When you enter an izakaya in Japan, most of the time the first drink is an ice-cold pint of super-dry lager, and deep-fried delicacies are the thing that goes best with a refreshing pint. But as there are many sake breweries in Kyoto, and sake tours to them are popular, sake has become a favorite among the weary travelers looking for refreshment in Kyoto. This time, however, I’m not going to look at sake so much as the snacks that go the best with it. So here are the five great things to enjoy with sake from five shops!
1Tsunokichi
Tsunokichi is close to Keihan’s Kiyomizu-Gojo Station, and it mainly sells additive-free sauces and spices. The best companions to sake sold here are their miso and sansho-pepper jako (dried whitebait). The salty tastes of these snacks are the perfect companion to sake.
Tsunokichi is close to Keihan’s Kiyomizu-Gojo Station, and it mainly sells additive-free sauces and spices. The best companions to sake sold here are their miso and sansho-pepper jako (dried whitebait). The salty tastes of these snacks are the perfect companion to sake.
2IZUJU
Izuju is a sushi restaurant in Gion, located right opposite of Yasaka Shrine, and it’s famous for its mackerel sushi, which is served to you rolled in kelp (you’re not supposed to eat the kelp, but the kelp actually tastes delicious). You can also buy sushi to go here, and as you’d expect, sushi goes perfectly with some dry sake served cold.
Izuju is a sushi restaurant in Gion, located right opposite of Yasaka Shrine, and it’s famous for its mackerel sushi, which is served to you rolled in kelp (you’re not supposed to eat the kelp, but the kelp actually tastes delicious). You can also buy sushi to go here, and as you’d expect, sushi goes perfectly with some dry sake served cold.
3Nishiri Gion
Nishiri Gion is one of the most famous shops in Kyoto specializing in Japanese pickles called tsukemono, and these salty vegetables are also something that goes well with sake. They are also something very refreshing, so they’re a great treat to have with sake when it gets hot in Kyoto!
Nishiri Gion is one of the most famous shops in Kyoto specializing in Japanese pickles called tsukemono, and these salty vegetables are also something that goes well with sake. They are also something very refreshing, so they’re a great treat to have with sake when it gets hot in Kyoto!
4Oimatsu
You must be surprised! Who’d have thought traditional Japanese sweets go with sake? Close to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, you’ll find Oimatsu, a Japanese sweets shop with a long history, famous for its daifuku, which are mochi stuffed with red bean paste. As mochi are made from rice, it’s only natural it goes very well with sake, which is also made of rice!
You must be surprised! Who’d have thought traditional Japanese sweets go with sake? Close to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, you’ll find Oimatsu, a Japanese sweets shop with a long history, famous for its daifuku, which are mochi stuffed with red bean paste. As mochi are made from rice, it’s only natural it goes very well with sake, which is also made of rice!
5Chocolat BEL AMER Kyoto Bettei
Chocolat BELAMER Kyoto Bettei sells chocolate of such beauty it’s hard to believe the great sweet and bitter tastes, and some of their chocolate even contains sake, so try a few, and you’ll be sure to find some that offer a harmony of tastes when enjoyed with a cup of sake.
Chocolat BELAMER Kyoto Bettei sells chocolate of such beauty it’s hard to believe the great sweet and bitter tastes, and some of their chocolate even contains sake, so try a few, and you’ll be sure to find some that offer a harmony of tastes when enjoyed with a cup of sake.  |
Vanessa[ Sharing Kyoto Staff ] |
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The taste of sake is made even better if you have some snacks to have with it. Besides the classic salty options, recently many people also enjoy sweets with their sake. Eating sweets with sake might be hard to imagine, but there is sweetness also in the rice sake is made from, so there is logic to this! I hope you will try some sweets with sake!
