Nishiki Ichiba — sometimes called "Kyoto's pantry" — is where you'll traditionally find a mix of small vendors selling everything from hardboiled eggs wrapped inside an octopus and served on a stick to roasted chestnuts and barley tea, tofu donuts, dashi-flavored omelet, dried bonito, pickled radish and burdock root and tsukidani (side-sishes cooked in soy sauce and mirin) the color of licorice.
But things are changing. You can now also pick up a Snoopy lunch set at the Snoopy Tea House, which has set up shop in the middle of the famous market. For a less kawaii lunch or dinner at Nishiki Ichiba, however, you might try Sushi Shin, a new restaurant a few doors down from where you can pick up that cartoon dog's dinner.
Sushi Shin opened midway through the summer, and its position on the tourist trap/thoroughfare guarantees an endless stream of customers. They don't take bookings during lunch hours; rather, it's first come first served.