Kyoto · Food & Drink

Best Bars & Nightlife in Kyoto

17 places, each checked by our team.

• APOTHECA アポテカTakoyakushi / Fuyacho — A sleek fourth-floor cocktail bar near Takoyakushi that treats drinks like apothecary remedies: botanical infusions, tea and herbs in modern,…
• Bar Atlantis (Pontocho) バー アトランティスPontocho — Laid-back Pontocho cocktail bar with a summer yuka terrace over the Kamo River: affordable drinks and the best river view in the alley.
• Bar Cordon Noir バー コルドンノアールKiyamachi — A classic, dimly lit Kiyamachi bar with old-school service, a strong whisky and brandy back bar and expert classic cocktails.
• Bar K-ya Honkan bar K家 本館Downtown (Rokkaku Gokomachi) — Long-running authentic bar on Rokkaku-dori in downtown Kyoto, with whisky and classic cocktails.
• Bar K6 バー K6Kiyamachi Nijo — Kyotos great whisky bar: a long, elegant counter on Kiyamachi-Nijo with hundreds of single malts, Japanese craft spirits and polished classic…
• Bar Rocking Chair バー ロッキングチェアーShijo Gokomachi — Champion bartender Kenji Tsubokuras gentle back-street cocktail bar: rocking chairs, a crackling fire, and drinks built on Japanese fruit, tea and…
• Bee's Knees ビーズニーズKiyamachi — Kyoto's best-known speakeasy, on Asia's 50 Best Bars every year from 2020 to 2025: push through a fake door off Nishi-Kiyamachi into a dim, buzzing…
• Bungalow バンガローShijo Horikawa — A two-floor craft-beer bar near Shijo Horikawa with a roll-up front open to the street: rotating Japanese craft taps, natural wine and junmai sake,…
• El Tesoro エル・テソロGion (Yamato-oji) — Small, highly rated Gion cocktail bar; the name means 'treasure' in Spanish.
• Finlandia Bar ぎをん フィンランディアバーGion — Authentic bar in a former Gion teahouse since 1982, specialising in Nordic spirits and classic cocktails.
• Fushimi Yumehyakushu 伏見夢百衆Fushimi — A sake tasting cafe and shop in Gekkeikan's handsome former head office, pouring flights from Fushimi's breweries a few steps from the willow-lined…
• Gion Sanbo 祇園サンボアGion — Classic counter bar in Gion from the old Sanbo bar family, known for highballs.
• Kiyamachi-dori Bar Strip 木屋町通Kiyamachi — Willow-lined street beside the little Takase canal, packed with bars, izakaya and clubs between Shijo and Nijo. Kyoto's liveliest and most casual…
• Kyoto Brewing Co. Taproom 京都醸造 タップルームNishikujo / Minami-ku — The brewery taproom of Kyoto Brewing Co., founded in 2015 by three expat friends who met in Aomori: Belgian-yeast beers and modern hoppy ales poured…
• L'Escamoteur Bar レスカモトゥールKiyamachi (south) — A magician-run cocktail bar hidden near Kiyamachi, dressed like a steampunk curiosity attic, where drinks arrive with smoke, flame and sleight of…
• SPRING VALLEY BREWERY KYOTO スプリングバレーブルワリー京都Nishiki / Tominokoji — Kirins craft brewery in a restored 100-year-old machiya next to Nishiki Market, opened 2016: house-brewed beers paired with Kyoto ingredients and a…
• Touzan Bar (Hyatt Regency Kyoto) 東山 バー（ハイアット リージェンシー 京都）Higashiyama Shichijo — A moody basement hotel bar near Sanjusangendo designed by Super Potato, with Japanese whisky, sake from Kyotos Fushimi breweries and an…