Sabo Satsukitei (Gold Coffee) — Restaurant in Kyoto

さつき亭茶屋 Sabo Satsukitei Kyoto

After our early morning visit to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, we strolled along a beautiful and quiet path lined with greenery to our next destination : Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple (The temple is 20 mins walk from the Arashiyama bamboo forest with a collection of 1200 unique Rakan statues that represent the disciples of the historical Buddha. It’s rarely visited by visitors however recently more tourists came to this temple to see a smaller bamboo forest there). Our rumbling stomach sound reminded us that we did not have any breakfast and coffee yet. We stumbled into a small charming roadside cafe, Sabo Satsukitei Kyoto, located along the roadside in this very peaceful and picturesque neighborhood. It opened for breakfast! Thanks goodness.

As soon as we walked in the restaurant, we were instantly attracted by its unique and pleasing interior. The ambience was quite cosy with traditional western furnishings; red velvet sofa booth, wooden chairs and tables, a bar/kitchen. The deco however reminds me of an English pub atmosphere. The ambience was elevated by the owners’ anime theme collections and plentiful cute figurines and ornaments scattered around the restaurant.

We sat at a table by the window facing the quiet street. Warm sunbeams shone through the windows and birds were singing happily. Feeling the warm sunlight and hearing the birds song made us experiencing moments of bliss at this little restaurant. All these enchanting scenes attributed to give our spirits a boost and get us ready for our next adventure of the day.

We ordered pancakes, ham and cheese sandwich, ramen with scrambled egg and coffee which were delish yet reasonably cheap. The owner couple were friendly and served us promptly. The restaurant was not busy because it was only 820am just after the restaurant opened at 8am. Later we found out that this restaurant had a google review of 4.6/4.8 and it was a popular restaurant frequented by tourists and locals alike. Sometimes we found hidden gem eateries more pleasing and interesting.

The wife was busy cooking behind the bar while the husband was attending to patrons politely! We were very fond of this place cause we felt as if we were having our breakfast at home. The pancakes were fresh and fluffy, the ramen was delish and hot and coffee was fresh and HOT. All food n drinks were made by the chef. She was really an awesome cook. Thumbs up! FYI the lunch menu consist hamburger set, pork curry set, and soba soup set price range from...

On our mountain / Tanuki trip through Kyoto we landed in this cute café where the owner was foreigner friendly, smiling from ear to ear and made great food together with his partner in crime.

The sandwhich, pancakes and coffee are well-approved! Please visit this (cash only) café on your journey through the bamboo regions of Kyoto if you want a local experience.

P.S. - Loved the anime...

Really good spot to stop off and eat. Two lunches and two drinks cost us 3100 Yen. really good food and reasonable pricing considering we’re in the middle of a tourist district!! The proprietor is a really cool guy and full of character. I asked him about his chainsaw man T-shirt and he showed me all the different characters in his showcase. Well worth...