Panda no Sanpo

At Panda no Sanpo, part of the pleasure is seeing the panda-shaped dango toasted until golden. Visitors have described the dango as soft, with a fragrant toasted surface; one also noted that it was browned on the underside. There is space to eat in, and some visitors have enjoyed their dango freshly grilled on the spot—a different experience from taking it away.

Alongside the signature panda-shaped dango, mitarashi dango is another highlight. Some diners found the mitarashi sauce not overly sweet, making this a skewer to choose for the contrast between its fragrant toasted surface and the flavour of the sauce. The pandas’ expressions and decorations may vary from one visit to another: one report describes them holding hearts and stars.

There are also frozen dango to take away. According to one customer, these are served with kinako (roasted soybean flour) and kuromitsu (black sugar syrup). You can enjoy freshly grilled mitarashi at the shop and take home frozen dango for a different way of eating them.

This small shop is in Shimoyokocho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, and also sells panda-themed accessories. Choose between eating freshly grilled dango in the shop and taking frozen dango home. Here, the appeal is not only the cute shapes but also the choice of how to enjoy them.