Necktie Coffee

Nestled in a quiet neighborhood in the Shimogyo ward to the South of Omiya Station is the lovely cafe called “Necktie Coffee” instagram.com/necktie_coffee/ . Necktie Coffee opened it’s doors on 18 January 2024 and is run by a young couple that used to work together at the renowned Blue Bottle Coffee before setting out on their own. Necktie Coffee is named after its owner, who is always seen wearing a necktie.

The cafe is located in an authentic kyomachiya, which was previously a residence and, before that, a shop selling fabric for kimonos. The building has been left mostly untouched and retains most of its historical charm. The exterior is a typical sounikai kyomachiya with a full width glass in wood facade under a canopy covered with typical Japanese ichimonjigawara rooftiles, and the second floor featuring a weathered metal Juliette style balcony. The entrance consists of two sliding doors in the middle, with a metal ramp making it even accessible for people in wheelchairs.The cafe can be immediately recognized by the large green colored Fuji Royal Coffee Mill in front of the shop.

Inside you will find a cozy interior where you immediately sense the history in its interior, from the bare mudwalls to the original wood work of the building. At the entrance on your left you will find an elevated platform used in the past for displaying they kimono fabrics now refurbished with four zabuton pillows and mini sidetables for customers to take a seat. In the back of the cafe is a table for two and a table for four as well as four counter seats along the concrete kitchen. In the front of the kitchen near the entrance is a lovely antique glass case displaying today’s sweets as well as a shelf with Necktie Coffee’s original coffee for sale.

The menu at Necktie Coffee offers a variety of coffee options, including drip coffee with a selection of blends, espresso, cafe latte (500 yen), cappuccino, and Americano. They also serve Matcha Latte and Tea from the Wazuka area, and decaf coffee is available. For their sweets selection, Necktie Coffee offers a unique variety of scones and muffins, including plain scones, white chocolate and cardamom scones, peanut butter muffins, and mugwort and red bean paste muffins. There is also a morning plate and they also sell a variety of coffee beans.

Necktie Coffee is a lovely cafe with a cozy ambiance that sells delicious coffee and sweets, it is also located conveniently near Kyoto Aquarium, Kyoto Railway Museum and Hongan-ji temples making it an ideal place to visit in combination with an outing.