01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
At Seisyuan, diners can enjoy a meal of soba and tofu while looking out towards Togetsukyo Bridge. Some visitors have mentioned the view from the window seats, while others have praised the soba and tempura. The menu centres on soba, with tofu and seasonal dishes to choose alongside it.
The tofu soba set comes with a choice of hot or cold tofu soba, 3 kinds of Kyoto obanzai (small home-style dishes), seasonal tempura, seasoned rice and pickles. It suits anyone who would like to sample a little of several dishes; one review singled out the “tofu soba set” as a highlight. For a soba-focused meal, options include zarusoba and tempura zarusoba. There are also soba-and-udon combinations, kamo seiro (soba served with duck and a dipping broth), and grated-daikon soba, so diners can choose according to their tastes and whether they prefer a hot or cold dish.
Sets pairing rice bowls with soba are also available. Options such as eel rice bowls, eel and grated-yam rice bowls, and seafood and salmon-roe rice bowls come with mini zarusoba or tofu. They offer an alternative for those who want something more substantial than soba alone. One reviewer found the set portions generous, making them a possible choice for a filling lunch.
For dessert, try soba abekawa, a sweet the restaurant says it has continued to make by hand to the same recipe since it first opened. Other choices include sweets made with soba, as well as ohagi rice cakes and zenzai sweet-bean soup served with green tea.
Some visitors have enjoyed a meal at a window seat with views of Togetsukyo Bridge and the river. One visitor noted that guests may need to remove their shoes at seats with a view. It is worth keeping the seating arrangement in mind if you are planning a break in Arashiyama.
