Le Petit Mec is a French style cafe & bakery on Imadegawa just west of Horikawa, which appears to be open only on weekends... They sell a fantastic variety of delicious breads, sweet pastries and sandwiches which you can eat in or take out. Here below are my purchases, left to right: くるみパン - Walnut bread, ジャガイモパン - Potato bread, and チャバッタ - Ciabatta. They look tasty … [Read more...] about Le Petit Mec
Hale ~晴~
Hidden away in the heart of the bustling market on Nishiki Dori is a tiny little alleyway that leads to Hale (晴). This is a fully organic and vegan restaurant, specializing in seasonal dishes, yuba tofu and Kyoto's famously distinctive vegetables. For lunch you can have a set meal or the "Special Lunch" which costs a bit more. I settled for the standard set lunch which you can … [Read more...] about Hale ~晴~
舶来酒 Absurd (Formerly Bar 探偵)
Update June 2025: Having survived the pandemic, the master of Bar 探偵 decided he wanted a change of mood and so changed the name of the bar to 舶来酒 Absurd (Hakuraishu Absurd). However, it is still the same bar, and run by the same guy, who is still a detective. My original review is below. Here's a quirky little place that's worth a mention. Bar 探偵 ("Tantei" or … [Read more...] about 舶来酒 Absurd (Formerly Bar 探偵)
Hiraganakan
This place is great. Hiraganakan (ひらがな館) is just across the road from Kyoto University on Mikage Dori, so I guess the fact it caters for a lot of penniless students may explain the great value. For a very reasonable price you get a main course AND rice AND miso soup AND salad. In other words: “Lots of STUFF!”. And it all tastes wonderful too. One drawback: it’s mostly meat so … [Read more...] about Hiraganakan
In Search of… Marmite
The Deep Kyoto Guide to Import Stores Living abroad, we all have one little something we miss from home, the absence of which makes our life seem less than complete. For me that thing I crave is Marmite; those little brown jars of nutritious yeasty goodness. A by-product of beer brewing (further evidence of the coolness of beer) this delicious goop is packed with B vitamins … [Read more...] about In Search of… Marmite
Getting Around Town
Overview Kyoto is laid out in a grid system (streets running east–west or north–south) and this makes it (atypically for Japan) fairly easy to find your way around. If you are planning to meet someone, the easiest places to agree on are the intersections between streets (Sanjo/Kawaramachi for example, or Shijo/Karasuma). Kyoto station sits to the south of the city and beyond … [Read more...] about Getting Around Town
Kyoto Prefectural International Center
KPIC is a free resource and information center for foreign tourists and residents in Kyoto. The friendly staff speak fluent English and there is also a free counselling service available in five different languages for those needing advice about employment, housing, medical care or... pretty much anything really. Whether you need to find an English speaking … [Read more...] about Kyoto Prefectural International Center
Yamatoya
This delightful cafe first opened in 1970 and has since become another of Kyoto's much loved "legendary places". I guarantee you will be pleased as punch to find this cafe. Though the menu is not especially pricey, the interior is absolutely gorgeous. No expense has been spared on the state of the art audio equipment, the elegant furniture or its upkeep. And you may find … [Read more...] about Yamatoya
Rokuyosha
Listed in the “Kyoto Music Spots” guide book (京都音楽空間 ) as one of the “legendary places" of Kyoto Rokuyosha (六曜社) is a old-style café on Kawaramachi. A handy location to pop into for a breather if you are shopping, Rokuyosha is famous for it’s delicious home-roasted coffee beans and tasty home-baked donuts. In fact so famous are these old-style donuts that people of a sweet … [Read more...] about Rokuyosha
Mole
On Gokomachi Dori, just a little north of Oike Dori and just removed from the hubbub of the city, is a little corner of peace-of-mind: the ambient cafe Mole. The entrance is wreathed in greenery and looks for all the world like a flower shop. Enter and be greeted by the sound of chimes. Everything here; the plants, the decor, the music and the softly spoken staff, all are … [Read more...] about Mole
Gospel
GOSPEL is in a word: posh. It's the sort of place you would bring your mum or a favorite aunty when she comes to visit. I'd recommend treating her to the scone set with a hot pot of orange pekoe tea. She'd like that. This beautiful old western-style building sits on a corner of Shishigatani Street looking like something out of a fairy tale. Step in through the rose … [Read more...] about Gospel
