Smart Coffee

Retro kissaten Smart Coffee in Teramachi Shopping Arcade not only serves fantastic coffee, their egg sandwiches are also killer. Sparing some time for breakfast or tea here is a no-brainer!

Smart Coffee – image © Chris Rowthorn

The spectre of large-name brands is slowly encroaching upon the covered shopping arcade along Teramachi, but many of the stalwarts remain. One such place is well-loved retro kissaten Smart Coffee, which has served coffee and cafe staples to the hungry masses since 1932.

Over soft strains of classical music drifts the distant sounds of the kitchen, pans clanking, coffee streaming into cups, the gentle clatter of cutlery and plates. There is usually a queue here, but it moves reasonably fast, especially if you have a book. Some things are worth waiting for and this is one of them.

The coffee here is dark and delicious and wakes you up first thing in the morning. Plus, there are plenty of tempting breakfast options on the menu here. Pancakes, pudding, and French toast all come highly recommended.

If you only have space for one dish, make it a platter of egg sandwiches. Soft, crustless white bread lightly smeared with mustard encase thick slabs of tender omelette. They’re perfect with a little fine sea salt.

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

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Destination

Check-in date

Wed 18 Sep 2024

Check-out date

Thu 19 Sep 2024

Name in English:
Smart Coffee

Name in Japanese:
スマート珈琲店

English address:
537 Tenshojimae-cho, Teramachi-dori-Sanjo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku

Japanese address:
中京区寺町通三条上ル天性寺前町537

Opening hours:
8am-7pm

Price:

Non-smoking area: No

Nearest Transport:
4min walk from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station, Tozai subway line

Reservations:
No Reservations

Telephone: 231-6547

Website:
Official site (Japanese)

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