Kissa Hisui

There is a quite famous local coffee shop called “Kissa Hisui” along Kitaoji Street in Kyoto. Founded in 1961, it has a history of over 60 years and is now run by the fourth generation of owners. The coffee shop has a retro Showa-era atmosphere, having been used many times in the past for filming on location for TV dramas, and has been visited by numerous celebrities. There are snapshots of the late David Bowie, one of Britain’s biggest stars, displayed in the store, and there is even a rumor that “David Bowie used to go there,” too.

Although it calls itself a “coffee shop,” Kissa Hisui has a substantial food menu that is popular not only with the elderly but also with young people. I was curious to see what kind of dining experience I could have at this “popular among young people” retro coffee shop, so I visited the store during lunch time on weekends…

Since its establishment in 1961, this retro coffee shop has been visited by numerous celebrities… This is the kind of place you can find at Kissa Hisui on Kitaoji Street.

I visited Kissa Hisui one weekend morning after 11:00 a.m. The shop was quite old from the outside. From the outside of the store, you can tell that it has seen better days, and the hiragana characters written “こーひーとおしょくじ” (meaning “coffee and food”) at the entrance further enhance the store’s retro feel.

The interior of the store is quite spacious, with about 100 seats inside. The sofas and lighting are quite elaborate, and I can imagine that the restaurant must have been very gorgeous when it first opened…. Well, now they are quite faded and look quite old…but it is easy to imagine that the restaurant has been used with great care from the fact that the sofas that have been used for decades show no noticeable signs of damage.

There are magazine racks and bookshelves throughout the seating area, where newspapers, magazines, and manga books are placed. This place is also very Showa-esque, isn’t it? You can read as many newspapers and magazines as you like. There is no time limit, and you can leisurely indulge in reading newspapers. You can enjoy the atmosphere of a bubbly Showa-era coffee shop to the fullest (smoking is not allowed in the store, so you cannot smoke…).

How is the taste of a large Neapolitan hamburger steak at Kissa Hisui, a nostalgic coffee shop reminiscent of the Showa period?

This time, I ordered a large Neapolitan hamburger steak (priced at 1,000 yen including tax plus 200 yen for a large serving), which is a very hearty dish on the restaurant’s food menu. At first, I was going to order Neapolitan spaghetti, but after looking at the menu, I felt like I wanted a hearty meal, so I decided to order a large portion and a hamburger steak together.

It must have been about 30 minutes after I placed my order. The Neapolitan hamburger steak I ordered arrived in front of me…

I think it is a little hard to get a sense of the volume in the image above, but the pasta is usually about two servings. Of course, it is filled with sausage, onions, green peppers, and many other ingredients. There is a lettuce divider on the far side of the plate, and behind it is a hamburger steak with demi-glace sauce. This hamburger steak also looks to be about 100 grams in weight, so the whole menu is quite hearty.

Let’s start with the spaghetti… The pasta is about the thickness of spaghettini, and is hard-cooked, leaving a chewy center. In addition, some of the noodles have been pan-fried, which gives the pasta a browned, grilled-like aroma. The surface of the noodles is coated with a generous amount of ketchup, which fills the mouth with a rich, nostalgic sour and sweet flavor, leaving a lingering tomato taste in the mouth even after the pasta has passed down the throat.

The other star of the dish, the handmade hamburger steak, is soft and fluffy with a gentle flavor. It is not the type of hamburger that is full of juices, but with the sweet demi-glace sauce, it has a taste and texture that even small children can easily get used to, and it is so easy to eat that I found myself finishing it before I had time to finish it.

After the meal, I ordered an extra cup of blended coffee (price: +380 yen) to take a break. I was able to eat a full meal of Showa Neapolitan, just as I had expected, and my stomach and heart were both fully satisfied. By the way, the food menu at Kissa Hisui is all very generous. Even looking at what the customers around me ordered, they all looked quite mouth-watering visually. It is no wonder that Kissa Hisui has become a favorite of young people, since they can eat such a hearty meal and get their change back in a 1,000 yen bill, right?

Other menu items at Kissa Hisui (prices include tax)

• Shoga (ginger) yaki set meal: 960 yen
• Karaage (fried chicken) set meal: 960 yen
• Katsudon (pork cutlet served on top of rice): 950 yen
• Omelette rice 850 yen
• Beef curry 780 yen
• Fruit parfait 920 yen
• Pudding a la mode 800 yen

The morning menu is also quite reasonable! To get to Kissa Hisui, walk 11 minutes from the nearest station, Kitaoji Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line.

Kissa Hisui offers a morning menu between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m….

These morning menus are also quite reasonable. A toast, sandwich or hot dog, salad and drink are included in the price. You can enjoy toast and salad together for the price of a cup of coffee, so there is nothing to complain about in terms of cosmopolitanism. If you want to spend a relaxing morning on your day off in an extraordinary setting, Kissa Hisui is the perfect place for you. Bring in one of your favorite books and enjoy an elegant morning time with a cup of coffee in hand.

Now, here are the details of the cafe…