Kito Cafe

Kyoto is home to many lovely cafes , each offering a unique ambiance or food, a new addition to that list is the lovely ‘Kito Cafe’ instagram.com/kayokitito/ , located in the Kamigyo area. Kito Cafe serves as a cafe, sometimes a small gallery and occasionally holds small events. It opened in October of 2010 and sits in a quiet neighborhood on a seven minute walk from Keihan Line – Demachiyanagi Station (exit 3 or 5) between Kamogawa Delta and Kyoto Gyoen National Garden. The café occupies the second floor of an old building that was formerly used as a hairsalon.

While the owner was searching for a location for her café, she fell in love with the retro interior of the hair salon and immediately decided that it would become Kito Cafe’s new home. Some of the chairs of the hairsalon are refurbished as seats for inside the café. The café has a dimly lit cozy interior with that features a lot of dark wood and Mediterranean rustic plastered walls, decorated with retro and antique items. The frosted glass windows provide natural light adding to the cozy ambiance. Seating consists or seven small tables for two with 4 of the tables connected by a long wooden bench.

What makes Kito Cafe special is the daily menu which besides Japanese food also offers food with an exotic touch and Middle Eastern influences. Sandwich plate, Turkish falafel, Moroccan Tagine, couscous and more. The cafe also offers various sweets and a selection of drinks that besides coffee also includes organic teas, chai, cocoa, soft drinks and even beer.

Kito Cafe is a great place to relax and have a delicious lunch while exploring the surround areas like Kyoto’s National Garden or the Kamogawa riverbank.