Asipai & Hibi Coffee are two wonderful businesses working together in the same shared space to bring you the very best artisanal coffee and startlingly delicious curries. I was really impressed with this place, with the friendly staff, with the presentation of the food and drink, and most of all with the taste. The curry was really good, and the cafe latte I ordered … [Read more...]
Cafe Foodelica
UPDATE: Sadly Foodelica closed permanently at the end of 2017. Not too long ago, after a visit to the Shugaku-in Imperial Villa, I was passing Cafe Foodelica and popped inside for a cappuccino and a scoop of ice cream. I don't visit Cafe Foodelica too often as I am based in Fushimi (south Kyoto) and it is situated up north by Shugakuin Station. However, it struck me … [Read more...]
Support Kai Fusayoshi & the Spirit of Honyarado this Saturday February 28th at Urbanguild!
...the café caught fire in an unknown cause before dawn of 16th January and over 2million frames of black-and-white photographic negative film I’ve saved for more than 40 years, along with tens of thousands of prints, thousands of copies of more than 40 books I wrote, posters, postcards, my favorite cameras, a hundred and several tens of diaries I’ve kept for 43 years, … [Read more...]
Ran Hotei Cafe – Vintage Taishō Romance & Excellent Cake
On Wednesday I took a walk over to the Sanjo-kai Shōtengai shopping arcade and popped into Randy Channell's machiya cafe Ran Hotei. Randy is well known as a master of Japanese tea ceremony, and he does teach a few tea ceremony classes at Ran Hotei. Mainly though he gives classes at a shrine near the Imperial Palace. So if you are not interested in tea ceremony, that's … [Read more...]
Saganoyu Cafe
If you're in the Saga area, the cafe Saganoyu is a pleasant spot for lunch or a cup of coffee. Originally built as a public bathhouse in 1923, the building has been thoroughly renovated and was reopened as a cafe in 2006. You can still see the original tiling on the floors and the faucets along the walls. … [Read more...]
Papa Jon’s Honten
On Saturday we took a stroll up to the Shimpukan, intending to grab a bite to eat at Papa Jon's Eatery. Unfortunately for us, they were hosting a wedding party. However, very fortunately for us, we bumped into Charles Roche (the owner) on his way out, and he offered us a lift up to the 本店. Nice chap, isn't he? I'd noticed this place on the way to events at Impact Hub but … [Read more...]
Minna no Café: 3.11 Evacuees Plant Roots in Kyoto
Here’s the latest guest post from our friend Jason Bartashius… Before relocating to Kyoto, Ikuko Wagatsuma worked in the clothing department of a supermarket in Minami-Soma, a city devastated by both the tsunami and nuclear crisis. The tsunami wreaked havoc washing away homes and causing hundreds of deaths. Located near to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, … [Read more...]
Matsuontoko – Vegan Burger Cafe
Though there are quite a large number of vegetarian establishments in Kyoto, most of them are located in the north of the city, and the few there are in the city center tend to sell nothing that isn't healthy and nutritious. Good vegan junk food is pretty hard to come by. There used to be a branch of Speakeasy on Shijo that did a passable veggie burger, but that closed down … [Read more...]
Visiting the Vanishing Cafe
On August 15th & 16th 消えちゃうカフェ (the Vanishing Cafe) made a brief appearance at Sons music bar. Mewby and I paid a little visit. Friends, Ikko, Nana and Riki ran the cafe, with Ikko making coffee, Nana cooking and Riki taking care of the desserts. For 1000 yen we got a main dish, desert and a drink and everything was super tasty. Nana even made some vegetarian … [Read more...]
The Vanishing Cafe
For two days only, friends Nana, Riki and Ikko are taking over Sons music bar at lunchtime to host the Vanishing Cafe! Menu: -Khao Man Gai (Thai chicken & rice) -Al Pastor Tacos -Cake -Coffee by Ikko Come along and enjoy some great music with some tasty lunchtime treats! Date and time: August 15th & 16th 11:00 am ~ 17:00 (after which the cafe will … [Read more...]
Morpho Cafe
The concept of Morpho is "Vegan" which doesn't use animal foods. Anything can be eaten easily in the present age, so various health problems have arisen... Those with an unbalanced diet and people with food allergies would benefit from the healthy vegan foods offered at Morpho cafe. A delicious meal can be prepared using "veggie meat" similar to animal meat. -From the Morpho … [Read more...]
Cocokara Cafe + Dish
I'm always on the look out for comfy little cafes where I can ensconce myself in a quiet corner and read a good book. Last Monday I went to Cocokara Cafe for the first time and found it suited me nicely. Cocokara takes its name from a desire to serve the needs of both the heart (心 kokoro) and the body (体 karada). To put your heart at rest they emphasize comfort. The interior is … [Read more...]
Cafe & Gallery Rokujian
I had a bit of free time this afternoon, so I popped over to see the exhibition at Cafe Rokujian of photographs and paintings by our friends John Einarsen and Tiery Le. The cafe forms part of the Kampo Cultural Center, which as I understand it, opened up last month. The center consists of three parts, the cafe, a small gallery space, and a learning center where you can take … [Read more...]
Kozmoz International
Kozmoz New York Coffee is an American style cafe/diner tucked away in Fushimi Momoyama, that specializes in such dishes as the Philly Cheesesteak, the Hot Italian Sausage, bagels, muffins, apple pies and cheesecake… What makes this establishment a little bit different from other cafes though, is that every yen made from your hotdog or cheesesteak, (and also all the profits … [Read more...]