Mar Cafe — Restaurant in Kyoto

The space is nice, with lovely views and good music. It's probably a nice place if you come in a group for a meal and have booked ahead. However, I did not have a good experience as a walk-in customer needing a coffee and nice place to sit.

The cafe was mostly empty and yet I was not permitted to sit at any of many empty tables or 3 empty sofas facing the nice views. I was also not allowed to sit at any empty tables at the outdoor terrace. All seats except the counter were apparently reserved, but there were no notes on the tables and nobody came in the 40 minutes I was there. I do not think they told me the truth, and it was not welcoming. It is important that all of those seats were shaded and much cooler and more pleasant than the sun-blasted counter where I was told, twice, I had to sit at. It was uncomfortable there, but there was an interesting view of the city - until the canvas blind was lowered to help shade my seat, which cut off the view entirely. So really, coming up to 8F to stare at brown canvas and overheat, when Mar Cafe was recommended for great views and cooling breezes, was pointless.

I had to wait 10 minutes for somebody to take my order - which was not good, because the cafe was quiet and well-staffed. The iced coffee I ordered was a reasonable price and a generous size, but it was not good. It tasted sour (not in a deliberate way) and unpleasant.

For me, it was not a good experience. I probably should have left before ordering, but I was very tired because of the heat outside and hoped the coffee might be...

Me and my girlfriend shared an amazing dinner here at Mar Cafe. This is the first review I’ve ever made due to how much we enjoyed ourselves here. Prices are very nice for the quality of food and drink, with a super cute eccentric seating and decor, (we were sat at a sofa table which was fun.) I got the roast beef sandwich and fries while my girlfriend opted for this weeks pasta. As someone who doesn’t like cold sandwiches most of the time this one was absolutely delicious with pickled onion and a balsamic glaze that paired perfectly with the tender beef. The bread was also not too hard, like most cold french breads can be. The soup that accompanied the dish was some kind of pumpkin soup that I absolutely loved. The fries were thick and very fresh and I thoroughly enjoyed the wasabi mayo with them as well, (not too spicy at all so don’t be afraid.) The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente and the cream sauce was balanced and delicious. The meat board we got as an appetizer did come after our main entrees but was still fun to snack on with the rest of our meal and wasn’t too large as to spoil our appetite. Truly a fantastic experience, will definitely come back our next...

Fancy cafe at the top (8th) floor of the building with large windows looking out at the river and surrounding streets. There's a large but old looking elevator. Prices match the atmosphere inside but can still be considered reasonable. I had the ハンバーグ (hanbaagu - burger steak) plate with Spanish white wine and omlete and finished with yuzu tea. It was all great! They also have good looking desserts but I didn't try any. I still had some space left for more food, but it's probably because I didn't eat much during the day.

Some criticism I can give is that the small quiche slice in the plate was served cold, would have been nice if it was just slightly warm. And the toilet needs to be better kept. I guess they're going for a fancy sort of grunge style maybe?

If you're coming on a date, or in general, I think it's best to make a reservation and try to ask for a...