We were looking for a place to have breakfast and we came across this hidden gem, this place is the temple of good Italian style coffee. We ordered a full breakfast with coffee included. The owner takes his time to make the perfect coffee and likes to chat about life with customers. The coffee beans he uses are from a well-known brand of high-quality Italian coffee, which you can even buy at his store. The aroma of that place, the good vibes, the short conversations with other customers and the atmosphere are very interesting, especially that the experience of having a simple coffee becomes a trip to the Italian city of Naples. I understand that the cafeteria is also an inn, so they offer or recommend accommodation. Excellent quality, taste, service. It was a good start to the day before going to the temple 🙌

This is the place to go for a proper Italian coffee!! Not only the cappuccino was delicious but the atmosphere from the decorations to the music (Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli) make you feel like you're in Italy. The pastries are also to be tried! I will definitely come back!

Great coffee, unique place. Quick and friendly service even though the place was packed. This place is definitely a gem. I am so glad to find a proper coffee in the morning, especially since it's not common for Japanese hotels providing any kind of coffee in the room. They even kindly gave a free glass of orange juice (they said because it was earlier than 7 am?!) It was a nice gesture and honestly the OJ was very refreshing

Found this place by chance in search of a good coffee after my visit to the Nijo Castle. Small place with only few seats as is so often the case in Japan. Cozy atmosphere with lots of small things Italian. An Italian radio station adds to the special flair of the place. But what's most important, I had one of the best coffees ever in Japan and the pastry I had with it was delicious. The owner is very friendly and speaks a very good English and also Italian. A place not to be missed when you are in the area and want to enjoy a genuine Italian coffee.👍👍👍

Excellent coffee, delicious and filling breakfast and very friendly staff. Glad we came across this place. Highly recommend stopping in if you are in town.

This coffee shop is just great, creative and delicious. The staff are attentive, crafty and meticulous and the coffee and espresso are perfect. A+++++

The food and coffee are delicious and a lot of care has been taken to decorate the café with stylish Italian decor! Naoto is the owner, chef, barista and host and he is very kind and friendly. Thank you very much, I will definitely come back again!

After being to about 15 different coffee specialty places in Kyoto in the past 3 month: This is the best place to get an Italian style coffee. Both the espresso and cappuccino were excellent. Good price aswell.

We didn’t stay in the hotel, we visited the coffeeshop at the hotel. And this is absolutely amazing place to have breakfast and coffee. They were the only ones who were opened at 6:30 am. It’s a nice place with Italian glare

Perfect coffee and delicious Western-style breakfast, consisting of a toasted sandwich, a boiled egg and granola, all of which were perfection! The place is rather tiny and the owner (I assume) works there alone, but he pays so much attention to every single thing. I highly recommend it and if our schedule allows, we'll be back!

BEST CAPPUCCINO IN THE WORLD! We are not kidding. IMAYA is a must go when in Kyoto, lovely and cool atmosphere and delicious breakfast set of panini, soft boiled egg, yogurt with cereal. Fresh OJ too! Owner speaks perfect English and is very friendly. Do not miss!

Nice breakfast experience! Should be a good try if you could not decide what to eat. Cozy and chill environment. The owner is a professional barista and life lover, which can been seen inside the shop. Definitely will revisit if around Kyoto again.

The best breakfast set you can get in town. For just about 1200yen, you can get a coffee or hot chocolate drink with sandwiches, hard-boiled egg, and cereal with yogurt. The cappuccino was strong and creamy as it should be. It’s our 2nd time here and we’re always satisfied with our meal and the service. The chef is friendly and he speaks English as well. I feel our stay in Kyoto won’t be complete without having breakfast at this wonderful shop.

Love the atmosphere in this cafe. On top of that the coffee and food is top notch. Speaking of the coffee, the foam is perfect. Has such lightness but still maintains its structure. The espresso is perfectly extracted. So delicious. The sandwich is so good as well. There’s a sauce in the panini that compliments the thick cut ham and lettuce. 100% would recommend anyone in the area to check this cafe out

Had breakfast here— the food was really good and the coffee is exceptional. It was only the owner (?) who was working in the cafe so it may take awhile if it’s busy (maybe 10-15 minutes). The place isn’t very big and seating is limited (maybe 5 groups of people) but the owner is very nice and it’s noticeable how much care he puts into the food and coffee. The place is so well decorated as well that it kind of transports you away from Japan and into Italy. Again, the coffee is amazing— good Italian beans and brewing technique. The cappuccino I had just had the right amount of sweetness, and the americano my partner had was very smooth. The food was also very filling and delicious. We will be back. Thanks again!

This amazing hostel just came into my mind tonight. I visited IMAYA in 2018. I’m always a light sleeper, I can never imagine that I can sleep like a baby in a hostel. But IMAYA did it. Every night I stayed with them I sleep through the night,not only me but also my friend. We both found this place is magical, peaceful,lovely,tidy,organized and amazing. Owner is super nice and the coffee was great too. Hope the covid will fade away soon so that we can visit again! Love IMAYA! All the best!

Terrific little coffee shop. Their breakfast set is a chicken panini, boiled egg and yogurt. Not the typical breakfast I'm used to, but really hit the spot. Their lattes and pastries were quite good. Tiny, maybe seating for ten or so. English speaking servers. Recommended!

HANDS DOWN THE BEST COFFEE I’VE HAD IN KYOTO! Found this gem of a place near my hotel, the first sip of cappuccino I had there was just perfect! Super tasty and creamy. Stayed in Kyoto for a week and went to Imaya every single day for breakfast and coffee of course. Simple and yummy breakfast set, super filling. The boiled egg style reminded me of the way my mum used to feed me as a kid ☺️ Owners are very friendly, service is awesome and fast. Would definitely come back whenever I go back to Japan! ❤️

Coffee was great, food was decent/space was rather small. Was looking for a great place to relax at an European brunch, but was not fully satisfied.

This is the best coffee shop in Kyoto. My friends and I would go here every morning before we started our day. The coffee was fresh, the breakfast special is delicious, and the fruit juice is fresh. The owner speaks very good English and was very friendly. He remembered our orders every morning and was a joy to talk to. Recommend to anyone visiting Kyoto. This is the only coffee shop I will go to next time I visit Kyoto. Thank you for the experience!

This was the best coffee and breakfast I had in Japan, hands down. The owner was amazing and the place itself was incredible. Also very close walk to the imperial Palace in Kyoto. I genuinely haven't found a coffee place that was even on the same level of deliciousness.

We came into this cozy cafe for a breakfast and it was delicious! Small space, informal sitting (coffee shop) and one item on the menu. That day it was a hot sandwich, egg, and granola with yogurt. We realllllyyy enjoyed it! Everything was flavorful and just the right amount. The coffee was amazing! They only have regular or soy milk. I had the soy cappuccino and it was delicious and foamy. The fresh orange juice was sweet and natural. We saw someone get the shakerato and it looked so good. The service was quick and great!

Absolutely wonderful shop! Came with my family and the amount of love and passion that went into each cup of coffee was incredible. Breakfast was fantastic and the service was out of this world!

What a lovely coffee place! Authentic and superb Italian-style coffee. We had an Americano and a Marocchino. Both were great. The owner was friendly and kind. We also appreciated his excellent English. If you are willing to go off the beaten path, Imaya offers a wonderful respite from Kyoto's hustle and bustle.

Best cappuccino in town! An Italian style cafe run by an owner with a character. The panini breakfast is a very good deal. They also serve some beer and aperol.

IMAYA is a great place to have fantastic italian coffee and breakfast. The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming and Naoto is not only a master of coffee, but a very nice host. Thanks and hopefully we will meet again!

Authentic espresso served by an evangelist of Napoli coffee. You will realize that you have had just black hot water. This is the cafe.

IMAYA Hostel Kyoto was a great experience and I recommend it to anyone who is considering staying overnight in Kyoto. The access to transport is a strong advantage of this listing. Also, the host/manager is an incredibly nice guy. He really goes out of his way to make sure his guests enjoy their stay, hence his very high rating. The coffee shop built into the hostel is great as well. Please stay a while and drink/enjoy the shop's breakfast if you can.

Great place! Very good price and you get everythung you can expect from a hostel: great location, clean beds, minimal shared kitchen, great bar, and private shower. The owner is very nice and helpful too. Do notice that the towel is additional fee,and though there are small safes, there is no place to lock all tour baggage. The bed is not very comfy too. One thing is sure - best coffee I had in japan!

Perfect place to stay! Best coffee and better breakfast :) My dear friend from the other side of the world, Time flies. It would be nice to be back in Japan exploring such a beautiful country. I felt that our time in Kyoto was way too short.. We should definitely come back! I am good, back in Europe and back to work. I wish you the best in running your business. I think I can still taste that good breakfast of yours that you prepare. Amazing! Please, let me know if you come to visit France (since I remember you speak French) or any other place around. I would be happy to help you. Best, Alejandro

AMAZING BREAKFAST. Breakfast comes as a set with coffee. The coffee is extremely delicious and tastes exactly like the ones made in Italy. This place is definitely worth a visit in Kyoto. Recommended to come early because breakfast runs out at around 9am (because it’s so good!)

A very small and hidden coffee shop with original Italian coffee. Breakfast is a tray with a grilled sandwich, a boiled egg, yogurt. Choose your favorite coffee additionally to it. I had the cappuccino and it was excellent. You need to try your luck - if the place is full then you will be asked to come back in 10 minutes. But no guarantees. If it's still busy, then you need to wait.

A good variety for the breakfast set. The owner take great effort. The coffee is nice. I love the decorations & ambience of the cafe. It's definitely speaks the person of the owner who are friendly and cool. My aunt pointed out that by looking at the cleanliness of the cafe, the owner definitely serve good food. She is right.

We went to this great place for breakfast. The breakfast was perfect! The sandwich was amazing! My family and I really enjoyed this moment! It was our favorite breakfast in Kyoto ! I highly recommend this place if you want to enjoy a tasty breakfast with such a nice owner who surprised us as he was speaking french!

Awesome breakfast set, hearty and filling! Owners were really courteous and could speak really good english too. Coffee was good but their sandwich was so delicious…

Great coffee, one of the best I’ve had in Japan. Is open pleasingly early too, most places are still closed (I visited just after 8am) The owner was pleasant too, he went out of his way to be courteous.

Amazing cafe, great vibe, friendly owners and really good food. There’s only one menu so it is done to perfection. I really enjoyed it, highly recommend. Even though they closed for a break in half an hour they still welcomed me in and served me anyway!

We walked to this unassuming cafe and entered a domain of incredibly good coffee, prepared with the upmost care and respect of the ingredients and a clear passion for everything coffee! The place itself has an amazing vibe and would transport you to a cafe in Napoles in Italy, or Buenos Aires in Argentina. Maradona memorabilia across the board, which is expected of either Napoles o Buenos Aires, and even an Italian radio station sounding through a vintage portable radio cassette player. Breakfast is a set menu of sandwich, egg, yogurt; simple but really great tasting and goes along well with a selection of Italian coffee. The orange juice is prepared fresh right on the bar! The service is A+ and the owner is very friendly! It has a local clientele, that seems to be daily customers at least based on the small interactions and camaraderie with the owner. If you are looking for great coffee and a great vibe, and along with that some good breakfast, and you are not in a hurry, this is a great place to go!

Best coffee and host in Kyoto! One more cup of cappuccino after one marocchino and one con panna can tell how good it is! ;) will definitely miss this city cause of this cafe!

After living in Naples, Italy for several years, then moving to Japan, I can tell you that the coffee at Imaya is of highest quality. Brewed to perfection, Passalacqua is our absolute favorite espresso. Our family ate this delicious breakfast and drank this superb coffee 2 days in a row and would have gone again if they weren’t closed on a Monday. Naoto-San is an excellent host, barista, and chef. I can’t recommend this place enough!

I didn’t stay in the hostel, but came here for coffee only. It was very fun, everything was from Italy, even water. I did feel like I was literally in Roma or Naples. Great experience.

Best coffee in Kyoto, it feels like being in Napoli! The owner goes to Naples every 4 months. The breakfast is really good, you get a sandwich, a boiled egg and a yogurt with honey and muesli. I highly recommend Imaya if you ever come to Kyoto.