Fushimi Sake District (Sake Breweries)

We had a really wonderful experience in this bar. The beer was generous for its price. We also tried the sake tasting set and it was really good. The food especially the meat skewers and the takoyaki is so so tasty. But most of all the service was amazing. Yamaguchi-kun was very accommodating. I tried to speak Japanese to him but since I was with a non-japanese speaker he tried his best to speak english and we really appreciated it.

We visited Fushimi Sake Village and it was a very easy trip from Kyoto Station. The area has a really pretty, small village feel to it and makes for a relaxed outing if you want a slower pace away from the busier tourist spots. We tried the popular 18 sake tasting experience which, to be honest, felt a little overrated. There were a couple of very good sakes in the selection, but quite a few tasted fairly ordinary and it did not really showcase the best of what sake can offer. What we enjoyed much more was the three sake tasting combo. It gave a far better introduction to good quality sake and allowed us to choose styles we actually enjoyed. That experience felt more curated and worthwhile. There are plenty of food options around, although we mainly enjoyed sitting at the bar, relaxing with a sake and taking in the atmosphere before heading back. One thing that was missing for us was a proper explanation of the sake selections and where they came from. The experience is more self guided, where you rely on tasting notes and your own palate rather than being talked through the different varieties. Overall, still a worthwhile and enjoyable stop if you are in Kyoto and want a casual sake experience in a charming setting.

Not as big inside as expected based on photos but nevertheless a great visit. We sat at the counter of Chow Chinese and had xiao long bao and gyoza with some sake samples and it was all delicious and the service was excellent. We went on a weekday and luckily it wasn’t super busy. Overall great day trip from Kyoto especially to explore sake breweries and go here for good food and sake tasting.

Stopped in before our sake tour on a Wednesday afternoon. Plenty of seating available. Ordered Sake Lees Ramen, Cheese Risotto, Fried Rice, and a Cucumber Roll. Able to order items from the different stalls and sit/eat at one stall - they bring it out to you. Enjoyed our dishes, but probably wouldn't get the sake lees ramen again as it was a little sweet for our liking. This is also where we finished our sake tour and had 18 sake tastings.

18 brewery sake tasting drew us in and it was very worth. Note that every individual needs to order a drink, and a full 18 flight taster counts as 1 drink even if you're sharing the flight. Each sampler is approx 1/2 shot though, so a full 18/person is doable. The whole building is the "village," and there's a bunch of food/drink places inside. The 18 sampler can be ordered at the long counter that wraps around a side of the building, and you should ask one of the bartenders to be seated if you're a walk in because seats might be reserved. A great place to spend a day, eating and drinking.