Cafe gallery San

In central Kyoto, on a short walk from either Hankyu-line Kawaramachi Station, Karasuma Line Gojo Station or Keihan Line Kiyomizu-Gojo station is a stylish new cafe as well as a design office called ‘ Cafe Gallery San ‘. It sits in a renovated kyomachiya along the Gokomachi street and is part of Momiji-no-Komichi (Japanese only) that consists of other shops including Weekenders Roastery , Garden Lab co-working space and more.

The kyomachiya is almost 107 years old and was built before the war back in 1916 when it was mainly used as a house. The building the stood empty for a while until it was taken over by architect Takeshi Yamazaki who designed it for over 6 months while doing his regular job and finally opened Cafe Gallery San on 22 October 2022. The name San which can be written by only one kanji 燦 character can be found or heard used in Japanese design/planning industry with the following line ‘The sun pours brilliantly’ and has a positive meaning like ‘brilliant’ or ‘glittering’. It has a rare kanji and meaning which could make people remember it easier and most importantly the same year the name was chosen Mr Yamazaki became the father of a little boy, which in English is pronounced ‘son’, which made him choose this name.

The exterior of the café has a typical Japanese style design with a dark-brown wood façade and the entrance sitting under a canopy covered with Japanese rooftiles. Inside you will find a Japanese Modern style interior which uses a plethora of traditional Japanese materials. Right away when you enter the cafe you will face a stylish Naguri wall panel with an alcove that features a Sarcandra glabra ikebana. Another lovely ikebana that sits right next to the entrance is occasionally replaced depending on the season.

Entering the café you will find a stylish interior that features four order made tables with an iron frame and beautiful tile table tops made by Iron and Wood workshop Kodama. A long wood bench along the wall in the back against the mudwalls with a tatami floor below which requires you to take of your shoes if you take a seat. Bench seats come with electronic and usb sockets to charge your devices. Further in the back is a slick terrazzo kitchen counter and all the way in the back is a stylish toilet space that consists completely of Hinoki (cypress) wood and a lovely minimalistic garden.

The wall opposite of the mudwall is a shelf containing various architecture and design books/magazines for customers to freely read. One of the eyecatchers of the café is the ceiling that features a beautiful embossed washi (Japanese paper) pattern made by Kyo Karakami Maruni , a famous Japanese washi company.

The menu consists mostly of delicious healthy vegan dishes which include: avocado open sandwich, ham and vegetable sandwich, avocado sandwich and todays pasta with baguette. There is also dessert that consists of non-vegan chiffon cake, vanilla or rum-raisin ice-cream. All items can be paired up with a drink. The food is absolutely delicious and the bread is provided by ‘Slō’, a popular bakery in Kyoto which often has people lining up around the block.

Cafe gallery San is a stylish cafe with a friendly owner and staff that serves absolutely delicious food. A visit is heavily recommended.