Toriyasu: Kyoto-style Chicken Donburi Shop (とり安 丼・鳥料理)
Toriyasu serves several donburi (ricebowl) dishes that are unbeatable. This tiny and charming restaurant with about 50 years of history is an offshoot of the 120 year old poulterer just next door.
Toriyasu serves three classic donburi dishes and the most famous of which is karaagedon.
Toriyasu is located on Karasuma Street just north of the Oike Street intersection. It is within easy walking distance of the Imperial Palace and Imperial Gardens (Gosho) and is right across the street from the new Kyoto International Manga Museum.
Toriyasu’s donburi are unsurpassed in taste, generous in portion and are very reasonably priced between 680 and 780 yen. Surely the cheapest shinise I have visited. By the way, the ‘yasu’ in Toriyasu means both ‘cheap’ and ‘peace of mind’ (safe to eat).
Karaage Donburi (からあげ丼)
Kaage is deepfried food, usually chicken. And donburi is a rice bowl with various ‘toppings’. Toriyasu’s Karaage Donburi is unique because the karaage is served over rice (as usual), but then on top of all this is a generous serving of egg cooked with dashi (soup stock) and tender Kyoto scallions. Karaage Donburi comes with red miso soup and tsukemono.
Karaage Donburi
Served with miso, tsukemono and tea.
Karaage Donburi
Notice the pieces of deepfried chicken under the layer of egg. The brownish powder on the egg is sansho.
Toriyasu Interior
This restaurant is tiny. The counter seats about 6 people and there are two tiny tables to the left, out of view in this photo. You might have to stand in line but customers usually move through in a timely fashion.
The restaurant interior is about 50 years old. The cook told me that they was an older interior, but that was before the war when the restaurant was smaller — being smaller than this is a little difficult to imagine.
Toriyasu Menu
Toriyasu lunch set
Oyako-don, Karaage-don, Tamago-don
Sake, Beer
Other chicken dishes
Toriyasu Exterior
Don’t be put off by the exterior.
The Original Toriyasu Poulterer Exterior
If you want to buy fine chicken meat for cooking at home, this is the place to come! This tiny shop is probably the most well known place to buy chicken in Kyoto. It is so tiny that they don’t even have chicken and eggs on display. You tell them what you want and they bring it out from the back room.
All the dishes at Toriyasu are cooked and portions are generous, so we have included this in our ‘budget’ category.
Famous Dishes:
Oyako-don 親子丼 (chicken and egg simmered in dashi) 780yen
Tamago-don 玉子丼 (egg) 680yen
Karaage-don からあげ丼 (deepfried chicken and egg) 780yen
English: No English menu, no website, staff does not seem to speak any English. The cook is a warm and polite young man and the staff is very friendly.
Hours:
11:30 – 2:00
5:00 – 8:00
Closed: Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and National Holidays.
Near Sightseeing Spot: Gosho, Kyoto International Manga Museum
Also, just south of Honke Owariya
Access: Two minute walk from Karasuma Oike Subway Station
too bad my hubby doesn’t like chicken much. Looks delicious though!
Donburi looks very yummy, and quick and easy to make. Just chicken and eggs served on a bed of rice, right?
Hi Kat
He doesn’t like chicken? That is too bad! I have never heard of anyone not liking chicken! Well, Owariya is just around the corner.
Hello Mango Malted Milk Shake,
Very yummy and simple to make. Well, as yummy as the dashi, I think. That is why the shinise are so delicious, because they have been making dashi for so long. Dashi is soup stock.
The chicken and egg for this donburi is simmered in dashi, this fairly well flavors the rice when it is served.
Good looking donburi!
Hey Nate,
Yes, no doubt!
Have you been to Kyoto?
you have no idea what you did to me. That karaage donburi looks so good. I wish i could eat that here in the states 🙁
Hello Mr. Gohan,
Sorry! But, I think that you could make this dish quite easily with ingredients that can readily be had in Western countries. Give it a whirl!
Wow,
The food looks so good and authentic (duh of course),
If I ever get a chance to visit kyoto,
It’ll definitely be on my “must eat” list!
Hi Cindy, Yes, we are starting to think about a ‘Do Not Miss’ list, which is actually a challenge. I think that Tori Yasu would make it on my list!
hello from sydney
well my girlfriend is japanese and we will visit kyoto and that chicken shop now thanks,,,
That sounds really good! If I am in the area, I’ll definitely have to go there for lunch.
Hi,
Where exactly is the location of this shop? I want to try.