Omen

Very good udon and tempura. Skip the mackerel, unless you’re a big fan of it. Do NOT miss the green tea ice cream. The tatami mats were perfect for the fam.

This family friendly restaurant specializes in Udon. They also have delicious tempura and many other dishes that are very hearty and tasty. You can request a vegetarian udon stock that is made with non-​fish broth.

Really tasty, soft and chewy udon noodles at this famous udon location near the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-​ji). It’s less than five minutes from the road of shopping tents (turn right before heading up the road to Ginkakuji and walk for about 300 meters) and Omen is on your left.
They offer both counter seats and traditional Japanese seating and have two restrooms (both of which are extremely tight and narrow, typical of Japanese restrooms). Their English menu offers a limited selection of noodle dishes and drinks. If you have someone who can speak Japanese I would suggest perusing the Japanese menu, which apparently offers a wider variety of foods.
The tempura set was cooked perfectly and the okazu for noodles are offered with the sauce and irregardless of hot or cold noodles you will dip them into the sauce versus having a typical udon soup you sip on. The restaurant also offers four different types of spices you can add to your sauce to change the spiciness of the sauce.
I wish the sign for this place was bigger! We mistakenly walked into the wrong building as per our google map instructions. When we walked a little further we saw the small sign on the side of the building before reaching the main entrance with the larger signage.

One must have noodles when in Japan! This is an udon place recommended by our hotel. They have both Japanese floor style and Western chair style seating. Fortunately, they can accommodate a large group.
We had a group of 6 people, walked in for a late lunch with no reservations, and were seated upstairs after maybe a 15 minute wait.
Why go:
1. Great udon noodles. I tried and loved the cold udon noodles.
2. Great saba sushi (marinated mackerel). Kyoto is inland, so fresh fish is hard to come by. To prevent spoiling, they marinate or pickle the fish in a vinegar sauce. Kyoto is known for the saba sushi. Try and enjoy!
3. They have an English menu (but try the non-​English menu, which has more options, if you’re adventurous)!
4. It’s very near one end of the Philosopher’s Walk. Eat first, then walk off the calories while philosophizing with friends. :)