aka tombo coffee — Restaurant in Nara

For those who need an early morning caffeine hit, this is the place! Chris and Keiko have created a friendly and welcoming space, and make a mean espresso. It's also a great place for tips and info about what to see and do in the area - Chris is a veritable font of local knowledge, whether you're interested in 7th century history, or want advice on how to explore the world heritage listed forests while evading the hoards of tourists, or you're looking for a whiskey bar, or the best burger in town!

I overheard a young Englishman who'd been travelling through SE Asia for months exclaim "it was like a taste of home" after finishing his meat pie in about 3 bites- and for Aussies needing a taste of home, there's Vegemite on the menu (I still don't understand why, but Chris will try to explain it if you ask).

It gets hectic at times, but the service is always friendly.

If you're in Nara, and like coffee (or Vegemite!) aka tombo is the...

This is a great coffee shop selling some delicious food. Situated up a flight of stairs on one of the main side streets 10min walk from Nara train stop it should be your first early morning destination when arriving in the area.

Its theme is East Meets West and so you can enjoy Australian inspired coffee and drink options alongside some Japanese influenced options. The gentleman who runs the place is very friendly and can offer excellent tourist advice for some of the hidden gems of Nara.

I enjoyed the morning set and spring coffee (a 9 hour cold brew with fantastic flavour). The whole grain toast with honey was also excellent.

This place is open from 7:00am in the morning (unlike most places in Japan that don’t open until 9/10am) so you can get your coffee fix before a day or walking! Highly recommend. There is...

We had breakfast here to start off our day trip in Nara, and Chris gave us so many lovely tips and suggestions, as well as a bit of history which made us appreciate Nara even more.

We ordered the ricotta pancakes and the french toast, which came quickly. My pancakes were light and fluffy, with a honey butter sauce. My partner’s french toast had a salted caramel sauce and was very soft and nice. Thankfully the food was not too heavy prior to our busy day walking! It was also nice to get a flat white which was nice and smooth, and we also had the cold brew which was also delicious (highly recommend)! We hope to come back next time we visit Nara ❤️

Thank you for your hospitality!!! We had a lovely time and left with our tummies and...