Windy — Restaurant in Kyoto

This is the spot I'd recommend for the quintessential "Japanese" coffee experience. This is not a spot where the price of coffee includes the view, you're here for simply for the coffee. And to ensure that you're only here for the coffee, there are a couple other things you should know about Windy.

They don't serve food of any kind. They only accept cash. They don't really speak much English.

If none of those things are impediments to you, then I'd definitely recommend swinging by.

Windy's aesthetic is a blend of spartan utilitarianism and "so old, it became vintage." It kind of feels like he tried to figure out how to cram enough seats in the place while making room for his equipment, and was like, "That's good enough." All along the back wall, you'll find vintage ceramic ware that wouldn't feel out of place at your grandmother's. It's also a much bigger spot than I was expecting. They can probably fit 20 people in there, which is way more than I expecting for a hole-in-the-wall spot like this.

The owner told us that he roasts beans every day, and showed us his roasting equipment. Sitting at the counter, we were able to watch him go through his process for handcrafting each cup. Each cup is cloth filtered, which makes a really clean, really balanced cup of joe. For 600 yen, you'll get a cup of coffee that exemplifies the old-school Japanese style of coffee-making.

Other reviews point out that this guy's been making coffee at this spot for over 4 decades, so if you're a fan of good coffee, I'd recommend heading over the next time you're in Kyoto. This experience won't be...

This is the best coffee I've ever had in my life. The owner has been running the shop together with his wife since 1972. It's got a really cool retro interior decor, and he uses old school coffee grinders.

In the shop you can see his coffee roaster, which he uses every day to roast fresh beans. Watching him make coffee is fascinating. There were so many steps to his process, I can't even recount all of them. He used a pour over type method, like many Japanese coffee shops. His method is much more involved and precise, measuring the beans carefully, regulating the temperature of the water, he's truly a master of the art of brewing coffee.

His wife hand-makes the coffee filters that he uses, which are his own design especially made for making coffee his way. He also has a custom stand used for holding the filters over the pots. He precisely measures each cup of coffee.

There's no food, and no to-go coffee. I'm guessing he wants customers to enjoy the coffee at its best. It's also cash only. The price is amazing, only 500 yen per cup!

We've already been back once, and we will probably come back again tomorrow. Discovering this place completely derailed our plans, because we just have to come back...

Note: cash only.

Any self-respect coffee/espresso snob shall make this a must-go while in Kyoto. No Instagramer, not pretense, just good coffee.

Stumbled upon this hidden gem as I was walking back from Kyomizu-dera to to the machiya I was staying.

It was a mom & pop shop on 2nd floor of a residential building, on a quiet side street. The decor prob had not changed since the 90s - white leather stool/chairs, chestnut wood counter, red/white checker table cloth, instrumental jazz from a vinyl player gently filling the space.

The old lady/shop keeper came upon me with a laminated card - the menu. I pointed at the グァテマラ (single origin Guatemala coffee), she nodded, the master nodded.

4 mins later, I had the fragrant, smooth coffee, served in a antique like ceramic cup.

"ありがとう ございます", I savored the coffee and a moment of tranquility surrounding me for another 20 mins.

It was an oasis from the hustle bustle street...