The other day I went to Kyoto and did some sightseeing and strolled around the city. But the main purpose of my visit was to meet my Australian friend there who was visiting Japan. He said, 'Our guide will take us to the secret places'. When I met them, 'our guide' turned out to be one of 25 Kyoto Tourism Ambassadors, and he didn't even tell us where he was taking us! It was truly a 'mystery tour' in Kyoto, and the restaurant he took us to for lunch was 'Shiko' in Karasuma Oike. The cozy Izakaya is run by a lovely married couple serving a variety of Japanese cuisine. Most importantly, this place is not well-known by tourists and is frequented mainly by local people. Trust our ambassador, this is truly one of the best-kept secret places in Kyoto!
- 1 min read
Izakaya Shiko: Kyoto Karasuma Oike
Enjoy lunch or dinner at a cozy izakaya in Kyoto!

Community writer

Owner couple thanking us and seeing us off at the entrance. Japanese hospitality found in Kyoto!

Entrance of Izakaya 'Shiko' in Karasuma Oike, the secret place! 'Shiko' means something like purple water spreading wide and deep...beautiful name

Menu board in front of the entrance. According to it, lunch time is 11:30 - 14:00 (12:00 - 14:00 on Sat.), dinner time is 17:30 - 23:00 (last order at 22:00)

Counter seats. There are lunch dishes on the counter

Left; Tempura lunch, right; Tempura & Sashimi (sliced raw fish) lunch. Which one would you like?

Certificate of Tourism Ambassador of Kyoto. The name of our guide, who turned out to be one of the Kyoto Tourism Ambassadors, Mr. Shigeharu Nakano, is written on it

My lunch, Tempura lunch set!

Table seats

Owner of 'Shiko' and his wife. What a lovely couple!

Wide variety of Shiko's menu, ranging from meat, vegetables to seafood dishes
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Thu vy
7 years ago
I see your picture and I can feel the hospitality of the couple too.
Hi, Vy, yes, they were very nice!
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