Hyo-tei Restaurant

Hyotei is an old and established restaurant to say the least; it was founded over 400 years ago in a pine tree forest just outside the main gate of the famed Nanzenji Temple. During those early years it was a tea house for the pious on their way to the Nanzenji Temple.

Things have changed since then and Hyo-tei has morphed into a Michelin 3-starrestaurant. However, it still remains a family business, currently managed by Eiichi Takahashi, the 14th generation owner keeps the place running.  Besides the Michelin recognition, the hyotei is also an Intangible Cultural Property of Kyoto, a city known for cultural heritage itself.

Some of the popular dishes served at Hyotei are: a three-tiered gourd-shaped dish, a bowl of white miso soup, sweet fish grilled with salt, and a fluffy white rice porridge. Their by far most famous dish is however their “Hyotei eggs.” When these soft-boiled eggs are cooked, the egg whites are firm, and the yolks are soft and tender. The yolks don’t stain the whites, giving the egg a somewhat hard to describe, mysterious taste, the eggs alone make Hyo-tei well worth a visit, but by all means try out some of the other excellent dishes of theirs as well since you are there in the first place!