Kyoto-style "negiyaki" and the oddly named pizza-style okonomiyaki (with ingredients like tuna, cheese, tomato and corn) are among the choices at this inexpensive shop.

JR Kyoto Station, The Cube, 11F. Open 11am-10pm daily.

Excellent Kyoto-style tonkatsu - you'll find tofu and yuba side dishes and other local touches, along with great tsukemono (pickles). The tasteful interior features earth-toned stucco walls and modern artwork.

JR Kyoto Station, The Cube, 11F. Open 11am-10pm daily.

Reliable kushiage from this Tokyo-based chain. Full-course dinner-size sets start at around Y2000.

JR Kyoto Station, The Cube, 11F. Open 11am-10pm daily.

Obanzai-ryori - Kyoto home-style cooking - is the specialty here, and you can choose from a wide selection of local delicacies in tiny portions. At lunchtime you get one main dish (tempura, fish, Kyoto-style chicken) plus an all-you-can-eat buffet, starting at around Y1400. Budget around Y3500 at dinnertime.

JR Kyoto Station, The Cube, 11F. Open 11am-9:30pm (LO) daily.

Tagoto serves budget-priced set meals built around soba, tempura, and various Kyoto-style side dishes.

JR Kyoto Station, The Cube, 11F. Open 11am-10pm daily.

Splendid tofu-centered Kyoto-ryori that won't break the bank, in a modest little department-store shop. The Y2400 tofu dinner features five or six interesting tofu variations plus sashimi.

JR Kyoto Station, The Cube, 11F. Open 11am-10pm daily.

Red-bean-paste sweets and other traditional Japanese desserts are served here with green tea; there's also inexpensive standard Japanese fare like tempura and soba.

JR Kyoto Isetan 11F. Open 11am-9:15pm (LO). Closed some Tuesdays.

This well-known tofu specialist has several branches in town, but this is probably the easiest to find. Multi-course deluxe tofu dinners average around Y4500; lunches run Y2000 or so.

JR Kyoto Isetan 11F. Open 11am-9:15pm (LO). Closed some Tuesdays.

If you don't have time to travel the length and breadth of Japan, here at least is your chance to try some of the best ramen from around the country. Seven well-chosen shops serve ramen in various regional styles, from Sapporo to Kumamoto. There are also little stands selling roast chestnuts, soft ice cream and takoyaki.

JR Kyoto Station 10F. (connecting passage from Isetan 10F) Open 11am-9:30pm (LO) daily.

Traditional Osaka dishes like udon sukiyaki (their specialty) and much more; the multi-part chef's menu (Y1800) is a good introduction.

JR Kyoto Isetan 11F. Open 11am-9:15pm (LO). Closed some Tuesdays.

Shozankaku specializes in yuba (tofu skin), paired with top-quality vegetables and seasonal ingredients like bamboo shoots, mushrooms and fresh-water fish. Yuba-centered lunches start at Y2700, dinners Y3500, with a gorgeous Y10,000 omakase kaiseki menu if you're in the mood to splurge.

JR Kyoto Isetan 11F. Open 11am-9:15pm (LO). Closed some Tuesdays.

Tokyo-style sushi from a long-established, very reputable shop in Tsukiji market. Set menus start from just Y2100, although a la carte can be somewhat pricier.

JR Kyoto Isetan 11F. Open 11am-9:15pm (LO). Closed some Tuesdays.

A conveniently located Kyoto branch of one of Tokyo's more famous tempura shops (Bill Clinton was taken there during a presidential visit). Dinner menus range from Y1500-6300.

JR Kyoto Isetan 11F. Open 11am-9:15pm (LO). Closed some Tuesdays.

Yet another Isetan branch of a Kyoto culinary landmark; this one features a pleasantly modern interior and a panoramic northward-looking view of the city. Food and drink averages around Y4000 at lunch and Y10-12,000 at dinner.

JR Kyoto Isetan 11F. Open 11am-2:30, 5-9pm. Closed some Tuesdays.

At first glance this looks like your typical chain izakaya, but the quirky menu offers Kyoto-style dishes and a big tofu section as well as Asian dishes and the mysterious "beer fondue nabemono." Drinks include premium sake from Kyoto breweries as well as Spanish and Australian wines. Non-smokers will appreciate the smoke-free section.

JR Kyoto Isetan 9F. Open 11am-11pm. Closed some Tuesdays.

Kagaya serves Japanese food with an emphasis on the seafood and other specialties of Ishikawa Prefecture and Kanazawa on the Sea of Japan coast. Regular dinners start at Y3000, with kaiseki service from Y6000.

JR Kyoto Isetan 8F. Open 11am-3, 5-10pm (LO). Closed some Tuesdays.

Excellent, skillfully prepared free-range chicken and a good selection of premium sake brands make this a popular spot for after-shopping snacking or late-night drinking. The decor is simple but chic Kyoto modern, with a panoramic view of central Kyoto and the mountains beyond.

JR Kyoto Isetan 10F. Open 11am-11pm. Closed some Tuesdays.

Top-class teppanyaki in a very stylish setting inside the Hotel Granvia. Steak lunches start at Y5,000, dinners at Y10,000.

JR Kyoto Station, Hotel Granvia 15F. Open 11:30am-2:30, 5:30-9:30pm (LO) daily.

One of Kyoto's most popular ramen shops, specializing in Kyoto-style ramen.

Higashi-shiokoji-dori Takakura-sagaru. (just S of Takakura-Shiokoji crossing, a few minutes NE of JR Kyoto station) Open 7:30am-11pm. Closed Wednesdays.

Good-quality fish and seafood at bargain prices at this outlet of a popular national chain. The menu also includes many local Kyoto touches and a decent sake selection. Most seating is in small private and semi-private rooms.

Shichijo-dori Karasuma-higashi-iru. (at the corner of Shichijo-dori and Karasuma) Open 11:30am-2:30, 4:30-11pm daily.

The Hyatt Regency's all-day restaurant puts on a sumptuous, and very popular, Sunday brunch buffet for Y3950. Prix-fixe dinners, featuring meat and seafood from the wood-burning oven, start at Y7500. Breakfast 6:30-11am; lunch 11:30am - 2:30pm; dinner 5:30 - 10pm. [See FULL REVIEW.]

Sanjusangendo-mawari 644-2, Hyatt Regency Kyoto. Open 6:30am-10pm daily.

Ceramics, sake bottles and patterned tiles embellish the minimalist modern Japanese design at Touzan. Private tatami rooms have been reinterpreted as dining alcoves created by suspended blinds, while the main dining area looks out onto a wide Japanese rock garden. On the Grand Menu, perennial favourites like tempura, nishin soba and Kobe beef sit alongside more exotic fare like seared sea cucumber entrails. [See FULL REVIEW.]

Sanjusangendo-mawari 644-2, Hyatt Regency Kyoto. Open 11:30am-2:30, 5:30-10pm daily.

trattoria sette has filled the void of casual restaurant-cafe cum bars in one of Kyoto's most historic districts. After being overawed by the 1001 statues of the goddess of mercy at Sanjusangendo temple this is a good place to gently bring yourself back down to earth. [See FULL REVIEW.]

Sanjusangendo-mawari 644-2, Hyatt Regency Kyoto. Open 11am-10pm daily.