Sarashina Shinkyogoku, Kyoto - restaurant for kishimen, traditional noodles

Sarashina Shinkyogoku, Kyoto is a simple restaurant serving traditional and delicious noodles in the heart of the Japanese old town. This little restaurant, sometimes referred to as Sarashina Kishimen, is located in Shinkyogoku, a covered shopping arcade in Kyoto that runs parallel to Pontocho alley. The more famous Kyoto Nishiki Market is perpendicular to it. With only Japanese signs and notices outside the shop, we could only guess from the one picture on display on the shopfront that it specialises in kishimen, a type of smooth flat Japanese noodles.

Sarashina Shinkyogoku Kyoto interior photo

The inside of the Sarashina Shinkyogoku restaurant is simple and practical. Thankfully they also provided an English menu with pictures. They spoke little English and we spoke no Japanese. But it was easy to order by pointing at the pictures. We decided on a bowl of “Kayaku” hot noodles (800 Yen) and a small bowl of rice – Kitune Donburi (400 Yen).

Sarashina Shinkyogoku Menu

The restaurant was busy but not fully packed. The wait for the food was longer than we anticipated, but it was worth the wait. A constant flow of green tea was served while we waited.

Eventually the food arrived. The simple dishes were presented beautifully and looked very much like the pictures in the menu. The bowl of rice was topped with vegetables and deep-fried bean curd (a refined version of our local tau pok). The taste was pure and satisfying.

Sarashina Shinkyogoku - Yuba Kishimen — Sarashina Shinkyogoku Kishimen

The noodles were even better. The kishimen was amazing – thin, smooth and springy in texture. The broth was light and delicate. The topping of the noodles were slices of fish cakes, vegetables and translucent yuba. The yuba had a deep tofu taste yet was light in texture.

Our short snack stop at Sarashina Shinkyogoku was a delightful one. This was a great traditional restaurant which (according to the Facebook page and Google translate) has a history of more than 100 years, having been established since 1887.