust me, stop looking and just go here. You will not regret it.

Amazing. Really friendly staff and great food

Found this hidden gem near the station for a late night meal. There aren't that many options since restaurants in Kyoto close fairly early. We had a pork okonomiyaki and beef yakisoba. The Okonomiyaki is very tasty. Compared to others we had, we found the batter to be richer in flavor and it also contained more ingredients than we expected, albeit relatively thinner in size. It's a very well balanced flavored okonomiyaki. [thumbs up] [thumbs up] [thumbs up]

One of the best food I had thus far in Japan (Osaka & Kyoto). Food is very -authentic, flavourful & fantabulous-price was very reasonable-food serving is adequately fast-the young male waiter (1st floor) is very energetic, vibrant and have great customer service-many varieties, sharing the menu in English for reference-below your bench, there is a storage for you to put your bags, jackets, belongings to prevent oily smell sipping in while you're enjoying your foodDue to crowd, please book beforehand.

Great food and friendly service.

Very friendly place, great to have okonomiyaki.

The food was really good

Cosy, welcoming, easy for English speakers

Delicious Okonomiyaki, very friendly staff, cozy atmosphere! Definitely worth a visit.

Without doubt the best eating experience our family had in all of our trip to Japan. Food was delicious, staff were amazing and treated our family like we were part of their family. Atmosphere was great with cooking on display and all the staff enjoying themselves. Highly recommended!

Ridiculously overrated and a bit too pricey for the quality.

The people are fantastic and the food is great. What else do you need :)