Cafe Bastille

If you are feeling a little Frenchy Frenchy around lunch time in Kyoto town you can find great, simple bistro fare at Cafe Bastille for a few dollars more than a sandwich in Sydney.  I was very impressed with their lunch of the day which included a wonderful chilled pumpkin soup (perfect on a very hot day!) and chicken grilled to perfection with Dijon, salad and chips on the side. All for 1300 yen which is around $15 AUD. If I'd wanted a cold drink (which may have included a small glass of vino -can't remember)  I could have added one on for 200 yen - just over $2 AUD. I was happy with ice cold water !

I'd seen this place a million times but never been in and only did so because the restaurant I was going to a few doors up the road  - the fabulous Comme Chez Michel was not open when I tapped on the door! AND  because I was so damn hot I thought I was going to expire.  I'm so pleased I walked through that door and can't wait to return to see what it is like for dinner!

and a little touch of Oz in the facilities....

Cup of Dolce

Tully's coffee is a Japanese Chain. There are plenty better places for coffee or food... plenty. But Tully's is everywhere in Kyoto and it isn't bad for a quick sandwich and a cuppa if you are in a hurry or stuck somewhere without a real cafe! And it opens earlier than real cafes so if you are catching a train in the morning it isn't a bad option. 

What I do love is seeing what concoctions they come up with each season - this pic is from around this time last year.... what will be on the 'Fall' menu this year? I was disappointed with this selection as it wasn't particularly festive  (what no chestnut latte or pumpkin frappuccino....? ) but I like the sentiment all the same!  A cup of dessert... Strawberry cheesecake, Tiramisu latte, Soy Chocolate Gateau!

Cacao Market

Any new chocolate shop is a little bit of good news as far as I'm concerned and while this corner store on Kawabata street near the Higashi Gion area seems more French/American than Kyoto - I'd been keen to take a peek since I first noticed it back in October 2013. 

So one warm day in April when I was in the area and needing something refreshing we stopped off at Cacao Market, casual sister cafe to Kyoto's Mariebelle store,  for a frosty chocolate treatette. 

Which was bloody excellent. Rich AND refreshing... not an easy achievement. I chose the Aztec Iced Chocolate but I could have had spicy or white as an option. 

There's a selection of hot chocolate of course, chocolate bars, chocolate cakes, chocolate desserts - er you get the picture.  There's also coffee, tea and non chocolate cold drinks for those non chocolate types. I don't know any such people myself. 

However - if you do happen to be in the area at meal time - they do have a couple of savoury items too - sandwiches, burritos - I know - random. But they did smell good!

Chocolate slabs, bark and individual chocolate candies are prepacked or you can buy them by weight - filling your own choice of tin or bag from the central distribution unit - see image above.  

Just a little tempting....

 Kinda wishing I bought the mint chip balls but the maple bacon version wasn't bad...

 And when you've fed your chocolate craving and purchased some for Ron... (as in later-on for the non Aussies!) go for a walk to your east and discover the wonders of Higashi Gion - the northern part of Kyoto's famous Gion Geisha quarter.

If you are in the Gion area around dusk you never know who you might bump into.

Petit Japonais. Kyoto.

We're currently moving all Japan-related material over to Jane Lawson's Zenbu Tours site. You will find this post HERE.

Kyoto Cafe Culture

Japan's cultural hub, Kyoto, has long been regarded as the best place to experience the soothing art of the traditional tea ceremony and I’ll happily admit that I'm as loved up with matcha and wagashi (whisked green tea and Japanese confectionery) as the next Japanophile! But I also appreciate a good cup of coffee and a welcoming place to kick back and drink it in.

Over the last decade or so Kyoto has developed a cracking coffee culture with a brew that no longer tastes of tar and burning rubber. We are talking black gold people. The cafe spaces themselves are often situated in really cool old machiya (traditional shop houses) or converted public bathhouses, complete with traditional tiles and tap nozzles. From the bohemian to the super-streamlined - there is a long list of excellent cafes available to park your behind in – and they don't mind you lingering with a good book or your laptop either!

Here are a few of my favourites:

Central 

Slap bang in the centre of town (in the Sanjo Arcade between Kawaramachi and Teramachi streets) you will find some of the finest coffee to be had in Kyoto town at Ogawa Cafe. 

The barista flaunts his knowledge of single origin and blends by mixing it up daily. You can stand at the bar and throw back an espresso if you need a quick hit whilst shopping - or head upstairs to relax and enjoy the free wifi and iPads with your latte. The brownies are delish and the hotdogs are very good quality too if you are in the market for a quick snack.

***UPDATE! Bugger it! the Sanjo Arcade Ogawa has closed down but check out the other Ogawa cafes for decent coffee, each with it's own unique atmosphere. There's one underground at Kyoto station now too. 

Literally, a 1-minute walk, around the corner from Ogawa you will find Smart Coffee . I love the old school vibe more than the coffee to be honest – this is a real institution and I tend to avoid it when full, as it can get a little smoky. Food wise there is a limited offering on the ground floor – hotcakes, French toast and the like but duck up the stairs to the smoke free dining room for really tasty, simple yoshoku (Japanese interpretation of “western” food). Situated on the west side of Teramachi shopping arcade - just north of Sanjo arcade.

**Just a few minute’s north of that in the same arcade but on the eastern side is one of a chain of coffee shops that sells decent coffee and light snacks. I can’t, for the life of me, remember the name but it is in Japanese anyway so it probably won't help! It has a menu board out the front with images so keep an eye out for it – the bonus here is the inner courtyard Japanese garden. I’ve spent hours in a quiet corner listening to Jazz (on the old record player) while I gaze onto this private oasis.

Cafe Bibliotec Hello  is a seriously attractive café in a restored machiya. The smooth as silk, hand-chiseled wooden floors, book-lined walls, leafy palms and an outdoor area all add to a sense of welcome and relaxation.  Good coffee  - including some frou frou numbers  (I’m a fan of the white chocolate mocha below) and a range of foods from interesting salads to a very good wagyu steak sandwich and excellent homemade cake selection. The café is only just north of the very centre of town  - but just far enough away experience a sense of real calm. On Nijo dori (street) between Tomonikoji and Yanagibaba streets.

OK – so Salon de The au Grenier D’or is more about the tea and amazing cakes and desserts but the coffee is pretty good too. The service is delightful, complete with polished silverware and napkins!

There’s a gorgeous little inner garden here too. Tres lovely.  Take your mum.

On the eastern side of Sakaimachi dori  - 2 minutes walk north of Nishikikoji dori.

Another top spot for excellent coffee , for either a quick throw-down there or packaged grinds to take away and make your own, is Unir on Gokomachi street below Oike street. They also do a cheap and tasty sandwich/coffee set at lunchtime. These guys really know their stuff. Very good brew - they also sell all the accoutrement for making the perfect drop  - and if you don't know how - they even run classes.

A little further afield….

North

If you find yourself in the Nishijin textile area - situated roughly halfway between the imperial palace and Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavillion) you will want to know about Sarasa Nishijin (one of several Sarasa cafes in Kyoto). This gorgeous old sento (bathhouse) serves a mix of laidback ska, reggae and jazz alongside decent coffee, cakes and cheesecake - try the spiced apple and walnut cake with their hot chocolate in winter. They do a really good lunch plate too and occasionally there’s live music in the evenings. Within a few metres, either side of the cafe, you will find some funky little artisans making everything from stunning papers to hand-woven "lace" earrings, from tiny blown glass bottles to earthy ceramics. Worth the side step if you have the time. 

Gospel Coffee and Pubhouse

If you are in the vicinity of Ginkakuji (silver pavillion) its worth taking a little wander around the corner to find this gem. On the 2nd floor of a European style building, which looks very much out of place in this neck of the woods, you will find this charming cafe - Gospel - serving simple but very tasty food and homemade cakes and tarts. 

Situated on Shishigatani - the street that run's parallel and just west of the Philosopher's path or Tetsugaku no michi (which runs along the north/eastern edge of Kyoto city). If you are on Ginkakuji michi  - turn south onto Shishigatani and its just a few minutes walk to the front door. On the West side of the street. 

South

Efish – is an open, modern café/design store on the river’s edge in the southern part of town. It is a little out of the way unless you are wandering between Kiyomizu temple and Kyoto station - but the food is light yet wholesome ‘westernised’ fare  - in decent portions. Refreshing drinks. In the warmer weather the glass wall is opened up to let the breeze flow through –much appreciated in Kyoto town’s humid summer.

East

Café Cheka  was my local for a while – I miss it so. A tiny, ethereal café located on the street that runs along the north wall of the zoo – and very close to the Heian Shrine. Seek it out if you are temple hopping in the Sakyo- ku area. Choose one of the stunning little cakes in the glass cabinet downstairs then head up to the second floor to order your coffee. The charming waitstaff will deliver your cake to your table as your coffee arrives. So civilised. Sit at the window bench and watch the world do its thing.

West

There are plenty of average cafes in Arashiyama’s tourist hub but a little off the main drag is a wonderfully light and breezy café called Sagano yu. Very stylish yet relaxing with French style bowls of coffee. Lunch is good value too and there’s a little homewares shopping to be had on the second floor.

PS- use google translate for the Japanese sites!

PPS   - As I said - they are a few of my favourites but there are so many more - check a few of them out below:

Okazaki Eats
Kyoto nama chocolate teahouse and cafe
Niti cafe and bar
Papermoon Cafe
Cafe Pilz
Sarasa Pausa
Cafe Rokuyosha

E-Fish Cafe - Kyoto

E-fish is a modern cafe space-slash design store on the western edge of the Kamogawa (Kamo River) just under Gojo street.  (Handy if you are in the Kiyomizu area and walking towards Kyoto station along Gojo)

 The food is mainly western style, or a fusion of Japanese and western cuisines with a predominantly fresh, nutritious slant. It is indeed a lovely spot to while away the afternoon, particularly when the glass doors are opened up to allow in the breeze. 

Fresh berries crushed with soda

Corn chips with guacamole

Vegetarian Taco salad

Broccoli and ricotta salad

I've been here on a several occasions and have found the service to be a little bit inconsistent  - at its worst  - well... arrogant. And there tends to be a bit of a "scene" from time to time ie a "cool" crowd of designer types (don't get me wrong - I love me some designer types but this particular crowd just seems to have a certain air about them...) -  but the food, drinks and view plus the fact you can linger with a book for as long as you like make up a tight little package capable of diffusing any misgivings. 

For more info go HERE.  and don't forget to use the google chrome translator. 

Kyoto Coffee

My good friends at Eatlove recently published an article on some of my favourite places to indulge in a cuppa in Kyoto town.  Take a peek HERE 

AND while you're your down there... why don't you "follow"me to keep up with my Eatlove goings on.. not to mention free recipes from my books. Yes. I did say free! 

Cheers, Jane x

Sarasa Pausa

The  downtown outpost of Kyoto's popular Sarasa group of cafes is a casual venue. Stopping at Sarasa Pausa for a cuppa is a little like dropping in on a friend's place  - only you get to watch the world go by while they do all the work!   I haven't eaten here but if it is anything like its sister shops - it will be flavoursome, nutritious and reasonably priced.  The same cakes and sweeties are sold throughout the stores so there is consistency with that at least - which is a good thing. I have found the savoury offerings at the other Sarasa's to be a little unique at each venue. My favourite is Sarasa Nishijin in the old textile/weaving district.


 On this early summer's day we stopped in for a lovely fresh mint tea and an iced coffee. And stayed for a couple of hours without anyone blinking.

You will find the cafe on the west side of Fuyacho Dori (street) just north of Sanjo Dori (a few streets west of the Teramachi/Sanjo arcade). Enter on ground level and walk up to the second floor where you will be served by some fairly hip and casual wait staff... It really is a place to relax. Take a book if you are on your own and soak up the atmosphere.