The 10 Best Gluten Free Restaurants in Kyoto, Japan

Are you celiac, or gluten intolerant, and traveling to Kyoto, Japan? Then you’re in the right place! As a fellow celiac, here is all you need to know about Gluten Free Kyoto.😍👇

Traveling in Japan with celiac disease is not for the faint of heart, but it is doable. During my travels I was always able to find safe (and delicious) options. I couldn’t be more excited to be sharing these gluten free restaurants with you, and help make your celiac travels are as safe as possible.

Important Note: While these restaurants are gluten free friendly, and some are 100% gluten free, you must ALWAYS state your celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

Disclaimer: This post has affiliate links that can help me earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. If you click through and buy with these links, thank you in advance for the extra support.💖😊

Best Gluten Free Restaurants in Kyoto

Reminder: Make sure to ALWAYS need to state your celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Additional reminder is that just because something is WHEAT free, it is not necessarily gluten free so always be cautious.

🫶 More Gluten Free Japan Guides: Gluten Free Tokyo & Gluten Free Kanazawa

Toshoan Cafe

• ⭐️ Rating: 5 on Find Me Gluten Free
• 📍 Location: 709, ShimohachimonjichoNakagyo-Ku, Kyoto-Shi, KyotoJapan 604-8333
• 💰 Price Range: $

Toshoan is a small, gluten free bakery and cafe that offers a wide variety of pastries, Japanese delicacies, and the iconic – Japanese Soufflé Pancakes. This cafe is the perfect place to come for breakfast, or snack, and to purchase some food souvenirs.

I tried their matcha-flavored pancake, and I cannot articulate how delicious it was. I still dream about it and the fluffy texture to this day.

Toshoan is just a 9 minute walk from the Nijō Castle / Ninomaru Palace, a must-visit when in Kyoto. The Nijō Castle is a World Heritage Site and an ex-Imperial Palace.

Sugarhill Kyoto

• ⭐️ Rating: 5 on Find Me Gluten Free
• 📍 Location: 725 Uematsucho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8028, Japan
• 💰 Price Range: $$

Sugarhill Kyoto is a Western-inspired Japanese Fusion restaurant that offers gluten free and celiac-safe options. Only open for dinner time, at Sugarhill you’ll find everything from delicious steak dishes, sashimi, their famous teriyaki chicken, and more.

This restaurants sits near the Kamo River and is a 12-minute walk from the Nishiki Market.

Gion Soy Milk Ramen Uno Yokiko

• ⭐️ Rating: 5 on Find Me Gluten Free
• 📍 Location: 40 Kameichō, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0803, Japan
• 💰 Price Range: $$

Located in the Gion District, this restaurant has a great position as it’s a short walk from many must-visits of Kyoto. Gion Soy Milk is a vegan and gluten free restaurant.

As a celiac, I can confirm that the food was completely safe to eat. As a non-vegan, I can also confirm that the flavors were not my personal favorites. Many of the food items, all of which are made with high-quality ingredients, seem to use Soy Milk.

With that said, if you are vegan or aren’t fazed by vegan flavors like Soy Milk, this is a wonderful restaurant. If you don’t like Soy Milk and aren’t used to vegan foods, like me, you might prefer other restaurants.

Waco Crepes

• ⭐️ Rating: 5 on Find Me Gluten Free
• 📍 Location: 〒605-0801 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Miyagawasuji, 6-chōme, 355-1 1階
• 💰 Price Range: $$

Waco Crepes is a dedicated, gluten free Crêperie that prepares it’s crepes with rice flour. Not only are their crepes gluten free, but also vegan. The only time a crêpe may not be vegan is if it has ingredients like honey, or savory items such as salmon.

Opening at 10 AM, Waco Crepes is a great place for a late breakfast, lunch, or for a pick-me-up. Here you’ll find delicious drinks and a range of savory and sweet crêpes.

This restaurant is in the city center and a short 15-minute walk from Kyoto’s most beautiful streets, Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, and the famous Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Okomeya Cafe

• ⭐️ Rating: 5 on Find Me Gluten Free
• 📍 Location: 36 Higashikujō Ishidachō, Minami Ward, Kyoto, 601-8032, Japan
• 💰 Price Range: $$

Okomeya Cafe is dedicated-gluten free and celiac safe cafe that makes its products entirely with rice flour. Primarily a rice shop, Okomeya Cafe offers several menu items, including Chiffon Cake, gluten free bread, bagels, and more!

Fun fact: This rice shop is owned by a “Rice Master” who carefully selects the best rice to use to make his gluten free products.

Okomeya Cafe is a 20 minute walk from the base of the mountain that hosts the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha. This makes it a perfect spot to grab bread or other products to have a picnic with while visiting Fushimi Inari.

Sushi Naritaya

• ⭐️ Rating: 5 on Find Me Gluten Free
• 📍 Location: Japan, 〒616-8385 Kyoto, Ukyo Ward, Sagatenryūji Susukinobabachō, 嵯峨天龍寺芒ノ馬場25嵐山スクエアウエストパ―ク
• 💰 Price Range: $$

Sushi Naritaya is a sushi restaurant that many celiacs have felt safe eating in. This restaurant offers gluten free items as well as gluten free soy sauce.

What’s great about this restaurant is that it’s right near the famous Arashiyama Monkey Park and Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Arashiyama is one of the must-visits of the Kyoto Prefecture, and is between 30 minutes to an hour from Central Kyoto.

Kobe Beef Steak Mouriya Gion

• ⭐️ Rating: 5 on Find Me Gluten Free
• 📍 Location: 〒605-0802 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Yamatochō, ７−１ 祇園モーリヤビル １階と２階・4階
• 💰 Price Range: $$$$

When in Japan, trying Wagyu or Kobe Beef is simply a must! If you’re familiar with the famous Wagyu Beef, Kobe Beef is even more rare and has more marbling and richer flavors.

This restaurant sits right near the Kamo River, on the opposite side of the Nishiki Market – which is only a 10 minute walk away. Right in the middle of the two must-visits, this restaurant is also a 9 minute walk from the Yasaka Shrine in the Gion District.

Teuchi Toru Soba

• ⭐️ Rating: 5 on Find Me Gluten Free
• 📍 Location: Japan, 〒604-0831 Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, Matsuyachō, ３５−１
• 💰 Price Range: $

One food you cannot miss out on in Japan is a bowl of Soba noodles. These noodles are made with buckwheat, and if it’s 100% buckwheat – they are gluten free. Teuchi Toru Soba makes its own buckwheat flour every morning, the soba noodles.

This restaurant is celiac-safe but has some gluten options, so make sure to tell them about your celiac or gluten intolerance.

With a 16-minute walk from each, Teuchi Toru Soba sit’s in between, Teramachi-Dori and the Nishiki Market. It is also a 20 minute walk from the Nijo Castle.

Note: When looking for Soba Restaurants, always make sure that their noodles are specifically 100% buckwheat, because sometimes different places will add a little bit of normal flour.

Yak & Yeti

• ⭐️ Rating: 5 on Find Me Gluten Free
• 📍 Location: 403-2 Dainichichō, Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, 604-8044, Japan
• 💰 Price Range: $$

If you want to try new cuisines, this nepalese restaurant is a must! Yak & Yeti is a restaurant that offers several celiac-safe options, but is not dedicated gluten free.

This restaurant is right by the Nishiki Market, making it the perfect restaurant to eat at before or walking through the market. Why?

Because if you enter Nishiki Market on an empty stomach as a celiac, you’ll get 10 times more hungry and Yak & Yeti will be there to save you. Or, if you eat there before Nishiki Market, you’ll be too full to feel bad about the street food you can’t eat.😂😭

Convenience Stores Safe Snacks: Lawson, 7/11, Family Mart (Edit a lil bit)

• Boiled Eggs. I’m not gonna lie… I MISS THESE!! These are the gooey-est and most flavorful boiled eggs I’ve ever had.😍
• SoyJoy Bars.
• Meiji Chocolate Covered Almonds and Macadamia nuts.
• Vegetables/Fruits.
• (WITH CAUTION) Grilled Salmon Flake Onigiris. This is a hot debate amongst celiacs. I specifically had Lawson’s Grilled Salmon Flake Onigiris and always felt great – and so have other fellow celiacs. I cannot attest to those from 7/11 and Family Mart.

Important Note: You will find some snacks that you eat back in your home country. Just because they are safe in your home country, they are not necessarily safe in Japan. This is due to ingredients and cross contamination. Always be cautious and double check.

Gluten Free Kyoto: FAQs & Everything to Know

What is Surprisingly not Gluten Free in Japan?

Japan is a country with almost no celiac disease, just a few gluten intolerances. Due to this, many are not aware of what gluten really is – only wheat.

Some foods in Japan that are surprisingly not gluten free include omelettes and sushi. Sushi, for example, is not always safe due to the possible use of a vinegar that contains malt.

With that said, when you see something is wheat free, it may not be GLUTEN free due to malt, barley, and so forth. Furthermore, just because the ingredients of a dish are naturally gluten free, you may not be safe due to sauces and seasonings which are very common in most dishes.

Is Being Gluten Free in Japan Hard?

Being gluten free in Japan is hard, but not impossible. During my own travels around Japan, there were always a few safe options wherever I went. I will say though… It is CRUCIAL to mentally prepare yourself and bring gluten free foods from home.

I strongly recommend booking a stay that is nearby the gluten free restaurants in the cities you’ll be visiting. For example, in Tokyo you will need to book your stay in Shibuya, as that’s where you find all the gluten free restaurants.

Gluten Free in Japan Travel Tips

• Download Google Translate and use the Image Translate feature.
• Join Gluten Free in Japan Facebook Group. Here you can always ask people for help and recs.
• Bring gluten free snacks with you to Japan, and always have something on you during the day. I definitely recommend bringing a mix of salty and sweet snacks on your daily adventures.

Protect Yourself Abroad!

This is the last thing anyone wants to think about, but if you have severe symptoms to gluten or other allergens, it’s important to be ready.

I strongly recommend getting travel medical coverage because you never know what could happen, and when you may need it. Nomad Insurance starts at just $42 per 4 weeks, and while I hope you never have to use it, it’s there in case of emergencies – which can rack up expenses.

Covering people in 185+ countries for medical emergency, SafetyWing is a flexible and affordable insurance for any of your travels!🗺️

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More Information on Kyoto & Japan

• The Best and Unique Places to Visit in Japan in 2025
• How to Spend the Best 2 Days in Kyoto | The Perfect Itinerary
• The 8 Best Day Trips from Kyoto Under 2 Hours
• The 7 Best Kyoto Walking Tours and Traditional Experiences
• 7 Reasons to Visit Kyoto, Japan’s Cultural Heart

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I have to ask…

Which of these gluten free restaurants in Kyoto are you most excited to eat at? Furthermore, did this post help you feel more at ease about your Japan travels? Let me know in the comments!😊

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