10 Traditional Kyoto Cafes That Will Take You Back In Time

Here are 10 Traditional Kyoto Cafes that will take you back in time while you enjoy traditional or fusion Japanese desserts and tea. Emerge yourself in the traditional atmosphere and make your Kyoto trip more memorable!

①
うめぞの CAFE ＆ GALLERY
Umezono CAFÉ & GALLERY

This café is located in a renovated machiya (traditional wooden townhouse). You can enjoy desserts made by a long-established sweets shop called Umezono here.

Opening Hours: 11:30am–06:30pm
Holidays: Irregular
Contact: 075-241-0577
Menu: http://umezono-kyoto.com/cafe/menu/ (Only in Japanese)
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/2Q6hhXH1gyAe8aZ99

②
雪ノ下京都本店
Yukinoshita Kyoto Main Branch

This is a special place for pancakes and shaved ice. They offer a good selection of seasonal pancakes in addition to regular ones such as pumpkin and apple!

Opening Hours: 11:00am–5:00pm
Holidays: Irregular
Contact: 075-285-0150
Menu: http://okeiko.heteml.jp/yukinositakyoto/menuweb.pdf (Only in Japanese)
Map: https://g.page/yukinositakyoto?share

③
eX cafe 京都嵐山本店
eX Cafe Kyoto Arashiyama Main Store

If you come to Arashiyama, you would not want to miss this genuine backstreet cafe. The Japanese garden that surrounds the establishment was originally part of an old mansion from the Showa era.
The popular sweets are the “Tenryuji Parfait” (972 yen) which uses ice cream made from carefully-grown organic matcha and the “Kyo Black Swiss Roll Harima-en matcha Combo” (1393 yen) which is made of bamboo charcoal with rich matcha cream. These wonderful desserts have gained many loyal fans.

Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00am–6:00pm, Sat-Sun 09:00am–06:00pm
Holidays: Irregular
Contact: 075-882-6366
Menu: https://tabelog.com/kyoto/A2601/A260403/26005251/dtlmenu/ (Only in Japanese)
Map: https://g.page/eXcafe_arashiyama?share

④
おく
OKU Cafe

The master of the ryokan inn Miyamasou runs this shop in an 80-year-old machiya (traditional wooden townhouse). In addition to their lunch and dinner menu, they offer popular sweets including their rich OKU pudding set, starting from ¥950.

Opening Hours: 11.30am–9:00pm last order (lunch available until 2:30pm)
Holidays: Tuesday
Contact: 075-531-4776
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/mBrYaNLxkTQujaZF9

⑤
御室 さのわ
Omuro Sanowa

Enjoy fine quality Japanese tea and baked Viennese sweets. They offer various kinds of tea, and the menu contains a well thought-out explanation of each item which is easy to understand.

Opening Hours: 10:00am–6:00pm
Holidays: Monday
Contact: 075-461-9077
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/yx9uEuDxbuH7ANex9

⑥
茶匠 清水一芳園 京都本店
Chasho Shimizu Ippoen Kyoto Main Store

This coffee shop is directly run by a tea wholesale store. The ingredients are carefully selected such as the high-grade confectionery Uji matcha and fresh cream made in Hokkaido. They serve rich Uji matcha parfaits, and are the original makers of the Uji matcha espuma (ice) in Kyoto. It is a must-visit place for a break during a stroll.

Opening Hours: 11:00am–9:30pm
Holidays: Irregular
Contact: 050-5489-6092
Menu: https://tabelog.com/kyoto/A2601/A260304/26019984/dtlmenu/ (Only in Japanese)
Map: https://g.page/ippoen?share

⑦
Cafe 冨月
Cafe Fugetsu

This café has been operating in this townhouse for 3 generations. They have a lot of fusion Japanese sweets such as their Japanese style affogato with matcha and red bean ice cream (¥830).

Opening Hours: Tue-Sat 11:00am–5:00pm, Sun 11:00am–7:00pm
Holidays: Mondays
Contact:  075-561-5937
Map: https://g.page/gion-cafefugetsu?share

⑧
伏見夢百衆
Fushimi Yume Hyakushu

This former HQ of distiller “Gekkeikan”, has been converted into a café & museum shop. They offer unique desserts such as vanilla ice cream with osake (Japanese liquor).

Opening Hours: 10:30am–5:00pm
Holidays: Mondays
Contact: 075-623-1360
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/uaBefUe8YaWNiePH9

⑨
叶匠壽庵 京都茶室棟
Kano Shojuan Kyoto Chashitsuto　

The store stands on the Tetsugakudori and has an elegant exterior. You can enjoy matcha with fresh traditional sweets which change every month (1,080 JPY, tea ceremony by reservation). The store also offers matcha parfait and zenzai sweets (1,080 JPY combined). After a short rest, you can stroll in the elegant and charming garden that surrounds the tea house.

Opening Hours: Japanese sweets sold from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm (last order 4:10 pm), tea from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm (reservation required for tea ceremony), meals from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm (limited quantity, can be reserved)
Holidays: Wednesdays (changes depending on season)
Contact: 075-751-1077
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/BWGsK6U3ifv1mwoZ8

⑩
中村藤吉本店
Nakamura Toukichi Main Branch

This is a tea seller that was established in 1854. You can enjoy fresh tea jelly and other tasty matcha desserts at the café next to the shop.

Opening Hours: 11:00am–4:30pm
Holidays: Irregular
Contact: 077-422-7800
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/dG9gcjJNVFsVNdTb6

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