Cafe Rhino — Restaurant in Kyoto

A true hidden gem nestled between a few wedding halls near Nijo Castle. Saw this place on Google Maps while looking for a place to eat lunch near the castle. It may take some time to find the entrance.

We ordered the Neapolitan pasta and two types of curries to try. The Neapolitan pasta was perfect to me. The tomato based sauce was flavourful, deep and umami yet tangy, it is thick and coated each strand of noodles well. The noodles are accompanied by some small meatballs and slices of onion and bell pepper which provided another dimension to the taste. The flavourful sauce is offset and complimented by the powdered cheese.

You can taste the different spices in the curries and the chicken stayed juicy which was lovely. However, it lacked a bit of savouriness/saltiness to fully bring out the taste of the curry. There were also some black flakes and slight smokiness so the curry might have had burned in the bottom of the pot.

Overall, it was a very homey and cozy meal. The food tasted like it was prepared with love by the boss/chef who does it attentively. I think the owner’s personal playlist was played in the cafe when we visited which added a nice touch of character. Currently there are only four items on the menu, the pasta and three types of curry.

Definitely...

A Hidden Gem right by Nijo Castle!!!

We were trying to find a late lunch and every restaurant we came upon through a Google search in the area were closed… even though Google said open. My son saw Cafe Rhino’s “OPEN” sign out of the corner of his eye and I’m so glad he did!

The owner (I assume) was kind and efficient. And his English was very good. I had the Hot Sandwich and my son had the Beef Tendon Curry Rice. Both were delicious. I added the Red Beans Bread and Butter which was stellar!! The beef curry rice was spicy, as it should be. We also had Sen-cha green tea and my son had hot cafe au lait. Both hit the spot perfectly!

I highly recommend this restaurant if you’re in the Kyoto area!! And take a minute to talk to the owner. He’s very kind...

A small miracle happened while eating here. After such a hectic day of touring, finishing off with a visit to the Nijo-jo Castle, we found this place. After ordering and waiting, just as I was relaxing, one of my favourite City Pop songs start to play and it instantly makes me forget about my troublesome day. Not only that, but after telling him about it, he shows me his collection of Tatsuro Yamashita CD's and plays me the newest one.

If not for the delicious food, please come to visit this wonderful man. He speaks great English, and is incredibly kind and funny. I wish him nothing but the best to him and I thank him...