A note on the words: nishin is herring, here simmered slowly until it’s sweet and tender enough to eat bones and all — a classic Kyoto preparation. Nishin soba is that simmered herring served on top of soba noodles in a dashi broth, one of Kyoto’s best-known noodle dishes. Nishin don is the same herring served over a bowl of rice instead of noodles.
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Gin Fuku on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Today, Kyoto! Since I made the trip all the way out here, I figured I should at least hit one sightseeing spot. So, Ginkakuji — close to “Fufu Kyoto.” After making the rounds there, I was wondering what to have for lunch when I spotted a shop specializing in nishin soba (herring soba). That does feel pretty Kyoto, doesn’t it! So I went straight in to try the nishin soba.
Looking more closely, they do have nishin soba, but this shop’s real selling point is
The famous nishin don!
A rice bowl lol
Meidai Nishin Don (the signature herring rice bowl) — 980 yen
Tsukimachi Gozen — 1,780 yen
Nishiki Bento — 2,500 yen
Nishin Soba — 1,100 yen
Meigetsu Soba — 850 yen
Nishin Soba Set — 1,450 yen
The nishin don is basically the soba swapped for rice, but if it’s the signature dish, I kind of want to try it too. While I was going back and forth on that, well, wouldn’t you know it — there’s a set that combines the nishin soba and the rice bowl.
First to arrive was the nishin soba.
Topped with nishin (herring), imitation crab stick, and green onion. Took a bite of the sweet-simmered herring and it’s good.
The herring is simmered soft and sweet, and wonderfully tender. It pairs amazingly well with the broth, which is dashi-forward and a touch on the salty side.
The soba noodles are a little on the thick side with a chewy bite. Yeah, this is genuinely delicious!
This is the mini nishin don — mini, but the rice is packed in there pretty solidly, so it has real volume!
One piece of herring on top. Just like with the soba, it’s tender herring simmered sweet. The one difference is a light touch of sansho pepper aroma, giving it a slightly different flavor from the soba version — and it’s delicious.
I really hadn’t heard much about nishin don before, so this is a solid discovery!
This shop has tatami seating on the second floor, which makes for a really relaxed place to eat. If you’re in Kyoto and want to try some kind of local specialty, I think this place is a great fit. Nishin don or nishin soba — deciding which one to make your main dish is a genuinely tough call, so why not just get the set and try both!
Gin Fuku (Tofu / Yuba / Mototanaka Station, Chayama Kyoto Geijutsudaigaku Station, Demachiyanagi Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.3
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
