Sheep's Public Cafe is a place I have been meaning to check out for a while. I kept seeing it as I cycled home from work and thinking to myself "Sheep's. Why Sheep's?" The signboard outside says "Fish & Chips", "Guinness" and looking at the exterior I imagined just another foreign style pub. Once inside though I was impressed by how bright and cheerful it is. The owners … [Read more...] about Sheep’s
Bars
Zac Baran
I first met Yoshida Koichi in the music bar Hawkwind. A shakuhachi player, he told me he plays in many styles, not just traditional, but jazz, folk, avant garde, new age, pretty much anything. In Hawkwind we were listening to some hip-hop. "How about this then?" I challenged him with a grin. And do you know, he stood up immediately, he played, and it was wonderful. I was very … [Read more...] about Zac Baran
Gnome
Gnome opened in October 2007, which (at the time of writing) makes it the newest Irish pub in town. It's also my favorite. I like the cosy, home-like atmosphere and I might be just imagining things but I think the Guinness tastes best here too. Yuko, the owner is a friendly, chatty, charming lady of many talents; musical, culinary and professional. She already had her own … [Read more...] about Gnome
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)
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
