CAFÉ-BAR Dónguri — Restaurant in Kyoto

This morning, I stopped at a little bar next to my hotel. They are also a coffee shop in the morning. The staff is the sweetest couple of folks and the menu is quite unique. First of all, they clearly take their espresso seriously. They have an extensive espresso menu, none of which includes flavored syrups. The only sweetened drink they have on the entire list is an espresso with simple syrup. Otherwise, their only additives are water (with and without fizzies) or milk (steamed, foamed, etc.). Additionally, they have a wide variety of non-caffeinated teas, an anomaly in my wanderings in Asia. In Japan, Taipei and Hong Kong, I’ve had trouble finding tea without caffeine. The soda options are also rather unique.

I needed to eat food and had trouble finding breakfast in my neighborhood. They had an open-faced sandwich of tuna with sauerkraut on toasted sourdough bread. I’ll be honest. I was uncertain of this combination, but it was define. It’s more of a tapa serving, which was perfect for trying it. I ordered one and enjoyed it so much that I ordered another. Sorry, I was so busy enjoying my food that I forgot to take a photo…TWICE, lol.

Lastly, while I was not going to have alcohol at 10 am, I took a look at their menu for that as well. Their liquors are high-end, which appeals to me, and they have a nice variety of mixed drinks. Naturally, they have a wide variety of espresso drinks. Their other cocktails are simple, like their espresso, yet quite attractive. I might just need to come back here even though I will not longer be staying next door.

Again, the highlight of this stop was the service. I see that there is a negative review for the bartender. I stopped by a couple days ago just to see what the place was like, but I did not eat or drink. Everyone was friendly at that stop as well. So, either that bartender is gone, he/she was having a bad day or there was just a...

Walked here for an after-dinner drink and it was absolutely the correct choice. The two bartenders are some of the sweetest folks we’ve met, and full of recommendations for local teahouses, sukiyaki, and other faraway travel destinations. Furthermore, they obviously take a lot of pride in their craft, weighing everything as carefully for a whisky soda as much as they did an espresso martini. You can tell how much fun we had by the fact that I only took one mediocre photo of my drink and none of the vibey manga nook or their delicate china that I assume they serve the coffee in earlier in the day, but hopefully this shot of a perfectly-made espresso martini entices someone to check out this bar. My only real regret is that I didn’t bring a bottle of Mr Black to replenish their bar, as they are currently on their last bottle due to import...

We came to Café-bar Dónguri for a drink after dinner that was close to our hotel. We couldn’t have been more pleased with this choice and ended up staying for 3 drinks! Highly, HIGHLY recommend the Irish coffee. They make it with real coffee and real cream. Best Irish coffee I’ve ever had. The limoncello spritz was also very good and refreshing if you aren’t looking for espresso. Although the drinks were great, we stayed because the service of the two bartenders, “T&T” was unforgettable. These two were so welcoming and kind and were very knowledgeable about all the drinks (especially whiskeys) on their menu. If you need assistance with a choice, they are great to ask. Truly great conversation with them. Can’t recommend this place enough, especially to those...