Muslim-friendly restaurant close to Suzumushi Temple.
Kegonji Temple, more known as Suzumushi Temple (鈴虫寺), is located at the west end of Kyoto city. The temple is famous for the way a monk does his preach, as well as 7000 crickets whose sound is believed to relax people’s mind.
Anyhow, because the preach is done only in Japanese, not so many foreign tourists are seen around this temple. But wait a minute, there is an amazing cafeteria close to the temple. If you are lucky to have booked the entry ticket of Kokedera or Saihoji Temple, it is also close by. The name of the canteen is Shishin An (至心庵).
Please understand that the canteen we are going to introduce to you is not Halal, but they are offering meat-free dishes. In their seasonings however, it may contain some residual alcohol. There are Soba and Udon noodles and a few sweets menu, which are usually Muslim-friendly, but it could also contain alcohol from soy sauce, or emulsifier for ice creams.
What is special about the canteen?
As you know, Kyoto is full of traditional and historical buildings. Wherever you go, you may encounter the buildings which were built a few hundred years ago. Well, the canteen we are going to introduce to you is not that way. It is more like retro ambiance which we could see in the era of Showa, like 1970’s.
The canteen was chosen as one of the best 100 restaurants in Kyoto. Their specialty is Soba and Udon noodles. There are wide variety of menus available, but the ones which is meat-free are as follows:
- Wild vegetable Udon (山菜うどん)
- Soba with grated yam (とろろそば)
- Sesame Tofu soba (ごま豆腐そば)
- Herring Soba (にしんそば)
- Cold Soba (ざるそば)
- Tempura Soba (天ぷらそば)
*Avoid any noodle with Curry as curry usually contains animal fat from beef or pork.
What about their sweets menu?
Their sweet is also great quality and it is worth trying in Kyoto. Menu available is as follows:
- Mitarashi Dango rice cake with savory soy sauce
- Warabi Mochi rice cake
- Zenzai, rice cake in sweet red bean soup
During summertime, Kakigori shaved ice is available.
Their specialty is Mitarashi Dango. The Mochi is grilled just before being served and the taste is so crispy with slightly burnt soy sauce flavor. It comes along with a Matcha green tea, so the flavor will be even better.
They are all Muslim-friendly, however, once again, Mitarashi Dango may have soy sauce with a little bit of alcohol. This alcohol is evaporated when grilled and not enough in intoxicating someone.
The canteen with retro ambiance.
The ambiance of the canteen is so unique that we are sure that even foreigners can enjoy the ambiance with their great food and sweets. As the canteen is not located in the busy area of Kyoto, you can enjoy a tranquil and relaxed ambiance without making a queue.
If you are worried if the food is up to religious standard or not, then there is a cup of coffee or green tea which comes without food. We hope you can enjoy the experience!
Details of the cafeteria
Name: Shishin An (至心庵)
Address: 3-35 Matsumurojike cho, Saikyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto 京都府京都市西京区松室地家町35-3
Genre: Cafeteria (Noodle & sweets)
Tel: 075-381-9027