Historic restaurants · Nanzen-ji
Hyotei 瓢亭
Kaiseki house near Nanzen-ji that began as a teahouse at the temple gate over 400 years ago, famed for its soft-boiled Hyotei egg.
About
Hyotei started as a simple teahouse in the pine grove outside the main gate of Nanzen-ji, where its keeper also acted as gatekeeper, and it has served food here for more than four centuries. Over time it developed into a refined kaiseki restaurant built on the cuisine of the tea ceremony. The main house is a set of separate tea-room buildings around a garden watered by the Lake Biwa canal, and the thatched hut from the early days still stands. The house speciality is the Hyotei egg, cooked so the yolk stays just soft. In summer the annex serves a famous morning rice porridge, asa-gayu.
Highlights
- Hyotei tamago, the signature soft egg
- Asa-gayu morning porridge in summer
- Thatched teahouse rooms around a garden
Tips
- Main house 12:00–15:00 and 17:00–21:30, closed Wednesdays; annex 8:00–11:00 and 12:00–14:00, closed Thursdays.
- Reserve ahead, especially for the main house.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-19
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