Kyoto Retro Kissaten Pilgrimage — The Definitive Showa Coffee Houses — Kyoto

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Kyoto Retro Kissaten Pilgrimage — The Definitive Showa Coffee Houses

Half-day

5 stops · Half-day

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Last checked 6/20261 sources

My Trip

Kyoto ranks among Japan's top in coffee consumption per capita — a 'kissaten (old coffee house) city.' This course ties together registered-cultural-property cafes founded in the 1930s–40s within walking distance, tasting all of Showa-era coffee culture from hand drip to hotcakes to blue jelly punch.

Half-day5 stopsEst. budget 38,000 KRW

Itinerary

1
Inoda Coffee Main Storeイノダコーヒ本店
Cafe · 40 min stay
Founded 1940, a symbol of Kyoto coffee culture. The signature 'Pearl of Arabia,' served pre-mixed with sugar and cream, and an inner-courtyard garden. A morning ritual for Kyoto's elderly and tourists alike.
오전 7~9시 모닝 세트
Walk 8 min
2
Smart Coffeeスマート珈琲店
Cafe · 35 min stay
Founded 1932. Thick hotcakes and French toast baked to the same recipe for 90 years are the specialty. An unchanging fixture at the entrance to the Teramachi arcade.
Walk 7 min
3
Rokuyosha Coffee六曜社珈琲店
Kawaramachi · Cafe · 30 min stay
Founded 1950, a two-floor (ground and basement) layout. The combination of the basement's house-roasted strong coffee and handmade doughnuts is a mecca for Kyoto coffee fans.
Walk 6 min
4
Kissa Soiree喫茶ソワレ
Cafe · 30 min stay
Founded 1948. A dreamlike interior bathed in blue light and the five-color agar 'jelly punch' are an SNS sensation — the essence of Showa modernism.
Walk 3 min
5
Francois Kissashitsuフランソア喫茶室
Cafe · 30 min stay
Founded 1934, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. An Italian baroque-style room modeled on a luxury liner's salon, with rich Vienna-style cafe au lait. A glamorous finale to the cafe pilgrimage.