Café
Inoda Coffee Honten
The flagship of a Kyoto coffee house founded in 1940, serving nel-drip coffee and breakfast from 7:00 in a townhouse-style building with more than 200 seats.
Kaikado Café
A café run by the family behind Kaikado's handmade tea caddies, serving its own roasted coffee, Japanese tea and artisan sweets near Shichijo.
At a glance
- Type
- Café and coffee roastery
- Area
- Shichijo, Kyoto, Japan
- Price
- $$ · Mid-range
- Official site
- kaikado-cafe.jp
Good to know
- In-house roasted coffee
- Japanese tea
- Cakes
Why we recommend it
Kaikado is a long-established Kyoto maker of chazutsu, handmade metal tea caddies that are hammered and fitted so precisely that their lids slide shut under their own weight. The family's café, near the corner of Kawaramachi-dori and Shichijo-dori, brings the same attention to detail to coffee and tea, and it has become a favourite with design-minded visitors as well as local residents.
The café occupies an older building on Kawaramachi-dori, and its relaxed, unhurried atmosphere makes it a good place to sit with a book or to slow down between sights. Because the family's own trade is a craft, the café also showcases the work of other makers, through the sweets it serves from artisans in Japan and abroad.
Since 2023 the coffee has been roasted in-house under the name Kaikado Roastery, and the menu also features Japanese teas and teas from abroad, served with sweets and baked goods from domestic and international makers. The cheesecake is one of the café's best-known items and is also sold in sets through its online shop. Expect a short, carefully chosen menu rather than a long list of options. A breakfast visit soon after opening is one of the quietest times to go.
The café is open from 8:00 on weekdays, with last orders at 15:30, and until 17:00 at weekends and on public holidays, with last orders at 16:30, but hours can change for events, so check the official site before you go; a notice about changed hours was posted in October 2026. It is busiest at weekends from late morning. There is no car park, so use public transport or a nearby coin car park. The café suits couples, solo travellers and anyone interested in craft and design.
Kaikado Café is a short walk from Keihan Shichijo Station and around fifteen minutes on foot from Kyoto Station. Kaikado's own shop, where you can see and buy the tea caddies, is nearby, and the Kamo River promenade is a block to the east. Sanjusangen-do and the Kyoto National Museum are just across the river, so the café makes a good stop before or after a visit there.
Kaikado Café FAQs
What are the opening hours?
Usually 8:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 8:00 to 17:00 at weekends and holidays, but check the website as hours can change.
Who runs Kaikado Café?
Kaikado, a long-established Kyoto maker of handmade tea caddies.
Is the coffee roasted in-house?
Yes. Kaikado Roastery has roasted the café's coffee since 2023.
What should you order?
Coffee or Japanese tea with the café's cheesecake.
Is there parking?
No. Use public transport or nearby coin parking.
How do you get there?
Walk a short distance from Keihan Shichijo Station, or about fifteen minutes from Kyoto Station.
What is nearby?
The Kamo River, Sanjusangen-do and the Kyoto National Museum.
Can you buy Kaikado tea caddies?
Yes, at the Kaikado shop nearby.