The Hotel Granvia Kyoto, which occupies the north east corner of the Kyoto Station building, has eleven different cafés and restaurants located on four separate floors. Happily, you don’t need to be a guest of the Hotel Granvia in order to eat there, so this does increase your dining options significantly. Some of the 15th floor restaurants also have stunning views over the city.

Hotel Granvia Kyoto at Kyoto Station
Hotel Granvia
at Kyoto Station


Let’s take a look at the restaurants, floor by floor.
2nd Floor
Le Temps

Le Temps – All day casual dining
Le Temps doubles as a café and restaurant, for all day casual dining. Western style breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert buffets are available, or you can order a course meal for between 3000 and 5000 yen. A buffet lunch is 2900 yen for adults on weekdays and 3500 yen at the weekend. Halal and a-la-carte options are also on the menu. The cooks preparing the food in the open kitchen present a lively backdrop to your meal.
Opening Hours: 6:30 – 24:00 (Last Order 23:30)
Tel: 075-342-5525
Lobby Lounge Grand Jour

Lobby Lounge Grand Jour – Cakes, sandwiches, coffee and tea
Adjoining the hotel lobby and overlooking Kyoto Station’s central atrium, Grand Jour serves cakes, sandwiches and assorted beverages. An afternoon tea set costs 2800 yen, a cake set 1600 yen and sandwiches are priced from 1350 yen.
Opening Hours: 9:00 – 21:30 (Last Order 21:00)
Tel: 075-344-8888
M3 Floor
Ukihashi
Ukihashi has three separate sections serving three styles of cuisine: Japanese fine dining, a sushi counter, and a grill and sake bar.

Ukihashi – One restaurant with 3 styles of Japanese cuisine
The fine dining section serves meals that blend traditional and modern styles of Japanese cuisine. Lunch time set meals start at 3500 yen, and dinner time set meals start at 4500 yen. A Japanese style breakfast is also available for 2851 yen.
The sushi section of the restaurant is designed to have the feel of one of Kyoto’s cosy little alleyway restaurants. You can sit at the counter and watch the sushi being prepared or book a private room for between 4 – 12 people. Nigiri sushi, (thin slices of fish on vinegared rice) can be ordered a-la-carte, or you can get a mixed plate of seven pieces for 2500 yen. Chirashi sushi, which is a bowl of rice with various colorful ingredients scattered on top, costs 2800 yen. A fine selection of Japanese sake is on hand to compliment your meal.
The grill and sake bar is only open in the evening from 17:00 – 22:00. Seafood and vegetables are grilled on the spot and served with delicious local sake. You can order a-la-carte or get a Jizake Yakizakana (local sake and grilled fish) set meal for between 3500 and 10000 yen.
Halal meals are also available at Ukihashi.
This restaurant has a smart casual dress code. Gentlemen wearing sleeveless shirts or sandals will not be permitted entry.
Breakfast: 7:00 – 10:00
Lunch time: 11:30 – 15:00 (Last Order 14:00)
Dinner time: 17:00 – 22:00 (Last Order 21:00)
Tel: 075-342-5527
Kyoto Kitcho

Kyoto Kitcho – Traditional kaiseki dining
Kitcho is a world famous chain of traditional Japanese restaurants serving high level kaiseki multi course meals. Kaiseki cuisine is an art form with delicately prepared exquisite dishes which are beautifully arranged and served on the very finest tableware. Naturally, it isn’t cheap. Course meals here begin at 11880 yen. There are special “bento” or set meals though, which cost 7128 yen at lunch time and 9504 yen during dinner hours. Both western style seating and Japanese style are available in a variety of elegantly decorated rooms that can seat groups of 2 to 20 people.
The dress code is smart casual. Customers with children of 5 years of age or under will only be served in private rooms.
Lunch time: 11:00 – 15:00 (Last Order 14:00)
Dinner time: 17:00 – 22:00 (Last Order 20:30)
Tel: 075-342-0808
Kyorinsen

Kyorinsen – Tempura dining
This is a sister shop to Kyoyamato, a famous kaiseki restaurant in an ancient Higashiyama tea house. Kyorinsen specializes in tempura; seasonal seafood and vegetables which are deep fried in a crispy batter. They have lunch time set meals that are priced at 1500 yen and 2500 yen and course meals from 4000 yen. At dinner time the tempura-don, a rice bowl with a tempura topping, is the cheapest option at 2500 yen, and dinner course meals start at 6000 yen.
Dinner time: 11:30 – 15:00 (Last Order 14:30)
Lunch time: 17:30 – 21:30 (Last Order 21:00)
Tel: 075-343-3535
6th Floor
Guest House Shiokoji Rakusui

Guest House Shiokoji Rakusui – Private dining
This restaurant must be reserved in advance for special private dining events. The interior is designed to resemble an old style Kyoto yashiki, or elegant mansion. Naturally the service too is impeccable. Various party and event plans are available to suit the nature of your occasion, and the dining style is kaiseki, Japan’s own multi course haute cusine.
This restaurant has a smart casual dress code. Gentlemen wearing sleeveless shirts or sandals will not be permitted entry.
Opening Hours: 11:00 – 23:00
Tel: 075-344-8888
15th Floor
La Fleur

La Fleur – French cuisine
Here you can enjoy beautifully prepared European style meals served with the very best French wines, while overlooking spectacular top floor views over the city from the large north facing windows. Lunch courses are priced from 2800 yen, and dinner courses from 7500 yen.
This restaurant has a smart casual dress code. Gentlemen wearing sleeveless shirts or sandals will not be permitted entry. In addition customers are asked not bring children of 5 years of age or younger during dinner time hours.
Lunch time: 11:30 – 15:30 (Last Order 14:30)
Dinner time: 17:30 – 22:00 (Last Order 21:00)
Closed on Tuesdays except on national holidays.
Tel: 075-342-5520
La Risata

La Risata – Italian dining
La Risata is a cheerful Italian restaurant, serving handmade pasta dishes, grilled food and fine Italian barista made coffee. The menu ranges in cooking style through the full length of the Apennine peninsula, so sampling the different dishes is very much like taking your taste buds on a culinary journey. Lunch time courses start at 2500 yen and dinner courses at 5000 yen.
This restaurant has a smart casual dress code. Gentlemen wearing sleeveless shirts or sandals will not be permitted entry.
Weekday lunch time: 11:30 – 15:30 (Last Order 14:30)
Saturday & Holiday: 11:30 – 16:00 (Last Order 15:00)
Dinner time: 17:30 – 22:30 (Last Order 21:30)
Tel: 075-342-5522
Gozanbo

Gozanbo – Teppanyaki dining
Gozanbo specializes in teppanyaki, which is iron plate griddle style cooking, and here you can watch your meal being grilled before your eyes. Choose from a high grade menu of juicy beef steaks, fresh seafood, and grilled vegetables. Lunchtime courses start from 4200 yen and dinner course start from 12000 yen.
This restaurant has a smart casual dress code. Gentlemen wearing sleeveless shirts or sandals will not be permitted entry. In addition customers are asked not bring children of 5 years of age or younger during dinner time hours.
Lunch time: 11:30 – 15:30 (Last Order 14:30)
Dinner time: 17:30 – 22:30 (Last Order 21:30)
Tel: 075-342-5521
Roppongi Rogairo

Roppongi Rogairo – Chinese dining
Roppongi Rogairo is a Chinese restaurant with gorgeous decor, refined service and a varied menu of traditional Chinese dishes utilizing fresh seafood, Kyoto vegetables and tofu. Weekday lunch time set meals start from 2200 yen (2600 yen on Saturdays). Dinner courses start from 6000 yen.
Lunch time: 11:30 – 15:00 (Last Order 14:30)
Dinner time: 17:30 – 22:00 (Last Order 21:00)
Tel: 075-365-3320
Sky Lounge Southern Court

Sky Lounge Southern Court – A restaurant / bar
This luxury lounge is a restaurant during the day and a bar in the evening. With gorgeous views of the south of the city is a great place to relax, and they have live piano performances there every evening too. Japanese Black beef takes pride of place on the restaurant menu but they do have other options such as crab meat and caviar. Lunch time meals start from 2200 yen and dinner from 4300 yen.
Sky Lounge Southern Court has a smart casual dress code. Gentlemen wearing sleeveless shirts or sandals will not be permitted entry. Customers under 20 years of age (the legal drinking age) will be turned away during bar time (18:00 – 24:00).
Lunch time: 11:30 – 14:30 (Last order)
Dinner time: 17:30 – 20:00 (Last order)
Bar time: 18:00 – 24:00 (Last order 23:30)
Tel: 075-342-5523
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.