Located smack in the middle of the geisha district of Gion, Gyoza Hohei serves fabulously garlicky dumplings to fuel you up after a long day of sightseeing. As a bonus, you might even see a local maiko or geiko enjoying a plate of gyoza, too.
Gyoza Hohei – image © Chris Rowthorn
Gyoza is the perfect fast food – cheap, tasty, and if you eat a plate or two of them, calorific enough to power you through the evening and into the wee hours of the morning. One of our favourite dinner places in Gion is Gyoza Hohei. Since it’s open past midnight, this is a great place to get your late-night gyoza fix.
With their savoury garlic and leek fillings, Gyoza Hohei’s signature pan-fried dumplings are famously garlicky. This is not for those who fear garlic breath! The alternative is a plate of ginger dumplings, developed specially for patrons who prefer not to spend the rest of the evening smelling of garlic. The ginger dumplings are best eaten with sweet miso sauce, rather than the customary blend of soy, vinegar, and chilli oil.
Menu options are fairly limited. This is no bad thing, given that Hohei is a gyoza specialist – do what you’re good at and stick to it, is the prevailing ethos in most restaurants. That being said, there’s the option of tacking on a few side dishes to round out the whole meal. We like the cucumber in a vase and the clam espresso.
Fun fact: Gyoza Hohei is also a favourite with maiko and geisha in Gion, who sometimes pop in for the garlic-free gyoza. If you’re lucky, you might find yourself at a table next to one of them while dining there!
For more Kyoto gyoza choices, see our Best Gyoza in Kyoto page.
Name in English:
Gyoza Hohei
Name in Japanese:
ぎょうざ歩兵
English address:
373-3 Kiyomoto-cho, Higashiyama-ku
Japanese address:
東山区清本町373-3
Opening hours:
6pm-1am
Closed Sunday and national holidays
Price:
Non-smoking area: No (6pm-10pm is Completely Non-Smoking)
Nearest Transport:
5min walk from Gion-shijo Station Exit 7, Keihan line
Reservations:
No Reservations
Telephone: 533-7133
Website:
Official site (Japanese)
Kyoto Vacation Checklist
- For all the essentials in a brief overview, see my First Time In Kyoto guide
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