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“Worth the wait in line”
Review of Janbo

Janbo
Ranked #366 of 16,313 Restaurants in Kyoto
Price range: £4 - £5
Cuisines: Japanese
Neighbourhood: Western Kyoto
Restaurant details
Neighbourhood: Western Kyoto
Reviewed 16 August 2017 via mobile

To be fair, this was our first visit to an authentic Japanese okonomiyaki restaurant. We wanted to try another one (currently top rated restaurant on TripAdvisor), but they were closed for a summer holiday... so we found ourselves a few blocks south at Janbo.

I knew we had found a gem when we were walking up to the restaurant and saw the line out front from a fair distance. There are many okonomiyaki restaurants in Kyoto so for one to have a line out the door told me this one was good!

Fifteen to thirty minutes later we were sat down by a friendly host. We had ordered from an English menu they provided while waiting, so the food came out soon after.

The pork okonomiyaki was very good, but I have to say that we enjoyed the port yakisoba even more! The food was great. We will likely be back even though we want to try other restaurants. A good, authentic meal for two at a local favorite for under USD $10. Hard to go wrong with that!

Date of visit: August 2017
Thank bigjonc
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviews (60)
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1 - 5 of 60 reviews

Reviewed 13 April 2017 via mobile

Initially found on foursquare. 700 m walk from the temple. A bit excentric, no tourist... people waiting in line to be served either traditional Japanese way or seated. Fast, effective and very friendly staff. Got advice from 1 customer on how to choose.

Date of visit: April 2017
Thank pirlouit101
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 31 October 2016 via mobile

Visited with friends, very friendly staff, will help you out if you don't understand japanese. You should definitely try the okonomiyaki, can't have enough. but be careful could be very crowded on weekends

Date of visit: October 2016
1  Thank emiliof964
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 19 April 2015 via mobile

A random location but well worth the walk as it is amazing food. Cheap and simple the Japanese pizza and yaki soba and both great dishes and make the queuing outside worth the wait. Definitely worth a visit when in Kyoto.

1  Thank Escape440433
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 6 January 2015

Oh my God, I miss this place so much.
If you're visiting Kyoto, and want to try local casual/street food, visit this place, but make sure you take at least one friend as this eatery serves huge portion. Be ready to queue - but it's worth waiting.

My recommendations are - pork okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) and yakisoba (fried noodle). Don't get hit by flying mayonnaise! ( and make sure you don't say "no" when they ask you if you'd like mayonnaise on okonomiyaki)
You can take away the food, but I recommend you to eat in to enjoy the informal atmosphere.

Staff are super friendly, as well as most customers.
Clientele mostly locals including students, so don't wear your best dress and high heels. Be a part of Kyoto locals.

Date of visit: February 2014
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
4  Thank cat d
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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