#78 Exploring cafes and restaurants in Kyoto
Typical Japanese cuisine is not always the answer when you visit Kyoto.
The weather in Tokyo turned cold this past weekend, finally becoming winter-like. In the western suburbs of Tokyo, where I live, the minimum temperature dropped to nearly freezing. In Tokyo, the autumn leaves have peaked, ginkgo trees are turning the streets yellow in many places, and the leaves are falling.
I have been telling you about Kyoto for the past two weeks. Some may think, "Kyoto again this week," but please bear with me for once. While the food that foreign visitors may think of in Kyoto may be traditional Japanese cuisine such as "Obanzai" and "Kaiseki", the two categories I am introducing today were discoveries for me on this trip to Kyoto. Walking around Kyoto, the entrances to these restaurants are commonplace in Kyoto City, but once inside, a completely different world opens up, one that caught me by surprise. One is a coffee shop, and the other is a Yakiniku restaurant. Through these two types of cafes and restaurants, you can see the direction in which Kyoto's restaurants are heading.
Like London, Paris, and other historical cities worldwide, Kyoto has many building regulations regarding height and landscaping. These regulations are too complex to go into detail. Still, in Kyoto, buildings above a certain height are not permitted in some locations and eccentric structures that would detract from the surrounding landscape. Despite these strict restrictions, some cafes have attracted customers by creating new spaces.
Ogawa Coffee
The first shop I would like to highlight is Ogawa Coffee, which has over ten branches in Kyoto, Tokyo, Shiga, and Boston. I visited the Sakaimachi Nishiki branch while walking along Sakaicho Dori from Karasuma Oike to Shijo. The area is lined with traditional Kyoto wooden buildings and dotted with small stores. Ogawa Coffee has an extensive frontage that blends in with the surrounding houses, and once inside, it is a modern space with a courtyard garden reminiscent of a Japanese garden. And like other Kyoto houses, the space is vast toward the back. It is like a Japanese version of an English semi-detached house.
It was before 10:00 in the morning when I entered the restaurant. There was already a line of foreign tourists waiting to be seated. After 15 minutes of waiting, a shop staff member guided me to a seat. Since I was already hungry, I decided to have breakfast again. Breakfast at this cafe is thick toast, but they also serve egg sandwiches and other sandwiches as a set with coffee. Ogawa Coffee's keywords are "ethical" and "flannel drip coffee”. The cafe is a social contribution organization and a coffee shop committed to its taste. Breakfast is served from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. If you are tired of hotel food, a leisurely late breakfast may be an option.
On the same street is the main store of Inoda Coffee, which has been in business for 80 years and has a retro space inside. There are more than 30 Starbucks stores in Kyoto city alone, but when you are tired of walking around the city, it might be a good idea to take a break at one of the unique cafes in Kyoto.
Yakiniku restaurant Hiro
If you are a yakiniku lover, there is one place I recommend. Hiro is a yakiniku restaurant where you can enjoy Wagyu beef at a reasonable price. There are three types of yakiniku restaurants operated by Hiro, depending on the price range of the dish, its contents, and the restaurant's atmosphere. I went to the Sanjo-Kiyamachi branch, which offers the most orthodox yakiniku.
The restaurant is located a few dozen meters inside a narrow entrance that you might miss if you are not careful, and the box seats face the Kamo River, which is a perfect location. It was a rare experience for me to enter the restaurant and enjoy the delicious wagyu beef, feeling the Kyoto-like atmosphere from the entrance, rather than suddenly entering a smoke-filled restaurant to eat yakiniku. On the right bank of the Kamo River, around Kiyamachi Dori, which runs parallel to the river, there are many restaurants with a space overlooking the Kamo River at the back of the entrance.
At Hiro, you can try various parts of Wagyu beef, from the fatty Kalbi to the lean Harami(outside skirt) and Loin. I had never had the image of yakiniku in Kyoto before, but it turns out that the quality and price are superior to those in Tokyo. I will definitely stop by again on my next visit.
Summary
From Kyo Kaiseki to matcha (powdered green tea), Kyoto offers a wide variety of dining options. You will find many other options if you think about what kind of space and time you want to spend in Kyoto. It could be a Kyoto-style café or even a yakiniku restaurant. If you visit Kyoto two or three times and walk around the city, you will notice that the stores are changing rapidly. I hope you will enjoy Kyoto's food, which is not the standard, and feel the changes as Kyoto continues evolving amidst strict regulations.
Data
Ogawa Coffee/Sakaimachi Nishiki branch
519-1 Kikuya-cho,Nakagyoku,Kyoto 604-8127 Japan
(On the east of Sakaimachi St., north of Nishikikoji St.)Yakiniku Hiro/Sanjo-Kiyamachi branch
527 Kamiosaka-cho, Kiyamachi Dori Sanjo Agaru,
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City
I remember that when visiting Kyoto 7-8 years ago a few restaurants had compulsory minimum order. After that I never go to Kyoto. Even no plans to visit again, hope this has changed.