The Best Cafes Around Kiyomizu and Higashiyama: Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka, and Beyond

Ranked by one simple rule: would I actually go back? Because this stretch of Kyoto — stone lanes, wooden machiya, the faint smell of incense drifting down from Kiyomizu-dera — is so photogenic that most cafes coast on the scenery alone. The ones on this list earn their spot. Some are 100-year-old sweet shops where nothing on the menu has changed since your great-grandmother's era. Some are specialty coffee spots run by world-champion baristas. A couple are just the right place to sit down before your feet stage a revolt. All of them beat the tourist-trap crepe stands lining Sannenzaka.

One rule of thumb before you start: the closer you walk toward the temple gates, the more you pay and the longer you wait. Start your cafe-hopping at the bottom of the hill and work your way up. You'll thank yourself.

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1. Maeda Coffee Kodai-ji Shop

The best all-rounder on this entire walk, and the one place I'd send a friend with exactly one hour and no patience for lines.

Maeda Coffee has been roasting its own beans since 1971, which in kissaten terms — kissaten being the old-school Japanese coffee shop, somewhere between a Showa-era diner and your favorite indie cafe — means it practically has seniority over half the temples nearby. The Kodai-ji branch opens at an unconfirmed time, which makes it the rare spot where you can actually get breakfast before the crowds descend on Ninenzaka.

Order the Ryuunosuke blend — their most popular roast, smooth and fragrant without a trace of bitterness — and pair it with the Kyoto-style matcha mousse: layers of matcha jelly, light cream, and mochi stacked in a small glass. It looks too pretty to eat. Eat it anyway.

Two large floors of seating mean it almost never feels as crowded as everything else in this neighborhood. The service is polite in that specifically Japanese way — attentive without hovering.

• Opens: Unconfirmed (closed Mondays)
• Vibe: Classic kissaten, warm wood, zero pretension

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2. Kasagiya

A sweet shop that has been on Ninenzaka since 1914 and has absolutely no interest in changing.

Kasagiya sits right next to the famous Starbucks machiya — you'll walk past both, and you should choose this one. About 20 seats, a menu that reads like a time capsule, and wagashi (wagashi = traditional Japanese sweets, the kind made with bean paste and rice, not buttercream) that taste like they were made this morning because they were.

The gozen shiruko is a bowl of sweet red bean soup — mild, warming, the kind of thing that makes cold-weather Kyoto feel like a gift. The sanshoku hagi no mochi gives you three types of ohagi rice cakes in one go: soft rice with red bean, sesame, and kinako (roasted soybean flour). Unlike regular mochi, ohagi still has visible grains of rice inside, which gives it a texture somewhere between chewy and substantial. It's the kind of sweet that takes two bites to understand and three to love.

This is not a matcha latte situation. This is old Japan in a small room, and it's worth every minute.

• Capacity: ~20 seats — arrive early or expect a short wait
• Vibe: Nostalgic, quiet, no Instagram aesthetic — just the real thing

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3. % ARABICA Kyoto Higashiyama

The most serious cup of coffee you'll drink while staring at a 400-year-old pagoda.

% ARABICA Kyoto Higashiyama is located at 87-5 Hoshinocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, with Yasaka-no-to Pagoda framing the view out the window like a postcard someone forgot to mail. The brand started here in Higashiyama, which means this is genuinely the mothership.

They use Slayer Espresso machines — the kind where the barista controls extraction temperature, water volume, and timing by hand, the way a chef controls heat rather than just setting a timer. The latte is their signature: rich, smooth, with foam art that makes you feel slightly guilty about drinking it. The iced Americano hits harder than you expect, especially on a summer walk uphill.

Fair warning: the space is tiny. Think coffee stand with five counter seats, not a sit-down cafe. Most people take their cup outside and drink it on the bench facing the pagoda, which is, honestly, the correct choice.

• Price: Latte from ¥400, Americano from ¥450
• Vibe: Minimalist, standing/takeaway-focused, globally famous for good reason

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4. Hario Cafe Kyoto

The most beautiful place to drink a drip coffee in all of Higashiyama, and it's not particularly close.

Hario Cafe Kyoto is located in Higashiyama-ku on Shimogawara-dori near Yasaka-torii-mae — a narrow, lantern-lit alley that looks like a film set but is completely real — tucked between Nene-no-Michi and the Ninenzaka area. Yes, that Hario — the Japanese glassware brand whose V60 drippers live on the shelves of every specialty coffee shop from Seoul to Stockholm. Their Kyoto cafe is the physical manifestation of what the brand stands for: precision, craft, and very good-looking equipment.

The coffee is pricier than a chain — drip starts at ¥1,200, which is more than double a Starbucks latte and worth it — but you're also sitting inside a traditional machiya on one of the most atmospheric lanes in the city. The cheesecake is genuinely good. If the crowds on Sannenzaka are making you want to lie down, duck in here instead.

• Hours: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Price: Coffee from ¥1,200
• Vibe: Refined, quiet, the lane itself is half the experience

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5. here Kyoto Kiyomizu

The one for people who care about coffee craft and don't mind waiting for it.

here Kyoto Kiyomizu was opened by a World Latte Art Champion, which is the coffee equivalent of finding out your neighborhood ramen shop is run by a Michelin-starred chef. The roasted nuts mocha is the standout — toasty, deep, and genuinely uncommon in Kyoto's matcha-dominated cafe landscape. They're also known for their canelés, the small French pastries with a caramelized crust and custardy center, which have no business being this good on a cobblestone street in Higashiyama.

The downside is real: it's almost always crowded, more so than any other cafe on this list. Think Kiyomizu-dera ticket line, but for coffee. Go early, or go late in the afternoon when the tour groups have moved on.

• Vibe: Specialty coffee, artisan pastries, expect a queue
• Best order: Roasted nuts mocha + canelé

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6. Yumeji Cafe Goryukaku

The one that has nothing to prove and knows it.

Yumeji Cafe Goryukaku is housed in a former Meiji-era entrepreneur's home, decorated in Taisho roman style — think European romanticism filtered through 1920s Japan: dark wood, soft light, the feeling that someone is about to play piano in the next room. It's related to Junsei, the famous tofu restaurant nearby, which explains why the hot soy milk on the menu tastes nothing like the carton version from a convenience store. It's thick, gently sweet, and warming in a way that makes you understand why Kyoto people have been drinking it for centuries.

The pound cake is dense and moist; the matcha ice cream alongside it does the work of balancing the richness. The food is simple on purpose — the building is the main event, and the kitchen knows not to compete with it.

Japanese visitors with little cameras kept arriving while I was there, all of them looking equally delighted. That's usually a good sign.

• Vibe: Taisho-era aesthetics, local favorite, calm
• Best order: Hot soy milk + pound cake with matcha ice cream

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7. Unir Coffee Senses

The one that does things nobody else in this neighborhood is doing.

Unir Coffee Senses is a specialty coffee shop near Kodai-ji Temple, set inside a beautifully renovated 100-year-old machiya. There are three distinct spaces: a cafe, a coffee stand, and a Coffee Senses Bar that serves botanical coffee cocktails. That last part deserves a second read — coffee cocktails, in a 100-year-old wooden building, next to a temple. Kyoto contains multitudes.

The fruit sandwiches and egg sandwiches are popular lunch options (Japanese fruit sandwiches are the opposite of what you're imagining — thick white bread, whipped cream, and precisely arranged seasonal fruit, the kind of thing that shouldn't work but absolutely does). The Zen garden tiramisu is worth ordering just to say you did.

Come here if you want something that feels like a discovery rather than a landmark.

• Vibe: Specialty coffee meets botanical cocktail bar, inside a century-old machiya
• Best order: Coffee Senses Bar cocktail if you're feeling adventurous; egg sandwich if you're not

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One Last Tip

Walk this stretch before 9:00 AM if you can. The stone lanes of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka are genuinely quiet before the tour buses arrive — gravel underfoot, morning light catching the wooden facades, maybe one other person with a camera. Every cafe on this list opens by 10:00 AM, and Maeda Coffee opens at an unconfirmed time. Start early, eat something, and you'll have the whole neighborhood to yourself for at least an hour before the rest of the world catches up.

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FAQ

What's the best cafe on Ninenzaka for traditional Japanese sweets? Kasagiya, without question. It's been there since 1914, the menu hasn't changed much, and the ohagi rice cakes and sweet red bean soup are exactly what you want after walking uphill from Kiyomizu-dera. Arrive early — it only seats about 20 people.

Is the Starbucks on Ninenzaka worth visiting? It's a Starbucks inside a historic machiya with tatami seating, and it opened in 2017. The novelty is real. The drinks are standard Starbucks — no special Kyoto menu. If you've never been to Japan before and want the photo, go ahead. If you have limited time, Kasagiya is right next door and significantly more interesting.

Where should I go for specialty coffee near Kiyomizu? % ARABICA Kyoto Higashiyama for the view and the brand pedigree, here Kyoto Kiyomizu for latte art and canelés, and Unir Coffee Senses if you want something that surprises you. All three are within walking distance of Sannenzaka.

What's the best cafe to escape the crowds? Hario Cafe on Shimogawara-dori. It's slightly off the main tourist path, the lane itself is one of Kyoto's most beautiful, and the drip coffee is excellent. Yumeji Cafe Goryukaku is another strong option — locals love it, tour groups tend to miss it.

When do cafes in the Higashiyama area open? Most open between 9:00 and 10:00 AM. Maeda Coffee Kodai-ji is an exception with an unconfirmed opening time, making it a less reliable option if you're doing the early-morning Kiyomizu-dera visit that every guide (including this one) recommends.

Are these cafes expensive? Relative to a Tokyo convenience store, yes. Relative to a cafe in London or New York, no. Expect ¥600–¥1,500 for a drink and ¥500–¥1,200 for a sweet. Hario Cafe runs slightly higher at ¥1,200+ for coffee, but you're paying for the location as much as the cup.

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Place Directory

Place	Address
Kiyomizu-dera	1-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0862
Sannenzaka	Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0826
Ninenzaka	Masuya-cho 2-chome, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0826
Maeda Coffee (Kodai-ji Shop)	Near Kodai-ji Temple, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Kasagiya	Ninenzaka, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
% ARABICA Kyoto Higashiyama	87-5 Hoshinocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Hario Cafe Kyoto	463-17 Shimogawara-cho, Shimogawara-dori Yasakatoriimae-sagaru, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
here Kyoto Kiyomizu	Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (near Kiyomizu-dera approach)
Yumeji Cafe Goryukaku	Kiyomizu Temple Gate, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0862
Unir Coffee Senses	Near Kodai-ji Temple, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Kodai-ji Temple	526 Shimokawara-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Yasaka-no-to Pagoda	388 Yasaka Kamimachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Nene-no-Michi	Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Ishibei-koji Lane	Shimokawara-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto