• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Ready to taste the best food in Kyoto? Satisfy your cravings for local food and culture with highlights along the way, together with a foodie host. Enjoy 10 delicious and typical tastings that range from sweet to savory as well as drinks on a tasty food tour in Kyoto.

Destination

Kyoto, Japan

Category

Food Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, 日本語, العربية, Français

Included

• Private Guide
• 10 Local Food & Drink Tastings
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to attractions
• Vegetarian Options Not Available

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 7 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at in front of SMBC Bank - Kyoto to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. 10 Tastings

   This tour includes 10 food and drink tastings. Your local host has hand-picked each one of the tastings based on their love for food, and knowledge of the city. Enjoy only the most authentic bites the city has to offer!

4. The Classics

   A food tour in Kyoto would not be complete without the most typical and beloved dishes in town. Enjoy a bite of the ultimate classics, Japanese pepper ice cream and gyoza stick, and taste them in their true local flavor!

5. Locals’ Favorites

   Discover more of the local cuisine by trying some of the ultimate locals’ favorites food treats. Try unique food, typical of Kyoto picked by your local host and hear why they love it so much!

6. Typical Drinks

   With drinks included as part of the tastings this real experience comes with a real local spirit! Your local host will quench your thirst with a selection of drinks like coffee, unique beverages, and alcoholic (or non-alcoholic) cocktails, wine and beer.

7. City Highlights

   This tour is more than just food, it’s a cultural experience! In between food stops, discover city highlights for a well-rounded experience that will satisfy your appetite for Kyoto. From food, drinks, must-sees and local hot spots; this tour has everything on the menu!

8. Vegetarian Alternative

   Looking for a vegetarian alternative? It’s possible! The tour has been created with alternative tastings to fit your preferences. Just let your host know!

9. Special Diet or Allergies?

   If you follow a special diet or have an allergy to a specific food, let your host know! They’ll make sure to take that into consideration so you can have an enjoyable and safe experience

10. Make it yours

    Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

    Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

    Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Kaye🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Yoshihiro)

21 April 2025

My husband and I spent several hours with Yoshihiro “Ted” at the Nishiki market tasting the weird and the wonderful. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and Yoshihiro a great guide and companion. He artfully selected the best stalls to sample from and introduced us to flavours and tastes we hadn’t tried before. He’s a lot of fun too. All round brilliant day. Thanks “Ted”.Wonderful day in Kyoto. Thanks Yoshihiro!

Bonnie

(About local RYUKI )

21 April 2025

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking local food tour with Ryuki. He took us to some delicious local places and was enthusiastic to share local food flavors and specialties with us. Ryuki is knowledgeable about the area and answered our food questions. He also gave us recommendations for places to go by ourselves on another day. We highly recommend Ryuki for a local experience food tour. Thanks!Awesome food tour with Ryuki!

Simone🇭🇰 Hong Kong

(About local Eiji)

17 April 2025

We were a group of three generations travelling together and we had a wonderful time with Eiji - he was very patient and happy to be flexible to accommodate individual preferences, which was great. We learned a lot and would definitely do a tour with him again !! Awesome food tour in Kyoto

Kwame

(About local Yoshihiro)

13 April 2025

Ted was a great and informative guide. Very easy-going and fun to be around. He even helped us at the pharmacy. Highly recommended. A really enjoyable time

Sean🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Eiji)

9 April 2025

Had a great time with Eiji. Got to try lots of different things we wouldn’t have thought to order ourselves and he taught us lots of different things about the city’s history annd people along the way. He was a fantastic host and would definitely recommend him for anyone visiting the city. Eiji was fantastic

Bianca 🇬🇺 Guam

(About local Guia)

6 April 2025

Firstly Guias English is excellent and I mean truly excellent. She also has such a warm and friendly personality and instantly welcoming to all of us. She adapted the tour on the spot based on tastes of what we liked and every single food tour spot was a hit. In fact we went back to some of them another day Along the way she had plenty of information about the area, the history of the food and really made the experience a highlight of the trip. We looked to book another tour with her before we left kyoto but she was already booked up, unsupringly so. Definitely a fantastic hostess!

Joya

(About local Yoshihiro)

5 April 2025

We enjoyed our food tour with Ted so much! He taught us about different food specialities and gave us insights about Kyoto that were super helpful for our stay. Super recommended and he is such a nice guy ❤️Great food tour with great company!

Lindi🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

1 April 2025

First of all pick Guia for the Kyoto food tour!! She was absolutely incredible, not only does she know all the best spots but she basically knows all the vendors even having inside jokes which was so cute! I’m literally still thinking about those tofu donuts she got us. She’s also fantastic at catering with what you like to eat and don’t as well as can’t eat, my friend has a seafood allergy and was great at finding optionsSo delicious

Stevie

(About local Yoshihiro)

1 April 2025

I purchased this experience as a gift for my parents on their trip to Japan (March 2025) They did the Kyoto food tour with Ted and absolutely loved it! His local knowledge, humour and ability to adjust the tour to suit the needs of my parents (my dad is a particularly fussy eater) was second to none and so appreciated! Thanks Ted they are not easily pleased so thank you for making this a highlight of their trip! Gift for my parents! They LOVED it

Unknown

(About local Guia)

31 March 2025

If you’re looking for a magical evening filled with delicious bites and Kyoto charm, Gia’s food tour is everything! From the moment we met her, she made us feel so welcome—like an old friend showing us her favorite hidden spots. We wandered through the beautiful streets of Gion, learning little secrets about the area’s history (Gia knows so much!), and then came the best part—the food! Every dish was a little work of art, bursting with flavors I never knew existed. And Gia explained everything in such a fun and engaging way that made us appreciate each bite even more. By the end of the night, our hearts (and bellies) were so full! If you’re ever in Kyoto and want an experience that feels both special and personal, this is the tour to book. Gia is an absolute gem, and this tour is a memory I’ll treasure forever!A Magical Night in Kyoto with Gia!

dsmethur

(About local Eiji)

21 March 2025

We had a great time with Eiji who is not only a great guide but also a great photographer. He took us through the Nishiki Market where we tried many interesting food but Eiji has a good eye for the picture and took 82 of us which he sent. Took in food and also Gion. Really fun.The food and culture of kyoto

Angel🇺🇸 United States

(About local Eiji)

20 March 2025

We were very happy with Eiji. He asked and listened to what we wanted to do. He skipped some things and added others as a result. It was a great tour. He also knows all the good picture spots and angles! We have some very cool pictures thanks to him. Finally, the fact that he is so tall made him easier to follow :-) If I come back to Kyoto, I would 100% sure book another tour with him.Eiji was awesome

Meeghan

(About local Guia)

14 March 2025

Guia was a wonderful guide who led us through the vibrant market and introduced us to local flavours. We enjoyed some delicious food and tasted sake and plum wine and bought some goodies to take home with us! Thank you for a wonderful Kyoto experience Guia! A wonderful, and tasty, Kyoto experience!

Danielle🇺🇸 United States

(About local Eiji)

24 February 2025

Eiji was so nice and knowledgeable. He gave us delicious food we wouldn't have thought to get at Nishiki Market. You should definitely be adventurous and try his top choices, even though he said he would try to accommodate any dietary preferences or restrictions. (Just bear in mind it might be hard to do so!) Eiji took over 75 pictures during the tour, which allowed us to be in the moment and enjoy all the amazing food. At the end of the tour, he took us to the Gion district for sight-seeing. I highly recommend choosing Eiji for your food tour!Eiji is great!

margie🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Yoshihiro)

22 February 2025

We had a great morning with Ted in the Nishiki markets - myself and my two daughters. We had been there before on our own, and had not discovered half of the things Ted showed us - from puffer fish sashimi, to wagyu beef sushi to soy milk donuts and deep fried ice-cream, plus all sorts of spices and Japanese flavourings, and tempura tuna with sake in a crowded, popular bar. He was very generous and kind, and amusing...I would highly recommend this experience. The price you pay includes all the food you eat - Ted handles the cash, and the negotiations!"Ted" Yoshihiro broadened our palates!

Amanda

(About local Guia)

7 February 2025

Guia took us on a wonderful tour and found lots of tasty items for us. We had a great time. Thank you so much!Wonderful time

Rod🇯🇵 Japan

(About local Guia)

3 February 2025

Great tour with Guia - she adapted her tour to our mobility needs, and took us to some food outlets that stretched our culinary experience! Nothing was too much trouble, and we had interesting conversations about not just food - Japanese culture and life. Great food tour

Jessica🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

20 January 2025

Guia is so warm and friendly and has immense knowledge of food history and culture. We had a great time walking the market stalls with her and talking about life in the different places we’ve lived. She took some great photos of us as well enjoying the food, and seemed to know all the vendors personally! We got pretty fantastic bites to try that was catered to each of my family members tastes and preferences. Overall, I’ve been on food tours on nearly every continent, and this one ranks as one of the best because of its diverse foods, cultural beauty, excellent conversations with our guide, and opportunity to buy a few extra things with her expertise. Book this, you won’t regret it. We had a blast with Guia!

Sarah

(About local Yoshihiro)

8 January 2025

We had an awesome few hours exploring Kyoto and learning about Japanese culture. Ted was very kind and flexible with plans depending on how we were feeling, and we learned so much! If you’re looking for the best guide in Kyoto, you’ve found him :) We loved our tour with Ted!

Jill🇿🇦 South Africa

(About local Yoshihiro)

5 January 2025

We had an amazing experience with Ted as our guide exploring the unique street food scene in Kyoto. His knowledge of the local cuisine and culture added so much depth to the tour. Ted was not only interesting and engaging but also incredibly patient, ensuring everyone in our group felt included and comfortable. His passion for Kyoto’s food and history truly shone through, making this a memorable experience. Highly recommend Ted for anyone looking to explore Kyoto in a fun, flavourful, and informative way! He has also been soo great at helping us find restaurants while we are here in the city.A must do a Kyoto!

Serene🇭🇰 Hong Kong

(About local Eiji)

2 January 2025

My family of ten with wide ranging tastes and age group had a great time learning about the best local food in Kyoto. We would not have been able to find and enjoy the experience without Eiji's guidance. He was extremely patient and kind with our requests. We had a great time and experience tasting all the interesting and delicious 'best of Kyoto' food! Highly recommended.Best Food Experience!

Francesca🇺🇸 United States

(About local Eiji)

2 January 2025

We are a family of 3 visiting from San Francisco and Eiji was our guide for a food tour of Nishiki market and Gion. Eiji was excellent—friendly, knowledgeable and playful with a good sense of humor. We immediately felt at ease with him. With Eiji deftly navigating the crowds, we ate food at Nishiki that we would never have found ourselves and were steered away from the stalls that were not specific to Kyoto. Our walking tour of nearby Gion was informative and fun—not just an extended photo opportunity. We highly recommend Eiji as your guide and would happily spent time with him again. Thank you Eiji!!We wholeheartedly recommend Eiji!!

Marty

(About local Eiji)

26 December 2024

Ann🇺🇸 United States

(About local Eiji)

15 December 2024

1

We had a fantastic time with Eiji. The food on the tour was delicious. We went back to some of the places he showed us several times while in Kyoto. The food was so good. We will be recommending this tour to all of our friends!Great food tour in Kyoto

Rachel🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

24 November 2024

Ted was an amazing guide. My husband and I had a great time going through the market with him and eating so many delicious foods. Thank you, Ted!Amazing Market Tour

Gavin🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Guia)

22 November 2024

Spent a great afternoon exploring the Kyoto food market with Guia. The food and drinks were delicious. Her knowledge of all things Japan was top notch and I learnt a lot from Guia. A very enjoyable experience. Thank you Guia. Awesome Food and Drinks with Guia

Richard🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Yoshihiro)

21 November 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed our Kyoto tasting tour with Ted (Yoshihiro). In a word, it was great. Ted introduced me and my wife to wonderful foods we never would have known existed. He is extremely knowledgable and also made everything relevant by explaining the history and culture of the city. The tour took place in Nishiki Market. If we did this on our own, we would have felt completely lost, not knowing what foods to try, who were the best vendors, or, in some cases, how to order the food. While I think he is a native of Kyoto, Ted worked in the States for many years and speaks English very well. This tour is highly recommended!Fantastic guide. A wonderful experience!

Jamie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

18 November 2024

My husband, son and I had a wonderful day with Ted in Kyoto. My son is five years ago and Ted crafted the most amazing day together. Our favorite part of the day was food tasting in the market (while my son would say it was the impromptu stop at the Super Mario store for a quick toy). Ted was kind, knowledgable and easy to spend time with. We would highly, highly recommend! Amazing day in Kyoto

Jessica

(About local Yoshihiro)

15 November 2024

We had such a wonderful time with Yoshihiro. The market can be overwhelming with so many options so it was wonderful to have a guide point us in the right direction. Everything we tired was delicious and the company was wonderful. A wonderful afternoon with Yoshihiro

Ambita🇮🇳 India

(About local Eiji)

31 October 2024

Eiji made Kyoto magical for us. We did two tours with him and showed us the best of the city he loves. Not just the tourist spots but local areas where citizens hang out, local food and world heritage sites that no one visits! He is a special person and I wouldn’t do Tokyo with anyone else. Thank you once again Eiji. See Kyoto throughout Eiji’s eyes

Peter🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Guia)

28 October 2024

We had a second very good trip with Guia …. This time food! If you want a relaxed, informative and diverse trip around all the different Japanese and Kyoto foods and specialities, Guia is a great person to take you …..all those foods you knew nothing about and never seen before all nicely introduced and explained. Great!Great food

Jenni🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

26 October 2024

Yoshihiro (Ted) was a great communicator prior to our Tour and flexible with the dietary restrictions of our group. He introduced us to many vendors and food/drink options at Nishiki market that we would not have discovered on our own. Very patient with our questions and requests. We learned a lot about the food scene and geisha culture on this Tour. We took his recommendation about a brew pub for lunch after the Tour and it was excellent. He is a great Ambassador for Kyoto and would definitely book a tour with him again if returning to KyotoExcellent Tour and Communication

Cristina 🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Guia)

22 October 2024

We had a fantastic time with Guia. She teaches English for children and instantly connected with our 11 and 13 years old boys making the tour a lot more fun for them. Not only the food was delicious but Guia was also flexible when we wanted to taste different things and gave lots of information and tips about Kyoto. The stop at the Nishiki Tenmangū shrine was a great added bonus. The market can get very crowded, before booking it might be a good idea to ask for suggestions about best time to visit. This was a great tour with a fantastic guide!Brilliant afternoon in Kyoto with Guia

Marc

(About local Yoshihiro)

22 October 2024

We had a great day with Yoshihiro (also known as Ted). We saw parts of Kyoto we would never find by ourselves. Yoshihiro was willing to tell us everything about Kyoto and we just had the best of times.great day at Kyoto with Yoshihiro

Rae🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Yoshihiro)

18 October 2024

Ted was a warm and engaging guide. Our forage through the market revealed unique foods to try and experience. Ted put together a great selection of foods that we enjoyed immensely. Highly recommend Ted as your local guide.Great experience

Matt🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

7 October 2024

Ted-san is awesome! He is very knowledgeable, kind, and fun. He was flexible and gave us many options for foods to try. He even let us get foods to bring back to our hotel to eat later because we were so full! Ted even gave us recommendations for other activities in and around Kyoto. He's a very kind man and I would highly recommend doing a food tour with him! Amazing Food Tour in Kyoto with Ted-san

Victoria🇦🇹 Austria

(About local Yoshihiro)

30 September 2024

We had a great time with Ted, it was super interesting and fun. He tailor-made a tour to our interests and needs (also considering us traveling with a baby) and stayed flexible during the tour so we could make the most of it. We can strongly recommend Ted as your guide.

Debra🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

5 September 2024

Ted is amazing! Super fun way to visit Nishiki Market…toured with my husband and 25 year old son Ted confirmed the day before…his English is excellent and he not only suggested an interesting sampling of offerings he also shared insights into Kyoto with us. Would highly recommend you book with Ted for a wonderful tour. Great Food Tour with Ted

Jorge

(About local Yoshihiro)

24 August 2024

I’d recommend booking Ted (Yoshihiro) to anyone traveling to Kyoto that’s interested on the local culture and likes to eat good food. Ted was nothing less than amazing; He speaks great english, is very polite, kind, funny, and easily engages in conversation with you. He’s very cultured in local cuisine, you’ll be eating great food. Even after the experience he went out of his way to help us coordinate an unplanned change in our trip due to weather. Ted also recommended us some local hidden gems outside of the tour for us to check out. I’ll surely be booking Ted again ok my next trip to Japan.Amazing experience!

Madeline🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

18 August 2024

The tour was the perfect way of beginning a stay in Kyoto. Guía is incredibly knowledgeable about Kyoto and introduced us to the best of food. I also appreciate her flexibility in personalizing the tour given my walking limitations and our late start. Thank you, Guia for such a amazing welcome!Excellent tour. Excellent guide.

Andrew🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Yoshihiro)

30 July 2024

We feel very honoured to have found Ted on Withlocals. Before we arrived in Japan, Ted was in contact to introduce himself and understand our requirements and this heightened our excitement about the tour. Ted was in contact on the day with map locations via WhatsApp to make sure we knew where to met him. Ted was joyful and fantastic company as well as being an amazing food tour guide. He listened to our requirements and made sure they were catered for but also introduced us to some new and fascinating delicacies that we probably wouldn’t have tried. I cannot recommend him highly enough if you are looking for a guide in Kyoto. At the end of the holiday we asked the kids for their highlights from the trip and they both mentioned the food tour with Ted! Thank you!One of the highlight of our trip

Mitch🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

9 July 2024

Guia was amazing and did a great job in introducing my wife, teenage son and me to the local area and food. Highly recommended. Great way to spend the afternoon!

Jeff

(About local Yoshihiro)

4 July 2024

My wife, daughter and two teenage grandkids and I tasted our way through the Nishiki Market with "Ted" and had a wonderful time! Ted told us at the start that he wanted to expose us to the more interesting and unusual tastes of Kyoto and, because we are all happy to expand our comfort zones, we readily agreed and that's what we experienced. Ted had a wonderful sense of humor and command of english so we got along terrifically. I was concerned going in that 10 tastings might not be enough to satisfy all of us but they were more than enough and so varied that we could not have asked for more. Ted also gave us advice about his favorite places to eat in Kyoto which put the icing on the cake. We recommend both the tour and specifically Ted as your guide as a really fun way to experience Kyoto.Tasting our way through the Nishiki Market

Dara🇺🇸 United States

(About local Eiji)

1 July 2024

Laura🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

25 June 2024

We loved our tour with Ted! We did the 10 Food and Drink tour with Ted on our first day in Kyoto, and we could not have been happier. Ted took us to Nishiki Market, and he introduced us to the unique foods that we otherwise would not have tried. So good! In addition to the tour, Ted recommended places for us to eat and visit in Kyoto which was so helpful. He even helped us days later find a Japanese BBQ place for dinner in our last night in Kyoto. The price is TOTALLY worth it in our opinion, and it competely made our trip. A MUST for your Kyoto trip!

Angela🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Yoshihiro)

18 June 2024

Thanks Ted for a fantastic food tour around the Nishiki market! Ted has an extensive knowledge of the market and took the time to show us specialty foods that we would have not found by ourselves. He was very thoughtful and easily accommodated the individual needs our group with one gluten free person. We ate heaps, and had a ton of fun. Ted's tour is one of the highlights of our trip to Kyoto Arigato gozaimasu! Fantastic Tour!

David🇺🇸 United States

(About local Guia)

11 June 2024

We arranged this tour with Guia for our family of four and were we ever glad we did! Guia knows her stuff - not just about the local food scene but also the color and history behind several local attractions she recommended for our stay in Kyoto. Communication (in English for us) was a breeze with Guia. She was able to easily handle some dietary restrictions we had and let us have input when we wanted. Not that we strayed far from her recommendations, though, as they were all excellent. My wife and I, and our kids, all had a great time thanks to Guia. We loved Kyoto. Outstanding guide!

David🇺🇸 United States

(About local Yoshihiro)

24 May 2024

My wife and I did the Nishi Market tour with Ted, it exceeded our expectations. Ted is a wonderful, patient and very knowledgeable guide. He walked us through three blocks of the market, stopping at many stalls to try food. He would explain the history of many stalls, provide guidance and answer questions about not just food, but souvenirs we thought about buying. For us the food was the highlight - Ted's deep knowledge of the market stalls and his gentle, friendly personality helped us try many different foods we would never of tried on our own - octopus with a quail egg inside, puffer fish, beef sushi,... Next time we go to Kyoto we will look for one of Ted's tours knowing we will enjoy it as we enjoyed his tour this so much.Most Enjoyable Nishi Market Tour

David🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Eiji)

1 May 2024

We had great fun on our “10 tastings” tour with Eiji. He showed us some of the hidden gems of Nishiki market and also which tourist traps to maybe avoid. After the tastings we walked around the Gion district and took in some of the Kyoto highlights as well as some lesser known but arguably even more beautiful corners of the city. We had great fun chatting with Eiji throughout the tour and got to know and see the city from a more nuanced angle. Would highly recommend the tour to someone who wants to get to know the city, is up for a good walk and loves to try out new food experiences!Tasting and walking around Kyoto

Janet 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Eiji)

16 April 2024

Eiji was a great tour guide . His English was excellent , he encouraged us to taste foods we would not have tried . He was very informative with our Kyoto questions and recommended different historic sights to explore . He was very flexible with our tour as we had already seen some local sights . We cannot recommend Eiji enough to fulfil your Kyoto experience . Brilliant Kyoto Food Tour