Saryo Tsujiri Gion Honten

Overrated. It was good but not out of this world, certainly not good enough to explain the ridiculously long line the first time I attempted to go there. I went at an an odd hour to avoid the wait the wait and even then it was a long wait. I had matcha tea with some sweets on the side, cold matcha soba noodle and a parfait whose name I forgot (started with h, apparently their most popular parfait). The one I had at Oku was much better.

You can dine-​in or take out.
If you want to dine-​in, go up the stairs on the right to the second floor. Order whatever looks good. I got a green tea parfait and nearly fainted. It was layered with green tea agar agar on the bottom, vanilla ice cream, green tea castella (sponge cake), green tea ice cream, more green tea sponge cake, and topped with green tea whipped cream. I probably missed a few things, but that’s what I remember and I dream about it nightly. It costs around 1300 – 1400 yen.
If you do take out, get the soft serve. It’s seriously the best soft matcha soft serve I had in Japan. So good that I had it after dinner, then breakfast the following day. Haha, that’s probably overkill, but the quality of the matcha is seriously incomparable.
They have teas and snack thingys available for purchase too. Don’t regret not buying it and get whatever you’d like before you leave Kyoto!
PRO TIP: They stop serving soft serve at 9pm, I think. Or 9:30pm. Definitely not up until 10pm. (Is this the worst pro tip ever, or what? Haha.) Either way, the sooner the better!

Gion Tsujiri is most well known for their matcha made from Uji city of Kyoto.
1^st floor front entrance offers matcha goodies for takeout such as matcha latte, ice cream cone, smoothie, and other sweets around $ 5. Besides matcha, there were hojicha flavor as well. Hot tea was handed out for samples.
1^st floor in the back offers varieties of loose leaf tea and matcha. Boxes of tea infused baked goods are available such as tea infused cookies. Samplings in clear containers are available to make sure you like what you buy.
2^nd floor is a sit down restaurant offers sweets like matcha parfaits around $ 10.
Worth trying the matcha ice cream cone because the matcha was strong and creamy. You get a good tea flavor without the ice cream being icy.
Note:
Gion Tsujiri has multiple locations in Kyoto and one in Tokyo skytree
Click the «useful» button if you found this helpful!

I couldn’t for the life of me figure out there the stand alone shop was so I went to the 6^th floor of the Isetan department store and walked straight in. Follow the signs to «cafeteria».
MOST AMAZING DESSERT EVER. you can’t go wrong. my food partner who doesn’t like matcha said he liked the milk tea. HE LIKED IT ENOUGH HE WANTED ANOTHER. so basically it will convert even the non-​likers. Go at an odd hour Mon-​Thursday. I went on Saturday at 5 and the line was INSANE. when i went on thursday at 5 i walked right in.
YOU WILL NOT REGRET EATING HERE

We visited Kyoto for a week and ended up returning to this place a dozen times. If you don’t feel like waiting in line, you can order their delicious green tea latte with the green tea soft serve in the cup right at the counter on the first floor. This was my drink of choice, their green tea soft serve is so creamy, rich, and flavorful. The only problem is that now I’m back in the states and cannot find anything close to what this place offers.

Kyoto is all about matcha, so it’s no doubt that some of the best dessert shops have the longest lines and wait times. You can beat them by going at awkward hours. Stopping 30 minutes before closing meant we waited a total of zero minutes, but trying to come back again on another day after lunch meant we had to wait for 30 minutes. Long story short, it’s worth it — but plan ahead.
There are two floors. The bottom floor is the take-​out area, super casual and quick. Not exactly the experience we’re looking for, so head upstairs to the seating area. Enjoy some warm tea as you select your dessert (from what seems like dozens of options), each one unique and incredibly appealing. We had a hard time choosing among the four of us and ended up choosing the Tsujiri Parfait and another item we pointed from one of the example photos in the Japanese menu, as the English menu doesn’t have everything. Both were incredibly delicious, not overly sweet, and each item was well-​crafted and enjoyable to look at (and Instagram, of course).
Great place for post lunch /​dinner. Make sure to get the Japanese menu and browse through the photos and pick the one that looks the yummiest!

3.5 stars. Rounded up to 4.
Love green tea? Then Tsuijiri is the place for you. There are plenty of Tsujiri locations across the city and maybe even more than that. One of my coworkers suggested this place along with some other places to try desserts out. We decided to try Tsujiri since it is quite easy to get to and seeing the long lines, it seems to be quite popular as well. Also, the line never seems to die down. There is a line even an hour before they close.
The line, for us, moved kind of slow. It wasn’t as quick as you would think when it’s just mainly dessert that is being served. However, from what we were told, the line usually moves faster but I guess it was bad luck on our part.
They do have an English menu but the English menu doesn’t have everything that their regular Japanese menu had. So there were a few things on the Japanese menu that we didn’t quite understand since there were no translations with it.
My boyfriend and I shared a parfait and a bowl of jellies. It was a «set» option. It was one of the buy one item, add another small item for like 400 yen extra. However, the add on is only limited to three options I believe.
The parfait was really yummy, especially the soft serve portions. The green tea flavored everythings were so concentrated with the green tea, it was a burst of flavor in your mouth. And by green tea, I do mean matcha. Also, those castella cake bits that are in the parfait are to die for. The tea that they serve you once you sit down is really good tea. It has a fruity note to it. I kinda wished that I bought some of those tea leaves home.
Tsuijiri is definitely something that you should try when you’re in the area. It is a little pricey for dessert overall but hey, anything is worth a try when you’re on vacation.

Super tasty matcha ice cream shop! Highly recommend getting the matcha /​vanilla combo. They also have tons of tasters of all kinds of other sweet crackers and such.

I wouldn’t call myself a green tea lover by any means, but this place certainly altered my view.
The actual sit-​down restaurant is upstairs, above the more casual/​take-​out area on the ground floor. As soon as you are seated, you are served a matcha cookie along with green tea. We ordered the most popular matcha parfait, at the recommendation of our waitress. The ice cream, matcha gelatin, red bean, and matcha cake melded together harmoniously. It was a dessert unlike anything we’ve ever had: perfectly balanced with the right amount of sweetness. We polished off the parfait to the very last bite.
We were just in Kyoto for 2 days, but had we stayed longer, there is no doubt that we would have returned here.

Best place for matcha anything, hands down. Visited on a Sunday night around late afternoon. There was about a 15 minute wait, but it was very worth it. I ordered a matcha parfait (can’t remember which one, and it was in Japanese anyhow) while my friend ordered a matcha soda float. The presentation was on point, and the matcha flavor was unlike anything that I’ve had anywhere else in Kyoto. Saryou Tsujiri is a must-​try if you love matcha and happen to be in the Gion District!

The line for this place is crazy long so be prepared to wait. I had to try it out for the reviews.
I ordered the Tsujiri parfait, which is a must try. I also got an order of some type of noodle with brown sugar sauce, can’t remember the name but I did not like it at all.
If you like green tea, try to check it out but there are lots of places to get parfaits in Japan! Note: cash only!

My friend and I went here for dessert given all the rave. We decided to wait in line, which was a long 20 minutes at 8:00 pm, but probably worth it in the end. The staff handed me a very traditionally written Japanese menu and after trying to navigate it for a good 5 minutes getting no where they presented an English menu.
The green tea parfait I had was actually incredible, and my friend had the strange brown potato flavoured one, which I didn’t think was as good, but he didn’t seem to mind. The way the cream works with the cake and then ice-​cream makes for a perfect balance. They also serve cold matcha (bright green tea) in summer and then a hot tea with your dessert. In the context of cost, you’re looking at ~1100 yen which is not cheap for the area, but is definitely worth it for the experience.
Very fresh, new and clean traditional Japanese look inside, there are 3 floors to the restaurant. It’s quite noisy, but this is mostly due to the popularity.

BEST DESSERT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!
My fiancé and I are both matcha fans, and this place definitely set the standard. It beats everything else.
The first night we came around 7:30 pm, and waited about 10 minutes to be seated. We ordered the matcha castella parfait to share since we just finished dinner and were quite full. It was so delicious that we came back the next night again after dinner, and to our delight, there wasn’t a wait. We got the Tokusen Tsujiri Matcha shaved ice with mochi balls and azuki bean paste and the matcha castella parfait again… SO WIN. You’d think at this point, we’d be done with Tsujiri, but we came back once again the next night (since it was our last night in Kyoto), and got theTokusen Tsujiri Matcha shaved ice again as well as the matcha float. Everything we tried is amazing.
Anytime we saw matcha desserts in Kyoto, we did not hesitate to try, but Tsujiri kills all the other places (although they are delicious as well). We are now back in the states, and are craving this… we will definitely be back in the near future!

Came here when it was about to close so didn’t experience the crowds. I really enjoyed the one with mochi. I’m not too crazy about macha so I order the vanilla flavor which had hints of green tea.

Green tea heaven!
Brandon Y suggested this place when I visited Japan. We got there after dinner and ended up waiting for about 10 minutes before being seated. He ordered 2 of the matcha parfaits that had so much items in it it was so amazing. Totally enjoyable.
Protip: green tea parfait.

Great selection of teas and cookies downstairs as well as soft serve matcha green tea ice cream that was fabulous.
There is usually a line that goes upstairs for their exotic desserts. I’ve heard they are good but I’m not a dessert person so I’d stay downstairs. Staff is very nice and helpful with the teas which they sell in bags and boxes with loose tea.

Loved it??? Thanks Unilocal for this find

The green tea parfait & houjicha parfait here are a-​mazing! I haven’t had it in years since I’m back in the states now but I still dream about it. I can honestly say it’s my favorite dessert place. :)
If you want to avoid the long lines, go at odd hours like lunchtime.

Green tea parfaits FTW!
Thank you Unilocal for helping me discover green tea dessert heaven. The Singaporean in me saw the queue up the stairs and thought, «Wow, this must be really good.» And to think, by the time we left around 3 PM or so, the queue was not only up the stairs but all the way down the street!
There are 2 levels for the café, so the queue can move fairly quickly if people don’t linger around too long. Once we were seated, we didn’t receive an English menu but the photos were good enough to know what’s what. They had a lot of parfaits to choose from; some with fruits, some with jellies, all with green tea flavoured ice cream and toppings.
I chose one with jellies and red bean. It also had these yellow chunks which I’m not sure what they were, they tasted very starchy like potatoes. I wasn’t a fan of it, but everything else was delicious.
The parfaits looked substantial and I didn’t think I’d be able to finish it, but it was so good that I couldn’t help myself. I loved how the flavors just came together as you got through each layer. Even the vanilla ice cream tasted great!
I noticed a few people ordered some lunch items, which looked really interesting– I could’ve sworn someone was eating green tea noodles. Loved this Kyoto spot and it was totally worth all of the calories!

Forget about having the best Green Tea Parfait in Japan, this was probably ONE of the Greatest Desserts I’ve ever had in my life! These parfaits are created in layers. My parfait was topped off with a green tea like whipped cream on top of a moist green tea cake, beneath it was a layer of green tea ice cream, then a second layer of green tea cake, followed by vanilla ice cream and then at the very bottom was green tea solid cubes. Yes, I know… explaining the layering is a handful.
To summarize, what makes this green tea parfait so special is that the layering makes it seems you are trying four deserts in one: with varying tastes and consistencies. The first is the green tea whipped cream and green tea cake combination. Second is the green tea cake and the green tea ice cream with some remnants of green tea whipped cream. Third is the green tea cake with green tea and vanilla ice cream mix. Once you’ve hit rock bottom, you’ll find a pot of green tea cubes, which has already mixed in with all the flavours you’ve had in the first four layers!
This is the first green tea parfait I’ve ever had, so I can’t make a relative comparison. However, judging by the fact that my wife and I had to wait in line for over 30 minutes just to try this concoction, I’d say it’s one of the best, if not the best in the entire city! Arguably in Japan.

I’m still dreaming of Tsujiri. This place served the best green tea parfaits ever! The best I’ve ever had. Hands down.
Their menu is HUGE and everything on it looks so delicious. It took me a very long time to decide what I wanted because I literally wanted everything.
The parfaits are awesome. I just need to reiterate that again. I ended up just choosing the biggest thing on the menu. The ice cream is fantastic, the red bean is fantastic, the flavored ice is fantastic, the mochi balls are fantastic, everything is fantastic!
So this is how it goes. You wait in line, which extends from the second floor, through its staircase and outside onto the street. But once you get in, you are served hot green tea. You place your orders, you finish your grand dessert. Then you are served cool green tea. Then I recommend you go back down to the first floor and buy their green tea products (snacks, tea leaves, etc.)

Des bonnes glaces au thé vert de toutes les façons ! A tester pendant votre voyage :)

Dessert heaven! If you are a fan of green tea sweets, this café is a must-​visit in Kyoto. My dessert selection had kinako-​dusted mochi, green tea jelly with whipped cream, red beans, green tea and plain dango on skewers, and green tea syrup. My mom and dad each selected an ice cream dessert. A nice place to relax and enjoy sweets.

Located on a very busy street with many restaurants, shops, and cafes you will find this place that serves… ta da… green tea ice cream. They not only serve green tea ice cream but also brown tea ice cream. I must go back and try it.
The green tea ice cream is perfection not too sweet but not too tart. The store itself is lovely but crazy busy with people buying wonderful parfaits including green tea. It is much easier and quicker to get a cup of simple green tea ice cream to go than to wait in a long line for a parfait and table.
Get crackin now!!!

I had never had a parfait before coming to Japan, but wow. Just. WOW. Tsujiri has some bomb matcha (green tea) parfaits! No wonder there is usually a 20 – 40 minute wait at all hours…
Located in Gion, Tsujiri is a cute café/​tea house and shop on the bottom floor. If you are in Kyoto, you definitely have to make your way here. The wait is worth it. Their specialty is the Tsujiri parfait. Starting from the top, you have your green tea whipped cream that is only slightly sweet (a good thing), covering the green tea castela (my fave), green tea ice cream, marron (spanish chestnut), and green jelly. Underneath is sweet red bean (azuki), and mochi, followed by ice cream. When taking bites of this magnificent masterpiece, one cannot help but to let the eyes close and have the taste buds overtake everything. Especially popular in the warmer months, don’t miss out on these delicious parfaits!