CLAMP COFFEE SARASA — Restaurant in Kyoto

tl;dr great coffee, roasted in-house, poor service and rules that seem aimed at tourists despite tourists supporting the business.

2nd time visiting this coffee shop this year on separate trips to Kyoto, and rules seem to have been added that are aimed at tourists. We were told we had to sit at a picnic style table across from a random person, directly next to the loud roasting machine, despite the bar seats being completely open. After sitting down we see signs that say “no changing seats”, great 🙃.

After a few minutes, I decide to politely ask if we could please move to an open bar seat at the window that faced outside, as it was quite frankly awkward sitting in that arrangement with a stranger (local) who kept looking at us as if we didn’t belong. At this point we didn’t have our drinks or food, so I saw no harm in moving seats as the staff wouldn’t have to clean our unused table space. The staff still declined the request to change seats, but agreed after I explained that we were uncomfortable in our seat.

I acknowledge that we technically moved seats against their wishes, but in that scenario the rule was absurd, and made no sense. Aside from this, the female employee with the round glasses is cold and unfriendly, even if you make an honest attempt to speak Japanese as a tourist.

It’s a shame that I have to mention this, because the coffee and food from this place was great each time. If the staff got over their false sense of superiority (which I’ve seen mentioned in several reviews), this coffee shop would undoubtedly have a higher rating. The following day we ate at another local breakfast place (Yamazaki Coffee), who sat us at a bar seat, and even after serving us drinks, went out of their way to ask if we’d like to move to a better table when one opened up. The difference in service prompted me to leave this...

Easily the worst cafe I have been to during the whole trip in Japan! Avoid! 避雷 快跑！여긴 진짜 비추임! Definitely a shame of such a cute city like Kyoto🤕 The interior design of the cafe is quite nice, but unfortunately, that’s about the only positive side. Starting with the food and coffee, we ordered a latte, and I’d strongly recommend avoiding it—it barely tasted like coffee at all. Another downside is the environment. The coffee roaster is located inside the room, so it gets quite smoky, which can be unpleasant over time.

The service, however, was even more disappointing. From the moment we entered, the female cashier was unfriendly and rude. After we sat down (before our order was served), I noticed the window seats had become available as another customer left. I approached her to ask if we (two women) could switch seats, but before I could even finish my question, she immediately said “no” in a rude tone. When I tried to understand her reasoning, she simply ignored me and walked away without an explanation—despite the cafe being nearly empty, with only one customer seated at the time. I understand if you have to make such a rule (not get the reason behind it though), but your attitude is totally unacceptable.

What stood out the most was her attitude toward others. Shortly after, a white guy came in, and her demeanor completely changed. She greeted him warmly with a big smile, didn't say a word when he switched the seats without asking, handed him his drink personally, and appeared much more attentive. Until then, I had assumed she only worked as a barista and didn’t do waitstaff tasks, but clearly, that...

Single sourced coffee beans brewed by a master barista. If you are their at the end of the day, you can watch them huddled over, painstakingly sifting through their coffee looking for any beans that are less than perfect.

Decor is garage style but despite all the metal, it feels warm and cozy. At sunset, the whole cafe is often washed in pool of golden light. People have a hard time putting their phones down because they want to keep on taking pictures, but nothing can really capture its true ambiance unless you are actually there.

They don't mess around: they only serve meticulously drip coffee (hot or cold( which when you taste- you discover that any other way of drinking coffee has been completely unnecessary.

I always go home w a bag of Ethiopia beans.*

*this review is my second version; i accidentally deleted my first review when I tried...