Gion Komori

There is a sweet shop called Gion Komori in Gion Shinbashi, which is often used for filming TV dramas. It is located in a “most Kyoto-like” location, designated as a preservation area, and is visited by many people, including tourists, every day. But it is not only a good location; it is also so popular that it has been selected as one of the 100 best Japanese sweets spots on the “Tabelog”.

I heard a rumor that the most popular item at Gion Komori is a parfait made with their specialty, warabimochi (rice cakes), so I thought, “Let’s try it!” So I went to the cafe on a weekday afternoon after work. It had been about a year since I had eaten a parfait myself…so I went to the place looking forward to my café time there…

As expected, a perfect location where time flows leisurely… Gion Komori is a cafe like this…

Gion Komori is located right in front of Tatsumi Bridge, one of the most picturesque spots in Gion, Kyoto. The area around the bridge is designated as a Special Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and the rows of traditional Kyoto machiya houses lining both sides of the stone pavement are exactly the image of Kyoto that everyone has in their minds. It is a perfect location for all visitors to feel the historical atmosphere. Personally, I think, “Shouldn’t they just charge you to enter?”

Gion Komori is a traditional Kyoto townhouse located in such a perfect location that is being used as a store. It was originally a teahouse that had been in use since the postwar period, but was reopened as a sweet shop in 1997. I like the fact that the building is a traditional Kyoto townhouse in a special preservation district, so it really looks like it has been preserved as it was in the past. If it were renovated in a modern style, it would ruin the atmosphere.

According to the restaurant’s Tabelog, there are 124 seats in total. In fact, the Japanese-style room I was shown was so spacious that I felt like lying down on the tatami mats. Depending on the room, it is possible to enjoy a relaxing café while looking out the window at the Kyoto-style tsuboniwa garden or the Shirakawa River. The place made me think, “Honestly, I don’t need a café or anything, I just want to take a break for about two hours….”

Warabimochi Parfait: Gion Komori’s most popular parfait menu, how was it when I tried it?

This time I ordered the most popular menu item at Gion Komori, the Warabimochi Parfait (price: 1,700 yen including tax). With the green tea set, the bill was 2,200 yen (1,700 yen + 500 yen including tax)…

After about 20 minutes of waiting after ordering, the Warabimochi Parfait with Green Tea arrived in front of me. You can see the warabimochi in the middle of the glass. Perhaps after eating up to that point, pour the molasses over it…?

With this in mind, start eating from the top of the parfait. This parfait is stacked from the bottom layer, in this order: green tea pound cake, chestnut bean paste, warabimochi, vanilla ice cream, and green tea ice cream sprinkled with soybean flour at the top, so it is possible to eat quite a variety of sweets just by eating one of these. It’s nice and convenient to be able to eat a variety of foods at once, isn’t it? Well, to be honest, the price of 1,700 yen for one parfait is almost double that of Karafuneya Coffee, and I personally think, “Hmmm…”

After finishing the top layer of ice cream, I reached the warabimochi. I poured a generous amount of molasses over the top and tried the famous warabimochi, but it was quite hard and gummy in texture, perhaps because it had been cooled by the ice cream on top, or perhaps because it was originally made this way. The texture was totally different from the freshly made warabimochi I had at Saryo Hosen before. Of course, it is edible as usual, but it is a little disappointing that I could not feel something that would make it a “specialty”…

I left the cafe with warm green tea to recover from the parfait that had cooled me down. It was good that I could enjoy various sweets with this one parfait, but I felt “Hmmm…” about the specialty, warabimochi. I guess I had to order the warabimochi as a stand-alone item. I will leave that as homework for the next time I visit the restaurant…

Examples of other menu items at Gion Komori (prices include tax)

• Uji Milk Kintoki 1600 yen
• Azuki bavarois parfait 1600 yen
• Warabimochi 1300 yen
• Shiratama anmitsu 1150 yen
• Kuri zenzai 1000 yen
• Matcha only 900 yen
• Vanilla ice cream 800 yen

Wagashi are also sold at the storefront… Access to Gion Komori is a 5-minute walk from the nearest station, Sanjo Station on the Keihan Electric Railway Line.

Gion Komori also sells Japanese confections at its storefront…

Starting with the famous warabimochi, monaka, kompeito, mizuyokan, etc., there are also western sweets such as baumkuchen and pound cake combined with green tea. Prices are reasonable and just right for souvenirs and gifts. Just keep in mind that the best-before date for the warabimochi is the end of the day…

Now, here are the details of the store…

It is a 6-minute walk from the neighboring Gion-Shijo Station on the Keihan Electric Railway Line.

P.S. If you are looking for a cozy cafe in Kyoto, please stop by this article below…