Where to Get Coffee (and Tea) in Nara: Recommended Nara Cafes

Several of the nicest spots for coffee in Nara are in Naramachi, a district of the city within walking distance of the shopping centre, the park, and the main temple and shrine complexes. This area itself is historically well-preserved and has some of the most attractive Edo and Taisho period (17^th-early 20th century) buildings in Nara including old merchant townhouses (machiya) and sake breweries. Some of these have been repurposed as cafes, offering unusual, antique, and enchanting surroundings to their patrons, such as Rokusalon, Bolik Coffee, and Machiya Café Kanna. In contrast, there are some great cafes in the city centre too, which are just as atmospheric in more modern ways, from El Mundo which retains some of the ambience of old Japanese kissaten (which are becoming harder to find) to the cosy jazz café ongaku&coffee, the conveniently-located Cafe Conce and the contemporary, minimalist design of Chami.

Here are a few favourites.

My favourite hidden gem for coffee, El Mundo, sits above a second-hand bookshop. It is a genuinely old-fashioned space, uniquely atmospheric not only for its time-slip atmosphere but also for the selection of classical music on vinyl played by the charming proprietress. It offers its own blend as well as, among others, Guatemalan, Columbian, and Brazilian coffee along with Baileys coffee, Irish coffee, Coconut au lait, cappuccino and hot chocolate. This is an elegant, warm place where you can be enveloped for a while in good music and good drinks. It overlooks an un-touristy main shopping street in downtown Kitamachi, steps away from Kintetsu Nara station, so from a seat by the window you can watch the ordinary day unfold below.

11am-6pm, Closed on Mondays

Cafe El Mundo

Cafe El Mundo counter

ongaku&coffee is not far away from El Mundo, discreetly situated in a little side street off the colourful Mochiidono shopping arcade and up a narrow flight of stairs. It is a very small but very cosy place which, one is cautioned before entering, may require its customer’s patience since it offers slowly poured-over coffee (which is also roasted in-house). Apart from its coffee, ongaku&coffee has a good collection of jazz music (the name of the café means “music & coffee”), and is open unusually late (for Nara) on Friday and Saturday evenings. Location-wise its presence is signaled only by a small blackboard sign outside with the name of the café and a simple menu.

11-7pm (Fri & Sat 11-10pm)

Closed Thursdays

Website

Chami opened recently right in the center of the city and is probably the most typically modern-stylish café in Nara, with perhaps the best coffee – espresso and pour-over (drip), which is roasted inhouse. If you like minimalist design (and Instagramable allure), you will adore Chami – its aesthetic is highly refined and every little detail has been subjected to the scrutiny of an eye with a vision for perfect minimalist beauty. Exquisite cakes (madeleines, financiers, etc) are available.

10am-6pm

Website

Café Conce

Near Nara Park and Nara National Museum, this is a comfortable and attractive space which makes for a convenient spot for lunch and/or cakes as well as coffee after a visit to either of these must-sees. It has a modern cafeteria-vibe and offers views over the street below and its busy passers-by.

10am-5pm, Closed Tuesdays

Website

Bolik Coffee has a Russian theme but is housed within a pretty, modern, pale-blue residential building with a broad window open to the small street the runs in front of it. Nearby lies the old lattice-worked townhouse Koshi-no-ie, and steps away, the last remains of Shotoin hermitage behind a precarious-looking gate, and a little glade. Bolik offers cakes, parfaits, and drinks as well as soup and Borscht.

12:30pm-6pm, Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Website

Bolik Coffee

Roku-salon is situated in a large old house with architectural features common to the area: rather mysterious high curved earthen walls in pale yellow with arched doorways that hint at hidden inner grandeur – and the impression that the town is merging into the wilds even before one reaches the edges of the Kasuga Primeval Forest just beyond. Run by jazz enthusiasts/aficionados, Rokusalon hosts jazz concerts in the evenings but they are advertised only on a poster on the outside wall of the cafe. It has a close clientele and the events are lively and highly recommended. Meanwhile the cafe operates daily offering lunch, snacks, and drinks. It is situated a few steps away from Fuku-in temple, and a few minutes from the Shiga Naoya house. One can even walk from here to Kasugataisha Shrine and round back into the city centre, or go even further out into the countryside on one of the old roads on a country walk or hike.

Everyday 10am-5pm (occasionally has irregular hours)

Cash only

Roku-salon

Roku-salon

Machiya Café Kanna is a tearoom inside a machiya – an old townhouse. These buildings are distinguished by their narrow frontage and long deep interiors (a layout that was tax-advantageous). If you are interested in architecture and old interiors, this is an especially good place to drop into for a break. Good local Nara teas are served as well as exquisite sweets – the signature menu item is “Kanna’s Little Box”, a traditionally tiered box containing a collection of sweet snacks.

11am-6pm (sometimes irregular)

Website

This list would be incomplete without mentioning Nara City’s very central Starbucks situated by Sarusawa Pond – not so culturally unique, but sometimes the familiar feels inviting, and it’s one of the prettiest I’ve seen, especially in the evening light.

8am-9pm

Starbucks Coffee, by Sarusawa Pond, Nara City Centre