Since moving to a more central location last March, efish has become my favorite place to hang out. The location is wonderful. On one side, window seats give prime views over the Kamo River. On the other side you have a more intimate perspective on the tree-lined Takasegawa Canal. When the weather is good, they open up the windows and a fresh breeze washes over you as you sip your coffee.
efish is a cafe, gallery, and shop and is owned by designer Shin Nishibori. His products (kitchenware, furniture, electronics etc) are on sale here and are prominently displayed about the premises. There’s an online shop here.
Shin Nishibori, also designed the space itself; cool, modern, comfort.
The menu (in both English in Japanese) has a lot of options. I’m partial to the tuna and cottage cheese sandwich set with clam chowder myself (very filling!). However, on the day I brought my camera, I splashed out on the Vegetarian Tacos Rice which you can see amongst other things below. You can check out the food menu here.
A rainy Saturday afternoon in efish was the perfect excuse for Mewby and I to share a bottle of South African white wine and laze away the afternoon with a good read. Check out the drinks menu here.
To find efish from Gojo station, cross Gojo bridge and take your first left (going south). efish is just a little ways down this street on the east side and easy to find with the cat logo sign. Here is a nicely designed map. And why “efish”? Well, it seems Mr. Nishibori likes fish (as will quickly become apparent when you visit) and e, being the fifth letter of the alphabet, corresponds with the 5 in Gojo (Fifth Avenue see).
efish is open every day from 11:00 am till 10:00 pm. They have English lessons advertised prominently about the place so I’m guessing the staff can probably follow you if your Japanese is not so hot. Tel: 075-361-3069
UPDATE: efish became completely non-smoking in July 2017 (even on the outside terrace).
sshhh its a secret
I love this place !
We spent a week in Kyoto and went for the yoghurt Mango as often as we could.
WE are going at the end of March and will definitely try out efish-it looks lovely on your website.
ANy other great tips for Kyoto? We ( 3 women) will be there 2 nights?
Well, I have an entire 3 year-blog’s worth of tips for you! Is there anything you specifically want to do while you are here?
i think there might be some other connotation with the name vis-a-vis the history of the neighbourhood the cafe …
Really? Do elucidate…
Too bad this lovely looking place has ashtrays. I don’t want to inhale second hand smoke. It’s a big problem in Japanese Cafes , Bars, live houses and restaurants.
Every year more than 10,000 people die from the second hand smoke in Japan.
People should be aware and speak up about it.
As I recall, one floor is completely non-smoking…
Every time i come to kyoto, i visit this place just to sit in the window,
look at the river and have the tuna sandwich.
Nice tuna sandwiches, aren’t they?
E-fish looks great. I’m going to try it today. I spotted it yesterday when I was walking north along the river from Veg Out cafe , at Shichioji, at the foot of the bridge, on the west side. That’s a nice place too, to eat vegan food or sweets, have a very good coffee or beer , hang out and enjoy the river views. It’s probably no-smoking –haven’t seen any signs of that, and is above Tamisa yoga studio. Friendly staff(some speak English ); there’s an English menu.
Checked-in again at efish this past October. Still smoking allowed. I’m with Keiko – this smoking allowed policy is a pity as smoke doesn’t respect open-air boundaries.
I believe they announced on their Twitter some time earlier this year that they’d gone smoke free. Great if true (and if I translated correctly…)
Now about the only thing left to complain about is the price. A little steeper than usual, but you get what you pay for (good food, good service, good location).
Unfortunately Efish will be closing in a few months