Best Burgers in Kyoto: Districts and Styles

To find the best burgers in Kyoto, start downtown around Shijō-Kawaramachi and Sanjō, the grid between the Kamo River and Karasuma-dōri, then check the student streets of Sakyō near Kyoto University and the blocks around Kyoto Station. Expect two families of burger: Japanese gourmet burgers built to order on wagyu patties, and the teriyaki and rice burgers of the national chains.

Kyoto is a city of tofu, yuba and kaiseki, and its burger kitchens tend to borrow from that pantry rather than copy an American diner. Kyō-yasai, the city’s heirloom vegetables, give a menu its local accent. The best known is Kujō negi, a long green onion. Beef often comes from Ōmi, in neighbouring Shiga Prefecture, one of Japan’s most celebrated wagyu brands. As in much of Japan, burger counters hand you a paper wrapper so the stack stays together while you eat it upright.

Burgers in Kyoto: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Shijō-Kawaramachi, Sanjō, Gion, Sakyō around Kyoto University, and the streets around Kyoto Station.
• Local styles: gourmet wagyu burgers, teriyaki burgers and rice burgers, whose bun is two discs of pressed, grilled rice.
• Regional ingredients: Ōmi beef from Shiga, Kujō negi and other kyō-yasai, and Uji matcha.
• Currency: Japanese yen (JPY).
• Getting around: the Karasuma and Tōzai subway lines and the city buses; downtown is easy to cover on foot.
• What our guides check: that a venue is open, its full address, a dated price in yen and a dated rating.

Every guide we publish on Kyoto is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. To compare cities, browse all our burger restaurant guides.