Doughnut Cafe nicotto & mam — Restaurant in Kyoto

It was so good, we immediately went back for more even though we just had lunch at the famous soba shop about 50 meters away.

We tried their soy custard donuts and strawberry coated donuts. Note: these are Japanese style donuts which are known to be chewy in texture. So don’t go in expecting fluffy soft donuts, but a unique chewy texture. The soy custard was so so special. If you can only choose one thing to try here, it has to be it. Unlike normal yellowish-custard, their soy custard was fluffy, not too sweet, and balances the chewy donut perfectly. Extra sweetness comes from the icing sugar coated around the donut. The strawberry donut was also really good. It was fresh and tasted like real strawberries. Not overly sweet with the right ratio of glaze to flour.

Through the window, you can also see them baking fresh batches. There are about 4 seats by the wall at the back for those who want a quick sit. They also serve coffee with soy, oat, or almond milk.

Would...

Doughnut Cafe nicotto & mam, located near the Manga Museum, offers a uniquely Japanese take on the classic treat. This charming spot focuses on wholesome ingredients, crafting a natural yeast dough that is notably free of eggs and dairy, making it friendly for those with common allergies.

The true highlight is the delightful texture: the doughnuts are soft yet satisfyingly chewy (mochi-mochi). The flavor profile is deliberately mild and not too sweet, reflecting a refined Japanese sensibility. This focus on natural, balanced sweetness is perfect for those who enjoy subtlety, but visitors with a strong sweet tooth might find the taste falls slightly short of...

As a vegan family we were excited to see that this place had some vegan donut options. It was also great to see that they still had all of the vegan flavors still in stock at around 5pm. The three vegan options they had were kinako, plain, and traditional. Honestly, they were just ok. There's not much special about any of the flavors but if I had to pick a favorite it would be traditional. I think that we would be more forgiving about the limited flavors if the donuts themselves were fluffy and perfect but unfortunately they really aren't. However, the staff packing our order was very nice and thorough, which was a...