Otafuku

For a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown Kyoto, drop by Otafuku in Kawaramachi. Though it’s right in the heart of the city, you’ll be whisked away to another world in this retro kissaten.

Otafuku – image © Chris Rowthorn

There’s no shortage of good to great coffee places downtown – Inoda Coffee, Drip & Drop Coffee Supply, and Weekenders Coffee Tominokoji all come to mind. But drinking coffee at a kissaten is a distinct experience in itself. These retro cafes serve ink-black coffee, and with their environments recalling hints of European belle époque, they’re perfect for a quiet escape from busy city environments.

Otafuku is one such escape. It’s right in the heart of the Kawaramachi area, but you wouldn’t know it from the inside. Blink and you’ll miss the entrance, but it’s there, and you’ll have to descend the stairs to this warm little basement cafe. As you walk through the door, the motor-driven din of downtown Kyoto subsides, replaced by cool jazz along the lines of Miles Davis. If it is not otherwise serenely quiet, there is the opportunity to eavesdrop on conversations carried out in gentle, melodious, Kyoto dialect.

The house blend here is less darkly roasted than the average kissaten and produces a more balanced cup – juicy and full of depth, without the burnt bitterness many kissaten favour. But this is by no means quick coffee: it is hand-poured through a filter, the beans freshly ground and water newly boiled for each cup.

Should you not want coffee, there are other temptations: tea, cream soda (a brilliant, radioactive green), and egg pudding. The pudding is optional, but know that it is worth ordering. Incidentally, you will know the proprietor Noda-san by his infamous sideburns, which give him an uncanny resemblance to Lupin the Third.

Otafuku features in our 1-Day Kyoto Foodie Itinerary. Check it out here.

For more Kyoto kissaten choices, see our Best Kissaten in Kyoto page.

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Name in English:
Otafuku Coffee

Name in Japanese:
御多福珈琲

English address:
609 Teianmaeno-cho, Teramachi-dori-Shijo-sagaru, Shimogyo-ku

Japanese address:
下京区寺町通四条下ル貞安前之町609

Opening hours:
10am-9:30pm
Closed 15th every month

Price:

Non-smoking area: No

Nearest Transport:
1min walk from Kawaramachi Station Exit 10, Hankyu line

Reservations:
No Reservations

Telephone: 256-6788

Website: none

Near To Here:
Otafuku is located in Kyoto’s Downtown district. See our complete list of things to do in Downtown Kyoto, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.

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About InsideKyoto.com and Chris Rowthorn

• Chris Rowthorn is the co-founder of InsideKyoto.com and has an unparalleled travel knowledge of Kyoto spanning three decades. Chris has written or commissioned and edited every page on the Inside Kyoto website.
• A former author of Lonely Planet Kyoto and Lonely Planet Japan guidebooks, Chris is also the director of the Kyoto walking tour company Chris Rowthorn Tours, and Japan Travel Consulting, where you can get bespoke travel advice for your Japan trip.
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