Uradera Hyakuren

Just one block back from Kyoto’s Shijo Kawaramachi intersection lies Uradera Hyakuren, a restaurant frequently featured in local gourmet magazines. While it’s often introduced as an “izakaya where you can drink during the day,” the story isn’t quite that simple…

Daily lunch specials, Western dishes, hot pots—it’s basically anything goes… Uradera Hyakuren is a restaurant like this…

This place, Uradera Hyakuren, has an incredibly diverse menu. It offers a wide selection of set meals, including daily lunch specials, so it also functions as a set meal restaurant. They serve Western cuisine too. Plus, you can get hot pot dishes… So, it’s got an incredibly broad range of offerings—or rather, it’s so broad it’s hard to describe in just one phrase. Well, personally, I think describing it as “basically anything goes” fits best.

Now, Uradera Hyakuren is located on the second floor of Tatsumi, one of Kyoto’s renowned izakaya. The total seating capacity is 20 seats, including 4 counter seats. The building is quite old, giving it a retro vibe. Enka songs from the 1950s to 1960s play as background music, immersing you completely in the atmosphere of the Showa era. However, the staff are all young, creating a slight gap with the shop’s ambiance. Well, maybe that’s just part of the “anything goes” vibe…

Not that bright red Italian tomato dish… How was the daily special at Uradera Hyakuren—the Chicken Stewed in Tomato Sauce Set Meal?

So, let me introduce the Chicken Stewed in Tomato Sauce Set Meal I ordered from Uradera Hyakuren that day. After ordering, I waited just over 5 minutes, and the set meal brought to my table looked like this…

The set included the main dish, rice, miso soup, a small side dish, and pickles. The price, including tax, was 880 yen. By the way, I asked for a large serving of rice this time, which cost an extra 100 yen. Before ordering, I imagined something bright red and Italian-style with tomatoes, but it was a bit different from what I expected. So, how did it taste?

So, I scooped up a piece of chicken with my spoon and popped it in my mouth… Not just the appearance, but the flavor is distinctly Japanese too. It’s simply a sweet Japanese broth with a hint of tomato flavor added. While it does have a tomato flavor, it’s a hearty, simple stew. It caught me a bit off guard, but compared to a heavy Italian-style tomato stew, this seems like it would pair better with sake.

Also, I was really happy that the large rice portion was genuinely “large.” It might not show well in the picture above, but the rice bowl is quite big. With this volume for under 1000 yen, you can’t complain about the value. Plus, the restaurant operates continuously without an idle time, so it’s truly appreciated that you can use it even when you’re “too busy to grab lunch…”

Uradera Hyakuren’s Other Set Meal Options (Prices Include Tax)

• Nostalgic Sauce Yakisoba (Limited to 5 servings): ¥980
• Steak Set Meal on Iron Plate: ¥1,230
• Steak Bowl (Grated Ponzu Sauce): ¥1,230
• Sashimi Set Meal: ¥1,250
• MIX Fry Set Meal: ¥1,080
• Fried Horse Mackerel Set Meal: ¥980
• Old-Fashioned Napolitan (Limited to 5 servings): ¥980

But honestly, daytime drinking is still the best recommendation… Access to Uradera Hyakuren is just a 1-minute walk from the nearest station, Hankyu Kyoto Line’s Kyoto Kawaramachi Station.

While Uradera Hyakuren offers all sorts of enjoyable experiences like this, daytime drinking is still the top recommendation, I think. There’s a special feeling to “drinking during the day” – like you’re enjoying yourself while everyone else is working. Plus, after you finish drinking, you still have plenty of time left to enjoy other things… Like Tatsumi on the first floor, and nearby there’s also Kyogoku Stand, so you can hop from one izakaya to another right in the middle of the day. Next time I get a day off, I might try hopping from izakaya to izakaya non-stop from daytime into the night, including Hyakuren…

Now, here are the shop details…

P.S. If you are looking for a cozy izakaya in Kyoto, please stop by this article below…