【Kyoto】Easy to Enter Even for First Timers! Kyogoku Stand – Kyoto’s Cheap Bar

Kyogoku Stand is a cheap bar where you can enjoy an alcoholic drink from noon, which is rare in Kyoto. Its origin goes back to the shop that was opened by the first-generation owner, who moved from Tokyo’s Asakusa district, using a building that was erected in the Taisho period. In the beginning, it apparently thrived as a Jissen Shokudo (10-sen canteen), where everything in the menu was priced at jissen (10 sen, wherein a “sen” is 1/100 of 1 yen), including curry, croquettes, and o-banzai (traditional Kyoto dishes). The taste of the beer and snacks from this shop, which has retained its atmosphere from that era, is truly exceptional.

Customers share tables here, but the joyous vibe of the restaurant ensures that you won’t mind it all that much. The counters, which are the same as those used when the shop first opened, are made of marble!

This is the American-made electrically operated cash register, which has been used since the shop first opened. Aside from YEN, the term SEN is also written on the display.

Kazuko Sugiyama, who is the proprietress of this bar.

There are more than 60 dishes available here all the time, including the daily special that is written on the whiteboard! This spot has come to be frequented by customers who want to eat, and not just drink, since the third-generation owner from 28 years ago created set meals (“teishoku” in Japanese), such as the Stand Teishoku (980 JPY) with a heaping serving of beef steak, as well as other main dishes.

This is the soft Sujiniku Konnyaku Nikomi (sinewy meat and konjac stew) (640 JPY).

This is the Potato Salad (450 JPY).

This is the Hamukatsu (ham cutlet) (520 JPY) that boasts a perfect combination of crunchy coating and sweet sauce.

This is the Nama Beer (draft beer) (520 JPY). Served in a mug bearing the name of the bar, this beer is cold enough and has the right amount of froth.

It is located at one corner of Shinkyogoku Shopping Arcade. The Japanese characters for “STAND” that are written in a poppy font are also cute.

■ Kyogoku Stand＜Phone: 075-221-4156, Hours: 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm (last order at 8:40 pm), Closed: Tuesdays, Seating capacity: 40 seats, Smoking: Allowed, Parking space: None, Access: 5-minute walk from Hankyu’s Kawaramachi Station＞