Start planning your trip
{{ inputValue.start }} - {{ inputValue.end }}
With:
3 Kyoto Cafes - Sample Tasty Matcha Sweets From Parfaits To Cheesecake
This service includes sponsored advertisements.
Kyoto is famous for its green tea production and it boasts many matcha green tea sweets shops. In this article, the writer, a Kyoto native, introduces three shops and cafes that sell matcha sweets. When in Kyoto, do try some rich-tasting, genuine green tea sweets!
Kyoto Cafes that Serve Matcha Sweets
The ever popular sightseeing spot of Kyoto is also a famous Japanese green tea producing area. This explains the large number of shops selling sweets and other confectionery using matcha green tea.
If you visit Kyoto, do try some of these matcha sweets. They have a bright, vivid appearance and a rich flavor.
Today we introduce three shops where you can enjoy green tea flavored sweets.
1. Nakamura Tokichi Main Store in Uji - Delicious Matcha Jelly
Picture courtesy of Nakamura Tokichi Honten - Uji Main Store
Within the Kyoto region, Uji city is especially famous for its production of high-quality matcha green tea.
To get to JR Uji Station, the gateway to Uji city, it takes about twenty minutes from JR Kyoto Station via the Nara Line's rapid train.
Nakamura Tokichi Honten - Uji Main Store is a specialty tea shop just one minute away on foot from JR Uji Station.
In addition to buying the shop's carefully selected green tea and matcha green tea, you can also try sweets made with matcha tea.
Picture courtesy of Nakamura Tokichi Honten - Uji Main Store
The building of Nakamura Tokichi Honten - Uji Main Store was built during the Meiji period.
This structure, which has also been selected as a National Cultural Property (Special Historical Site), gives you a sense of history with its appearance and atmosphere.
When you pass under the noren curtains and enter the shop, a sophisticated Japanese-style space spreads out in front of you.
Picture courtesy of Nakamura Tokichi Honten - Uji Main Store
In the back of the shop, there is a cafe where visitors can enjoy green tea and sweets.
The cafe's most popular item is the Namacha Jelly (990 yen including tax), and there are customers who make a special trip here just for this dessert.
The plump, smooth jelly and the cool, refreshing matcha ice cream are an exquisite combination. The shiratama (rice-flour dumplings) and azuki red bean paste make a nice accent, and right up until you finish eating this delectable dessert, you'll notice subtle changes in the flavor.
At the Uji store, the beautiful bamboo container that the jelly is served in is really a sight for the eyes!
Nakamura Tokichi Honten also has a shop in Kyoto Station. When looking for a shop in the station's vicinity, we recommend the Kyoto Station shop or the JR Kyoto Isetan shop.
2. Sample Exquisite Cheesecake at Ten
Picture Courtesy of Ten
To the west of Kyoto's Kiyomizudera Temple there is a sloping path paved with stones called Sannenzaka. Along the descent of this elegant and tasteful path there's a matcha sweets shop called Ten (Japanese).
The shop's interior has a peaceful and natural atmosphere. Adjoining the shop is a store selling handmade goods including Japanese-style products, as well as ceramics and pottery.
So, while waiting for your sweets to arrive, how about taking a peek inside the store?
Picture courtesy of Ten
The most popular dessert is the Unbaked Matcha Cheesecake (1,320 yen with tax). The eye-catching white and green marble design of this cheesecake is incredibly stylish.
The graceful and refined plate - designed by a ceramic artist - seems to bring out the beauty of this dessert even more.
Take one bite, and the rich flavor of the dessert spreads throughout your mouth. The fresh tea aroma really stands out, and the dessert has an equally impressive refreshing aftertaste.
Not far from the cafe there's a popular cosmetics shop called Yojiya Shimizu Shop, as well as a famous Japanese confectionery shop called Ajyarimochi Honpo Mangetsu Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Shop.
During your Kyoto sightseeing, it'll be nice to stop and take a break at this cafe.
3. Saryo Tsujiri Gion Honten - Lavish Parfaits with Uji Matcha Tea
Picture courtesy of Saryo Tsujiri Gion Honten
Saryo Tsujiri Gion Honten is a cafe managed by Gion Tsujiri, a well-established tea shop in Kyoto.
This cafe is known as a place where you can enjoy original sweets made with high-quality matcha green tea.
Picture courtesy of Saryo Tsujiri Gion Honten
It's been Gion Tsujiri's hope that more and more young people get acquainted with the exceptional taste of green tea. Saryo Tsujiri Gion Honten was opened to spread the love for matcha green tea.
For this reason, in addition to drinks, you can sample various menu items made with matcha green tea, including matcha sweets and matcha soba or udon noodles as well.
Picture courtesy of Saryo Tsujiri Gion Honten
The most acclaimed dessert made by this shop is the parfait that lavishly uses matcha green tea from Uji.
There are several types of parfaits but the Tsujiri Parfait (1,232 yen with tax) allows you to enjoy the flavor of matcha to your heart's content.
The whipped cream, the jelly, the castella cake, and the cookies - all contain matcha green tea. With a deep, rich taste and slight bitterness, you can enjoy the delicious flavor of matcha to the fullest!
The cafe occupies the second and third floors of Gion Tsujiri Honten (tea shop).
It's just five minutes on foot from Gion Shijo Station (Keihan Railway) and faces Shijodori street, an area bustling with visitors.
This makes it the ideal place to drop in during a break when you're out sightseeing in Kyoto.
Try Authentic Matcha Sweets in Kyoto!
Kyoto is one of Japan's foremost tea producing areas and is also home to many shops selling tasty matcha sweets.
Those visitors who would like to try authentic matcha sweets should visit one of the shops introduced above.
In addition to sweets, in Kyoto you can also purchase matcha confectionery as a souvenir. Check the MATCHA articles below for additional tips.
京都在住のアラサー女子。カフェ巡りと紙モノ集めが趣味。 食べることがだいすきです。
Related Article
Special Features
More
