The story
Nishiki Market is the kind of narrow, bustling covered food alley that makes for an ideal Kyoto street-food crawl—The More Best Ever Food Review Show called it “perfect” for a $100 tasting challenge, and its 4.3-star rating reflects the appeal. Among the stalls, pan-fried gyoza stands out as a satisfying grab-and-go, and the niku nigiri from a Kobe beef vendor “delivers,” according to the same creator.
Yet not every bite hits. That creator noted the Kobe steak itself “disappoints and feels overpriced,” while another reviewer dismissed the cucumber on a stick as “nothing special” and skippable. Squid with squid eggs fares better than octopus with quail egg, but neither is a must. For the best experience, pick your vendors carefully—Nishiki remains an essential, lively stop for eating through Kyoto, but quality varies widely.
Synthesised by AI from every creator’s review. First reviewed 2026.
Most-loved dishes
AI summary of what 4 dish mentions say about the food
“Gyoza is Japan's famous dumpling. Here, they combine that with chicken wings. What?”
What creators say
3 creators have covered Nishiki Market. Most active: More Best Ever Food Review Show, Cosa mangiamo oggi?
Nishiki Market is a narrow street lined with food vendors, perfect for a street food challenge in Kyoto.
Dishes mentioned
Gyoza
Gyoza is Japan's famous dumpling. Here, they combine that with chicken wings. What?
- More Best Ever Food Review ShowMixed
$100 Japanese Street Food Challenge in Kyoto!! · @ 9:25
This stall offers creative octopus and squid dishes, but the flavors don't always come together — the squid is better than the octopus.
Dishes mentioned
Octopus with Quail Egg
This is something completely imaginative, something borderline horrifying and tantalizing at the same time. Leave it to the Japanese to think, hey, why not put a quail egg inside an octopus head? Time to give it a shot. Interesting. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I'm tasting cold, rubbery, semi-sweet octopus. It's good. Meanwhile, the egg on the inside, it tastes like a quail egg. And that's it. It's like two different worlds, but I can't say that they're really meshing together.
Squid with Squid Eggs
This is the squid full of squid eggs. There are eggs from many animals that are good — chicken, for example, caviar. But squid eggs? Let's find out. I'm trying to be polite. The animal itself, very delicious. It's smoky on the outside. Its skin has become kind of snappy. But then you bite into it and you get this thick white log of eggs. Is that food? Let's try just eggs. Oh, I'm coming around. Why does it taste a little like pork sausage? It's odd because it tastes like rice, too. Between the two, the squid is the better option.
A touristy street-food stall selling salty cucumbers on a stick — nothing special, you can skip it.
Dishes mentioned
Cucumber on a Stick
It's a raw cucumber on a stick, pretty salty — I don't really taste much lemon. It's kind of pointless, guys. You can safely skip it. It's exactly what you'd expect: a salty cucumber. If you've been walking a lot, it might be refreshing and replenish minerals, but that's not really our case.
