Sanjo's shotengai (shopping arcade) has long been a poor relative of Nishiki Ichiba, the overcrowded shopping arcade of downtown Kyoto. Go a bit west, however, and you'll discover the Sanjo arcade, where you won't have to fight through crowds and there's everything from secondhand shops to kissaten (traditional coffee shops) dating back half a century. While you're there, why not stop by Usaya, a cozy family-run restaurant serving homely Japanese cooking.
Before opening Usaya in 2015, the master spent 15 years as a chef in Osaka, where he specialized in cooking unagi (eel). At Usaya, the eel, sourced from Mikawa in Aichi Prefecture, reigns supreme. For lunch there's a selection of teishoku (set meals) ranging from ¥1,500 for the unagidon (a bowl of soy-glazed broiled eel on rice) to ¥3,680 for the unagi bento. For dinner the menu extends beyond eel to staples such as omelette, roast duck and chawanmushi (savory egg custard).
During a recent visit for lunch I had the unagidon: the delicate sweetness of the eel was offset by a sprig of hanasansho (pepper flowers). Filling out the set were hijiki (wild seaweed) salad, a light dashi soup and pickled vegetables. Usaya's fare is all about serving up classic, wholesome dishes that are timeless.
Closed Wednesday; Japanese menu; Japanese spoken.