A popular Kyoto set meal spot famed for its rice—get the hidden crispy rice bowl only if you ask for a second serving!

Text & Photos byKavanah

yG Garden’s Meshiya Hachidaime Gibei stands right across from Kyoto’s bustling Yasaka Shrine. Along the lively Shijo Street, lined with numerous popular queue-worthy eateries—on the left, you’ll find the long line at the famous matcha shop “Tsujiri Tsuromochi,” and during lunch hours, directly opposite Tsujiri on the other side of Shijo is another sought-after queue spot—“yG Garden Tempura.” Both are must-visit spots for Taiwanese tourists in Kyoto. But actually, right across from Yasaka Shrine, there’s another extremely popular queue spot: this rice-centric set meal shop that draws huge crowds every lunchtime, often making you wait over an hour for a meal. This is the yG Garden “Meshiya Hachidaime Gibei,” the subject of today’s feature.

The queue at Hachidaime Gibei rivals that of Tsujiri Tsuromochi, but the crowd makeup is completely different—most people in line at Tsujiri are tourists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, or China (though there are plenty of Japanese too), whereas the line at Hachidaime Gibei is almost entirely Japanese. From my two visits and two waits, I didn’t see a single Taiwanese person in line. Occasionally, I’d hear curious Taiwanese travelers asking their companions, “Huh? What are they lining up for?”

This is Hachidaime Gibei, the hidden gem beloved by Kyoto insiders.

Every time I passed by Yasaka Shrine, I’d see an endless stream of people queued up in front of this shop. Unable to resist my curiosity, I checked out the shop name and menu. Frankly, just looking at the menu doesn’t reveal what makes Hachidaime Gibei so special—so I never had the urge to try it. But after seeing that unbelievable line one too many times, I finally decided to look it up online and learned that Hachidaime Gibei is actually a renowned rice-focused eatery.

Hachidaime Gibei originally ran as a rice shop. Concerned that Japan’s rice culture was fading—the once-delicious flavor of rice diminishing due to declining rice quality and improper cooking methods—they founded “Meshiya Hachidaime Gibei” to revive Japanese cuisine and let more people experience rice’s true taste. Since opening, the shop has exploded in popularity, with never-ending lines out front, becoming one of Kyoto’s top food destinations.

(This article compiles photos from my two visits to Hachidaime Gibei. As for why I went twice—you’ll find out later in the article!)

Like many famous Kyoto shops, Hachidaime Gibei offers different menus for day and night: lunch features various traditional Japanese set meals, while dinner serves higher-end course meals. Because you can enjoy dinner-quality rice and dishes at a lower lunch price, the lunchtime crowd tends to be larger.

Having witnessed the terrifying queues at Hachidaime Gibei too many times, I arrived at 10:50 AM to avoid the line. The shop wasn’t open yet, but there were already a few people waiting (about six or seven; the photo above was taken after eating, around 11:30 AM, so you can see the astonishing queue outside).

To queue, you first write your name and party size on a sheet by the entrance, then return to line up. After a while, the staff will call you in and hand you a menu to review. Five minutes later, they’ll collect the menu and ask what you’d like to order, helping you prepare in advance to save time once inside.

Before long, it was my turn, and I was led to the second-floor dining area.

Right across is Yasaka Shrine~

The Menu: Since I love Japanese fried chicken, I ordered the Kyoto-raised chicken thigh cutlet set meal (essentially a fried chicken set) for 1500 yen.

Because I’d pre-ordered outside, my food arrived quickly. The set included the main dish—fried chicken thigh, pickles and dried baby sardines, miso soup, seaweed, and a mysterious wooden box.

Opening the mysterious box revealed a few sheets of seaweed meant to eat with the rice.

The fried chicken was ultra-crispy; squeezing lemon juice on top made it even more refreshing, and the citrus tang enhanced the chicken’s natural sweetness.

The dried baby sardines were incredibly savory and rice-friendly!

The pickles helped cleanse the palate and cut through the richness.

Then came the real star of Meshiya Hachidaime Gibei—fragrant, fluffy white rice. The rice here is cooked using a special rice cooker called the “Dokugama (Earthenware Rice Cooker Bamboo)” (pictured later in the article). This pot emits far more far-infrared rays than regular earthenware cookers, with superior heat conduction that brings out the true deliciousness of the rice.

The rice itself is carefully selected by Hachidaime Gibei’s rice experts from the finest white rice varieties across Japan—quality guaranteed to be top-tier!

Tasting this rice begins visually and aromatically: the shine, color, and fragrance of Hachidaime Gibei’s rice are all incredibly inviting, making you eager to dig in. Once you take a bite, the texture—softness, stickiness, elasticity—is perfectly balanced, and the flavor is sweet and delicious. It’s truly unlike ordinary rice.

The crispy seaweed was fragrant and paired wonderfully with the rice; the saltiness of the seaweed highlighted the sweetness of the grains.

I was quite satisfied with this meal, but then I made one mistake that led me to visit Hachidaime Gibei again…

The rice at Hachidaime Gibei is refillable—but when the staff asked if I wanted another bowl, I (already full at the time) said no… Big mistake, folks. Dear customer—the shop’s other specialty, “okoge” (crispy rice crust), only comes with a second serving of rice!! (I’d totally forgotten about that back then…)

To make up for this regret, half a year later, I returned with a friend—we showed up later, the queue was huge, and we ended up waiting a full hour and a half….

Once inside, we sat at the first-floor counter. This time, I ordered Hachidaime Gibei’s signature limited-edition dish, the “Gibei Sanshoku Gosho” (2440 yen). The Sanshoku Gosho comes with three main items: grilled fish, shrimp tempura, and sashimi.

The grilled fish, tempura, and sashimi were all authentic, delicious, and absolutely delightful.

There were two plates of baby sardines—one boiled and one grilled. I found the grilled ones crispier and tastier.

The star of Hachidaime Ibunbei is the plain white rice, but this time I just wanted to finish this bowl as quickly as possible...

Because only after finishing it could I move on to the second bowl with the crispy rice crust (okoge)! The second bowl definitely comes with a piece of okoge, and just the sight of it was incredibly enticing.

The okoge did not disappoint at all. Unlike the fluffy, sweet, and fragrant plain rice, the okoge was aromatic, crispy, and utterly delicious. So good.

When serving the second bowl, the staff told us that we could sprinkle salt or gomashio (sesame salt) on the rice to enhance its flavor—and they were absolutely right. A small sprinkle of salt brought out even more of the rice’s natural sweetness and umami.

After the meal, as we stepped outside, we could see through the glass window the aforementioned “earthenware pot rice cooker Bamboo,” with a whole piece of okoge displayed next to it.

Related Information
Hachidaime Ibunbei
Business Hours: Lunch: 11:00–14:30 / Dinner: 18:00–21:00
Closed on Wednesdays
Access: Get off at Kyoto City Bus stop “yG-en” and you’re there.

Kavana @ Kyoto Free Stay.

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