It's do-it-yourself deep-fry fun at this popular kushiage chain - pick as many of your favorite skewers as you like along with unlimited side dishes and desserts. Y2625 at dinner, plus an extra Y1000 for all you can drink.

Nanbanaka 2-10-70, Nanba Parks 6F. Open 11am-11pm daily.

This is health food in an attractive cafe setting, with plenty of brown rice and soy milk. The extensive drinks list includes matcha cappucino, black sesame smoothies and plenty of Chinese teas; food ranges from brown-rice onigiri and vegetable curries to organic cakes. Weekend hours start later (10am), and there's no smoking.

Nanba 5-1-60, Nanba City 2F. (on the way to Nanba Parks) Open 7:30am-10pm daily.

This bright and airy dining room offers a far more interesting menu than the typical hotel coffeeshop, with many organic and vegetarian dishes in the "Nature Cuisine" section. There's also a popular buffet lunch and Friday and Saturday evening dinner buffets.

Oyodonaka 1-1-20, Westin Hotel Osaka 1F. Open 6:30am-11pm daily.

All-you-can-eat deep-fried skewers of meat and vegetables, plus assorted side dishes and desserts, will set you back Y2500 (or Y1260 at lunchtime). There's a two-hour limit, so don't dawdle over the fryer.

Kakudacho 7-10, Hep Navio 7F. Open 11am-10:30pm daily.

This well-established restaurant has been preparing vegetarian shojin-ryori since the mid-1400s, and it's one of the few shojin places that serves (early) dinner as well as lunch. Lunchtime service is Y4000, and dinners start at around Y8000.

Murasakino Daitokujimae 20. (outside the east gate of Daitokuji Temple) Open noon-6pm (LO) daily.

This famous shojin-ryori establishment specializes in teppatsu-ryori, a rather elaborate variation of Zen vegetarian cuisine. Located inside Daitokuji Temple (on the grounds of the Daiji-in subtemple), they offer nice views and outdoor garden seating, although the decor itself is rather 1970s-institutional. Menus (lunch only) start at Y3150, and they include a surprising amount of food, parceled into many small dishes. They also have other branches in Kyoto and one in Tokyo (in the neighborhood of Yoga).

Murasakino Daitokujicho 4. (inside the Daiji-in garden, Daitokuji Temple) Open 11am-4pm daily.

Sunny Place has moved but the philosophy is the same. Healthy vegan Japanese fare at low prices. The new restaurant has a long narrow counter, upon which the array of side dishes included in the set menu (Y850) are displayed. Soy chicken and soy pork burgers remain the perennial favourites on the menu, which is unchanged. A ten-minute walk from Hyakumanben, Sunny Place is close enough to serve as a respite from the throng of the Chionji Temple Market, held on the 15th of every month.

Marikojidori Imadegawa-sagaru. (E side of Marikoji-dori, 2 blocks N of Imadegawa, 10 min. walk E from Demachiyanagi Keihan Station) Open noon-2, 6-10:30pm. Closed Tuesdays.

On the ground floor is a top-class produce shop with picture-perfect Kyoto vegetables, while upstairs they've set aside a tiny room for lunch. There's only one choice - a prix-fixe menu of small dishes highlighting the best of the vegetable world, priced at Y2100. [See FULL REVIEW.]

Nishikikoji Yanagibanba-nishi-iru. (from Karasuma-Shijo crossing walk 4 streets east to Yanagi-no-banba-dori, turn left and go one block north to the market arcade, turn left again and Yaoya no Nikai is on the left) Open 11am until they run out daily.

Kyoto's long-established Indian-food pioneer still turns out reliable curries in a smartly decorated dining room. Full-course dinners start at Y3000, although a la carte choices can be more economical.

Teramachi-dori Shijio-agaru, Kikusui Building 3F. (NE corner of Teramachi and Shijo) Open 11:30am-2:30, 5-9pm. Closed 3rd Wed.

Inexpensive and tasty Nepalese curries and Indian tandoori dishes are the specialties at this charming little shop. The dining room has been expanded, but unfortunately it can get smoky.

Gokomachi north of Shijo. (just south of Nishiki Market) Open 11:30am-2:30, 5-10pm. Closed Mondays.

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.

The chef here is from the Kerala region of India, and he prepares a full range of dishes from that area, all reasonably priced. The interior is modern and tastefully decorated.

Kawaramachi Sanjo-agaru Nishigawa, Ledic Building 2F. (opposite Royal Hotel) Open 11:30am-2, 5-9pm (LO) daily.

With a fantastic location overlooking the beautifully landscaped garden of Tenryo-ji Temple, Shigetsu serves up a beautiful vegetarian shojin-ryori lunch built around yuba, tofu and seasonal vegetables. The staff don't speak English, but there are only three choices on the menu - Y3000, Y5000 and Y7000 set menus. (There's also a Y500 admission to the garden area.) Reservations are recommended.

Saga Tenryuji Susukinobanbacho 68. (inside Tenryuji temple grounds) Open 11am-2pm daily.

Kobe's venerable old Indian-food pioneer, Gaylord still draws the crowds with their good food, friendly service and pleasant atmosphere. Note the new location in Kyukyoryuchi.

Kyomachi 83, KDC Kobe Bldg B1F. Open 11:30am-3, 5:30-9:30pm. Closed 3rd Monday.

Good Indian food and plenty of atmosphere, from the tapestries on the walls to the movies playing on the video system. At lunchtime there's a Y1000 buffet.

Kita-Nagasa-dori 2-12-6, K Bldg 3F. (on W side of Ikuta Road, about 1.5 blocks south of Tokyu Hands) Open 11am-3, 5-10pm daily.