Café restaurants in Japan
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Prinz
Behind the blank white façade of Prinz, you’ll find a café-restaurant, gallery, bookshop, garden and library – a chic island of coolness in an otherwise bland residential neighbourhood. You can sit at the counter and request music from the CDs that line the walls. The lunch set usually includes a light assortment of Western and Japanese dishes, generally on the healthy side of things. Coffee starts at ¥300. All in all, this is a very interesting stop while you’re in the northeast part of town. Note that last orders are at 11.30pm.
reviewed
-
B
Les Deux Bleue
As you gaze out over Tokyo Bay on a sunny day or a sparkly night, this glassed-in cafe at the far corner of the LaLaPort shopping centre might become the favourite place of you and your loved one – assuming your loved one has a waggly tail and cold nose. While humans can fill up on burgers, pizzas and pastas, there’s an entire menu for the four-legged ones, from organic chicken liver to doggy birthday cake. After your meal, you can both burn off the calories at the fenced-in dog run.
reviewed
-
C
Ben’s Cafe
Local Waseda students and expats come to Ben’s to quell cravings for quiche, cappuccino or Belgian beer – or just to chill. There’s no smoking indoors, and the patio out front is a good place to sip wine and watch life amble by on warm evenings. Ben’s also hosts poetry readings and exhibitions by local artists, and it has wi-fi access. Head uphill to the left of Big Box, turn left at the corner where you see New Yorkers Café and right at the next corner.
reviewed
-
D
Saraca Nishijin
This is one of Kyoto’s most interesting cafés – it’s built inside an old sentō (public bathhouse) and the original tiles have been preserved. Light meals and coffee (¥400) are the staples here. The honjitsu Nishijin (daily Nishijin lunch; ¥890) plate is decent value. Service can be slow and scattered but the interesting ambience makes it worth a look. It’s near Funaoka Onsen and is easy to spot.
reviewed
-
E
Bon Bon Café
If you find yourself in need of a light meal or drink while you’re in the Demachiyanagi area, this casual open-air café is an excellent choice. There is a variety of cakes and light meals on offer. While there is no English menu, much of the ordering can be done by pointing, and the young staff can help you figure out what’s not on display. It’s on the west bank of the Kamo-gawa and outdoor seats here are very pleasant on warm evenings.
reviewed
-
F
Buttercups
Buttercups is a favourite of the local expat community and a great place for lunch, dinner or a cup of coffee. The menu (available in English) is international and the vibe is chilled and arty. There are usually pictures, paintings or photos on display. Dishes include Mexican rice, fish and chips, salads and tacos. Look for the plants and whiteboard menu outside.
reviewed
-
Organic Café Aurora
This fine little café in a traditional Japanese house is a good spot for a cuppa before or after visiting the temple. You can choose from 25 varieties of tea. Simple meals are also served. The small garden is nice to gaze out on as you sip your tea. It’s a few minutes’ walk up the road from the station, on the right. There is an English sign.
reviewed
-
Org…Organic Life
At this open-plan, casual café you can grab a light meal or a quick pick-me-up while exploring Kita. You can get a pasta or risotto lunch for very little, and finish it off with cake and coffee. It's easy to spot, with an English sign. There's no English menu, but there is a picture menu and 'pasta lunch' or 'risotto lunch' will get your point across.
reviewed
-
G
Doutor Coffee
A lot of Western travellers have discovered the joys of Doutor Coffee, which has branches all over Kyoto. The coffee itself is dirt cheap but the real draw here are the surprisingly tasty sandwiches – just the thing when you need a break from the usual insipid things they call sandwiches in Japan. The picture menu makes ordering easy.
reviewed
-
H
Shinshindō Notre Pain Quotidien
This atmospheric old Kyoto coffee shop is a favourite of Kyoto University students for its curry and bread lunch set (¥780), which is kind of an acquired taste. It’s located near the university. Look for the glazed tile bricks and the big window out the front. There’s a small English sign and English menus are available.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
I
Dada Café
This retro café, which is housed in a 70-year-old tenement building straight out of the Shōwa Era, is a charming spot to reminisce about a Tokyo most of us have never known. While taking tea and noshing on immaculate spreads of honest Japanese cooking, take a moment to reflect on the Zen-like beauty of your surroundings.
reviewed
-
J
Yamate Jyuban-kan
Overlooking the Foreigners' Cemetery in Yamate, this French restaurant serves consistently good cuisine in a building like a mansion from the American south. A casual café occupies the 1st floor, while upstairs is the classic restaurant, dishing out longstanding favourites like the Kaika steak set. Reservations recommended.
reviewed
-
K
Caffé Michelangelo
Stylish Daikanyama is exactly the locale this Parisian-style café is meant to occupy. The smart set comes here to be seen, but you could just as easily blend into the background. Sidewalk seating makes it a fine summertime lunch stop, with lovely reasonably priced lunch sets to enjoy with wine.
reviewed
-
L
Ask A Giraffe
This casual cafe is our favourite of the six restaurants in the new Shin-Puh-Kan shopping complex. They offer light meals (sandwiches, pastas, salads) and all the standard coffee and drinks, which make a nice pick-me-up while shopping here. As for the name, well, your guess is as good as ours!
reviewed
-
M
Shimonoseki Ijinkan
Tucked away in the old British Consulate courtyard, the Ijinkan coffee house has bygone European elegance and the theatrical ministrations of bow-tied 'coffee meister' Kunio Kanegae, who puts on a delightful little show if you order the café au lait.
reviewed
-
Kyō-hayashiya
If you need a change from large American coffee chains and want to try some good Japanese green tea – and enjoy a nice view over the mountains while you’re at it – this is the place for it. Kyō-hayashiya also has a handy picture menu.
reviewed
-
N
Inoda Coffee
This chain is a Kyoto institution and has branches throughout the city. Though slightly overrated for the price, the old-Japan atmosphere at this, Inoda’s main shop, is worth a try, especially if you want something Japanese rather than international.
reviewed
-
Page One
Tucked away in a row of old shops on Perry Rd, shop-eatery Page One sells women’s clothing along with pizza and pastas such as the watarigani no tomato kurīmu sōsu pasuta (Japanese blue crab pasta with tomato sauce; ¥1600).
reviewed
-
O
Amazon
This typical Japanese coffee shop, near Sanjūsangen-dō, turns out some surprisingly good sandwiches and coffee; it’s one of the few decent options in this area.
reviewed
-
P
Lugol
For a quick cuppa or a snack in groovy surroundings, this cosy coffee shop on the west side of Downtown Kyoto is a very nice choice. We go there for decorating ideas as much as for the drinks.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Sweet
If you're looking for a quick coffee and cake, cafés line the banks of the Metoba-gawa and Nawate-dōri. Sweet is typical.
reviewed
-
Q
Ayura Café
- Nara, Japan
- Restaurants › Café
We highly recommend this tiny café for its wonderful (mostly veggie) set lunch or a quick cuppa.
reviewed
-
R
@Home Café
Wanna walk on the wild side of Tokyo’s fetish for kawaii (cuteness) ? Try being served coffee by girls dressed as French maids! You’ll be welcomed as go-shujinsama (master) the minute you enter this cafe. It’s titillating, perhaps, but it’s no sex joint – just (more or less) innocent fun for Akihabara’s otaku. Dishes such as curried rice are even topped with smiley faces. And business is expanding: @Home Café now occupies four floors, with themes from pop princess to old Japan, with varying opening days. From Chūō-dōri, turn left where you see Sofmap.
reviewed
-
S
Café Carinho
This excellent little café near Ginkaku-ji is one of the only places in town where you can find proper bagel sandwiches. It also serves daily specials, light meals and excellent tea and coffee (from ¥400). There is wi-fi for those with laptops. The owner speaks English and Portuguese, which makes ordering a breeze. All told, this is one of the best spots in the neighbourhood for a drink or meal.
reviewed
