This place is about ambiance first and second, coffee and food a distant third. A 1300 yen set consisting of a small cup of black coffee and a piece of cake was pricier than most places, and punched well below its weight. Coffee was non-descript, and my pistachio mont blanc was 3 ho-hum bites.

There a lot of bits of old-fashioned decor to hearken back to the early days of Inoda Coffee, as is befitting of their main headquarters. It's definitely quaint, and has a vibe, but this is Kyoto! You can't throw a rock without hitting a place that has similar appeal. My wife ordered the cassis and blood orange cake, and hers was much better. Unfortunately for Inoda, 1 out of 3 is still a pretty poor success rate.

The shop is also arranged oddly, with the entirety of the outdoor garden seating being dedicated to smoking, so if you can't stand smoke, you can't enjoy a big part of the ambiance. There's also a cockatiel in a cage near the restrooms that you can hear throughout the restaurant. My recommendation is to take some pictures of the shop outside, and then head somewhere else to get a better cup of coffee and a better snack.