Morsels of Délice: Coco Ichibanya - Best Japanese Curry I ever have

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Coco Ichibanya - Best Japanese Curry I ever have

While strolling along the streets of Higashikujo, Kyoto, a quaint restaurant with a somewhat cute signboard and a cute name of Coco Ichibanya caught my attention. So I took note of this place, ready to come here for a quick lunch if possible. And so here I am now, in this small humble restaurant, with unassuming but clean and organised interior, where I’m amazed by how good the food and service is.

One big plus point of this place is the option to customise the curry rice, from amount of rice, spiciness, type of curry and toppings. And the selection of toppings is impressive. There is like about forty of them! And the katsu here is the best katsu I ever have.

The service here is very good, being friendly and polite, with a homely vibe.

And the Cat mascot of Coco Ichibanya is so cute!

This restaurant is definitely a must-try.

Fluffy, smooth, starchy rice slathered with umami rich, slightly spicy beef curry is so delicious. Deep fried egg, an item unique to this restaurant, goes very well with the curry. I also add in shrimps and mushrooms because I simply want to eat them.

Customisation of the meal

Super yummy lassi, which is match made in heaven when paired with curry. So good that I order 2 glasses. To make it even better, it is only hundred seventy yen.

Tasty potato salad that is full of goodies.

Pickled shallots for the extra pungent zest

Delicious garlic soaked in chilli oil for the kick in taste

Curry Udon is so delicious too, with each thick starchy strand of udon coated with spicy umami. And the restaurant is so thoughtful to provide a disposable apron to prevent sprays of curry onto the clothes. Yes, I got few drops of curry onto the apron despite being really careful with the slurping already. So wearing the apron is highly recommended.

The pork katsu here is unbelievably good. So tender, so juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The gamey taste of pork is minimal, which is good. And it is very well-cut to have each piece to be about the same width, yielding very good even texture. The pork katsu is one of the best!