Kyoto’s Complex “Rooji” – Jump in! (9-11 p.m.)

You can enjoy original cocktails made by a kind female bartender with an elegant smile. The bar counter only consists of 5 counter seats and 5 tables so you will be sitting close to other customers. Many of them are regulars who will warmly welcome you to drink. Other than cocktails, there are Japanese beers and also whiskeys like Yamazaki. Notice all the unique glasses made by Japanese artists that are lined up on the shelves.

Up the stairs inside the alleyway is a classical bar with all the standards. The bar has counter seats only and is comfortable inside. There are about 80 different kinds of whiskey available including Japanese made ones like Yamazaki and Hibiki. The recommended drink is any of the cocktails that are carefully made by the bartender. You will be able to get these commonly made cocktails with base of liquors like gin and tequila anywhere, but the drinks here somehow have more of a deep flavor that is different than other places. We hope that you will enjoy a drink made carefully by the bartender at the BAR STAND.

Beer and Japanese sake of many kinds are, of course, available. The choices of food items are excellent as well. The specialty menu items are made on a piping hot teppan, or iron plate. We recommend you to try the Tonpei-yaki. It’s prepared by cooking mixture of pork and eggs, and then seasoned with sauce. Tonpei-yakki is a bit similar to an omelet, but it’s something that goes very well with a drink. We hope that you will enjoy having conversations with the friendly owner while sitting at the counter seat in Enamiya Sakunoma.

In Japan, many people leave the bar or izakaya after they finish drinking, and head over to a different place for shime no ippin, or last dish to finish. That’s because the ingestion of alcohol after drinking makes you a little hungry. In order to satisfy the hunger, people in Japan as well as most drinkers in Kyoto will eat a shime no ippin. A great representation of it is ramen. Taiho Ramen – Kiyamachi restaurant is located in an alley and is open until 6 a.m. The ramen has dark soy sauce flavored soup that goes very well with the thin noodles. There are only counter seats available inside, and this old-fashioned ramen shop ambiance is something we would like for you to experience.

Umaimonyaki Sun offers yakitori, hotpot, and dishes made with fresh vegetables. This restaurant’s shime no ippin is Lard Rice. It’s a dish where lard is poured on top of rice followed with some sweet and spicy sauce. The dish is eaten after you mix it well. The lard and the sweet-spicy sauce make this the one and only rice dish that you can’t eat anywhere else. Please reference the cute illustrated instruction on how to prepare the Lard Rice.