Our team just finished a trip to Kyoto and we found the best gluten free restaurants, food stalls, and cafes to visit while in town. Read our full guide below to find the best gf spots in Kyoto, Japan based on taste, safety, price, and quality! Honest opinions about the best gluten free options in the area.
Kyoto is an incredible place to visit, packed with historic temples, beautiful gardens, and amazing food. But if you’re gluten-free, eating here can be a challenge—soy sauce, barley miso, and other hidden sources of gluten are everywhere, and the language barrier doesn’t help.
That’s where this guide comes in. I’ve put together the best gluten-free restaurants, essential tips, and key phrases to make your trip as easy (and delicious) as possible. Whether you’re looking for traditional Japanese dishes, cozy cafés, or international options, this guide has you covered!
We tried countless restaurants in a short amount of time, just to find the best.
The Kyoto Gluten Free Guide from GlutenBee!
Made for people with Celiac Disease. All restaurants we went to we take into account cross contamination risk, item ingredient risk, etc.
1. Essential Gluten-Free Dining Tips for Kyoto
— Watch out for these key sauces/ingredients that usually contain some form of wheat or barley:
- Soy Sauce, Teriyaki, Eel Sauce, Mayo, Ponzu, sometimes Miso Paste
- Mizuame is a type of sweetener from Japan that is in a lot of products
- Barley tea and barley rice
- Dashi stock with wheat-based soy
- Kewpie Mayo in Japan
— Learn traditional names of words and ingredients
- Soy Sauce = Shoyu
- Wheat = Komugi
- Barley = Omugi
- Rye = Raimugi
- Gluten = Guruten
— Learn how to communicate your dietary needs. When I was in Japan, I used this Japanese Celiac Disease allergy alert card and it was a major lifesaver for me!
— Know where to go! A lot of these spots recommended below are in or around the Nishiki Market and central mall/shopping areas of Kyoto.
- Nishiki Market
- Gion and Higashiyama
- Pontocho
- Kawaramachi
2. Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in Kyoto
These are our all time favorite gluten free restaurants in Kyoto, Japan. This list will be organized by different category and food types!
The Best Gluten Free Ramen in Kyoto
We tried two delicious gluten free ramen spots while visiting Kyoto for a few days and they were both fantastic. It is such a nice feeling being able to safely eat ramen, and both of these spots had good protocols for people with Celiac Disease!
Restaurant #1 – Engine Ramen
Truly a gem of a spot. The best Ramen I’ve ever had personally.
Restaurant #2 – Moon and Back Ramen
What an experience, this place also has some tasty gluten free ramen! But they do things a little differently.
Get delicious gluten free ramen with real Wagyu beef torched right in front of you from @moonandback.kyoto 🥩🔥
So good and they are super sharp about celiac, cross contamination, and safe preparation practices!
I liked this place, but Engine Ramen was my favorite gf ramen in all of Japan! This wasn’t quite as good flavor wise to me.
Gluten Free Fried Chicken and French Fries in Kyoto
The absolute best spots to find gluten free fried chicken and fries. We tried Mochiko Hawaiian style fried chicken, huge Dutch style fries, and gluten free karage chicken too!
Restaurant #3 – Loco Chicken
Another personal favorite. Mochiko Hawaiian style fried chicken that is fully gluten free! They have the fluffiest buns made from rice flour. Such a cool spot, I went here twice even though I was only in Kyoto for a week!
Here are all of my pics from Loco Chicken in Kyoto!! I love this spot. The sandwiches were so tasty and the gluten free rice bun was insanely good. Just fluffy and perfect! Also loved their Hawaiian lemonade.
Restaurant #4 – De Frites Staan
Freshly fried large frites with sauces.
These were ok, honestly they were pretty expensive for the quality. The fries I got were not cooked and the sauce was super small. But it’s still worth trying, hopefully that was just a one off bad experience.
Restaurant #5 – Cafe & Bar Maru
Gluten free karaage chicken, cocktails, and Japanese curry. This spot is a bit pricy and you have to order a drink with your meal, but it’s got a cool vibe and offers a ton of options.
One thing to note though, be careful! I was extra cautious here, because the menu warns about gluten possibly being in some of their ingredients. Here’s my full review I shared on Find Me Gluten Free:
Kind of confused about the safety of this place so I just stuck with the gf fried chicken. It was expensive but very good! Higher end spot. But be warned I’m not sure if this spot is entirely safe. Every page of the menu says ‘food may contained gluten from the manufacturer’ at the bottom. When I asked about it the staff said some items have cross contamination warnings like may contain etc. And it was a shrimp bag they brought out; so maybe just for some stuff? Idk. Regardless staff was nice and they have a cool spot with really good cocktails. I got the lychee cocktail and it was spectacular!
The good news is, I did not get any sickness or reactions from Cafe & Bar Maru and felt fine afterwards!
Gluten Free Bakeries and Cafes in Kyoto
The absolute best spots to find gluten free pastries, cookies, cakes, muffins, and more. We even found a spot with the viral Japanese fluffy pancakes, gluten free!!
Restaurant #6 – Toshoan
Awesome spot for dedicated gluten free desserts and very unique items. I got the Sakura cream puff and it was legitimately so good. 10/10
Also ordered the popular rice flour fluffy pancakes and they were delicious too!
The staff was super nice and friendly here. One thing they wanted me to mention is that they stop accepting pancake orders at 4:30 pm even though they close at 6:30 pm! Not sure why maybe due to cooking times, etc, but just keep that in mind!
Prices were a bit high, but very much worth it. Safety is 100% certain because it is a dedicated facility. Location wise, it’s a bit outside of town from Nishiki Market, but it’s worth the walk!
Restaurant #7 – Waco Crepes
Really tasty crepe and the sweetest lady working there! I got the raspberry and chocolate crepe and loved it. Lots of chocolate and jam 😍😍
Pretty expensive but worth it for a safe and delicious treat while in Kyoto! It’s fully gluten free (the crepes) and they have lots of options!
Other Amazing Gluten Free Spots in Kyoto
These ones couldn’t fit into one single larger category, but they were still great!
Restaurant #8 – Yak & Yeti
Gluten free Nepalese food in Kyoto, Japan! This was my first time ever trying food from Nepal and it was delicious. This spot is located in a very central area of Kyoto; the Nishiki Market. It’s called @yakandyetikyoto and it is super tasty. Great deal for the lunch set. I got the mutton (lamb) curry and tandoori chicken. You can have unlimited rice and dahl with this deal so you know I got a few portions of each 🙂
Delicious food and great price for the lunch set! The staff were friendly and helped me choose the set without any gluten. It comes with unlimited rice and dahl. So so tasty, I had two portions of each. Also ordered the tandoori chicken.
More Gluten Free Restaurants in Kyoto
Here is a collection of more spots we didn’t have time to try, but would recommend based on the reviews we found!
– Inumaeya Wagyu Food Stand
– Kurozakura Japanese BBQ Restaurant
– Ikkakuju Karasuma Japanese Food (known for their gluten free Okonomiyaki)
– IKARIYA BEIKA Bakery
– SINLESS CAFÉ / Sinless Lab Food Design Pastry Shop
– Kyoto Italian Kappa GF Pasta and Italian Food
– Sugarhill Kyoto Fusion Restaurant (Teriyaki Chicken, Veggies, Desserts)
– Karasuma Rock Japanese BBQ
Related Gluten Free Japan Resources
More gluten free restaurant guides for Japan and helpful content for all of Asia is coming soon!
-
Is POCARI SWEAT Gluten Free?
-
Is Aquarius Hydration Drink Gluten Free?
-
Is Calorie Mate Gluten Free?
-
Is SOYJOY Gluten Free?
-
Is Shochu Gluten Free?
