Smart Coffee ★ 4.4
A 1932 kissaten in Kyoto's Teramachi arcade. Pillow-thick hotcakes, house-roasted coffee and a tamago sando at the city's reference Showa-era breakfast.
Order: Hotcakes with house-roasted blend and a tamago sando
Where to brunch in Kyoto. The morning rooms worth the queue, and the kitchens still doing it right at noon.
Brunch picks
Inoda Coffee Honten Morning ★ 4.5
Inoda's 1940 machiya kissaten in Karasuma, Kyoto, opens at 07:00. The Kyoto Morning set with egg, sausage, toast and Arabian Pearl blend at 1,100 yen.
Order: Kyoto Morning set with egg, sausage and Arabian Pearl blend
Walden Woods Kyoto ★ 4.2
Walden Woods' white-on-white brunch cafe in Shimogyo, Kyoto. Espresso tonics, lattes and a morning oat-milk programme; minimalist stepped-wood seating.
Order: Espresso tonic with daily-baked banana bread
Ippodo Kaboku Cha-shitsu ★ 4.6
Ippodo's adjoining cha-shitsu in Kyoto, behind the tea shop. Self-whisk a bowl of matcha at the counter with a seasonal namagashi pair, walk-in any day.
Order: Self-whisked matcha bowl with seasonal namagashi pair
Akatsuki Coffee Brunch ★ 4.4
Akatsuki Coffee's no-laptops brunch room in Sakyo, Kyoto, husband-and-wife run. Daily cakes, a single Weekenders pour-over and a quiet morning room.
Order: Pour-over with daily-changing homemade cake
Holly's Cafe Kyoto ★ 4.0
Holly's Cafe in Daimaru Kyoto's basement opens at 08:00. American breakfast plate, hand-drip coffee and weekend stacks for a Western start at 1,200 yen.
Order: Bacon-and-egg breakfast plate with pour-over
Kissa Soiree ★ 4.2
Soiree's 1948 Showa kissaten on Nishikiyamachi in Kyoto. iconic blue-soda jellies, cheesecakes and the city's most-photographed kissaten neon since the 1960s.
Order: Blue-jelly soda set with cheesecake
Fukujuen Kyoto Honten Brunch ★ 4.2
Fukujuen Kyoto's six-floor tea house on Shijo serves morning matcha-and-soba sets in Kyoto. Tea-blending workshop downstairs, brunch upstairs.
Order: Matcha-and-soba breakfast set with hojicha creme brulee
Le Petitmec Croissant Morning ★ 4.3
Le Petitmec Oike opens at 08:00 in Kyoto with the anchor French boulangerie morning. Beurre croissants, pain au chocolat and take-away coffee at the door.
Order: Beurre croissant and pain au chocolat with a coffee
Blue Bottle Kyoto Brunch ★ 4.3
Blue Bottle's Kyoto cafe by Nanzen-ji serves morning pour-overs in a converted machiya. Single-origin brews and a wagashi-pairing programme at counter.
Order: Pour-over and wagashi-pairing breakfast
Iolite Coffee Roasters Morning ★ 4.5
Iolite in Nakagyo in Kyoto opens early; the morning is a hand-drip and toast set, cedar-beam machiya counter, single-origin pour-over from the in-house roast.
Order: House-blend espresso with seasonal milk pastry
Book food experiences in Kyoto
Kyoto Gion Cultural Walk & Geisha Show with Dining Options
Discover the culture and life of being a geisha hidden behind the sliding doors of Gion on a walking tour. Watch a live geisha show and enjoy dinner, lunch or tea with...
Kyoto: Geisha Dinner & Gion Cultural Walk
Immerse yourself in Kyoto’s vibrant geisha culture with a captivating tour featuring dinner and fascinating history.
Kyoto: Ramen, Gyoza, and Onigiri Cooking Class
Discover how to make homemade rich and flavorful soy sauce and miso ramen, acquire the perfect gyoza filling, and master the technique of wrapping gyoza for the ideal ...