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We found the classiest branch of one of Japan’s best cheap restaurants on a Kyoto side street

Casey Baseel Jul 15, 2025
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We hardly recognized this beef bowl joint’s sign, and another surprise was waiting inside.

The whole point of a business’ sign is to catch passersby’s eyes, which is why so many of them have bright, look-at-me colors. Take, for example, restaurant chain Matsuya, whose signs and storefronts usually look like what you see in the photos above and below.

Generally, Matsuya’s is a sign that people are happy to see, as it’s one of Japan’s most popular gyudon/beef bowl chains, an ever-reliable choice for a tasty, hot, and budget-friendly meal.

However, we recently stumbled across a Matsuya with much more subdued signage.

A number of Japanese restaurant and convenience store chains have such alternate, low-key versions of their branding that they use in towns or neighborhoods with a strong historical atmosphere, most famously in Kyoto. And yes, Japan’s former capital is where we spotted this Matsuya sign, but even more so than the less garish color scheme, what really intrigued us was the opulent gateway it was in front of.

This Matsuya, located down a side street not far from the Karasuma Oike subway station, is situated next to the Four Points Flex by Sheraton hotel.

The two establishments don’t share an entrance, though. Instead, there’s a sign instructing Matsuya diners to follow this stone footpath…

…with a bamboo wall on one side and greenery on the other, feeling more like the approach to a secluded gourmet chef’s hideaway than a cheap beef bowl joint.

We half expected to see a thoroughly throwback interior, with diners sitting on tatami reed flooring mats. However, it turned out that once you’re inside, the place looks more or less like most other Matsuyas. Clean and brightly lit, but not especially fancy.

The menu is also the standard Matsuya fare, with no attempts to force-fit a Kyoto theme onto the orthodox offerings that customers know and love.

But after we purchased our meal ticket and stated looking for a seat, we saw something that sets this Matsuya apart from others: it has a garden view!

Sure, it’s not going to challenge for a spot in the list of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan, but it’s by far the most beautiful Matsuya branch Japanese garden, with healthy bamboo, a stone lantern, and trees with captivatingly cascading arcs to their branches.

We’re not entirely sure if the garden sits on Matsuya’s property or the hotel’s, but regardless of who it belongs to, it’s very well maintained. As a matter of fact, we actually passed by the gardener on our visit, who was checking on the plant life and making sure everything was extra tidy.

As for the food, it was exactly what you can always expect from Matsuya, good-tasting and nicely filling.

But with a seat that gave us a view of the garden while we ate, it was an extra-satisfying meal.

There’s sometimes sort of a conundrum when dining in Kyoto, as many of the restaurants with the most traditional atmospheres have premium prices, especially during the current inbound tourism boom. On the other hand, trying to give your wallet a rest by mixing in a meal at a low-priced chain restaurant can mean forgoing any sense of being in Kyoto at all while you’re eating. The Karasuma Oike Matsuya, though, still manages to feel special, and just like the alternate-color Matsuya sign, this garden might not be flashy, but it’s something we’re very happy we saw.

Restaurant information
Matsuya (Karasuma Oike branch) / 松屋（烏丸御池店）
Address: Kyoto-fu, Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Ogiyacho 661
京都府京都市中京区扇屋町661
Open 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

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