Missed Part 1? Catch our Osaka visit here!
True to our tradition, food always comes first – so Kyoto opened with soba.
Sonoba, 11:30AM
A recommendation from our friend @markshimmori. We got to Sonoba right at the opening at 11:30AM and there was already a line – we were lucky enough to make the first round of service. The place has a calm, artsy feel: one half is where people eat, the other is a everything-ceramic space. Both sides were founded by Yoshida-san, who also makes the noodles fresh daily. They serve handmade juwari soba – 100% buckwheat flour milled in-house, with a deep, nutty flavor – you can actually taste the craft behind. Better to come as a group so you can share the different options, including the seasonal specials and the side dishes. Highly recommend you to try the grilled mackerel sushi and the fluffy omelette!
Okute, 12:30PM
After soba brunch (?), we headed to Okute to reunite with Chihiro, yes we did!!!
Chihiro had already pre-ordered food for us, so we got to just enjoy the place and Chihiro’s lovely company. There is no menu, the chef cooks you what he can find freshest on the day. What got us straight away was the open side access and the transparent ceiling – you get to see people walking past the small alley right next to the house, catch some fresh air, but still feel like you’re cozy inside (no noise, or chaos, or feeling like drinking next to a busy road). The chef runs the whole kitchen solo, cooking, serving, sommelier-ing, convo-ing (well, not so much – check @o.ku.te IG intro :)) ), what a one man show! If you’re going solo, sitting at the bar counter is also a good idea. Thank you Chihiro, this was one of the most chill meals of this trip.
Sumi Coffee, 4PM
Lunch stretched to 3:30PM, and with a long evening still ahead, we stopped by Sumi Coffee to get some dopamine flowing and check out their bottle shop upstairs. Good coffee, a solid selection of wine, shochu, gin, and more, with young locals daydrinking at the bench out front. There’s a small stream across the street, lots of greens and trees alongside the pavements – everything makes the whole corner feel lively but also gives it that nostalgic feel. It reminded us of Đà Lạt somehow – that slow, green, casual kind of vibe we keep looking for there but haven’t quite found it yet. Anyone planning to make that happen in Đà Lạt? We’re ready haha.
Ethylvine, 5PM
Happy and caffeinated, it was time to go on a wine hunt. If you’re in Kyoto, Ethylvine is one not to skip – one of the most reputable specialty wine shops in the city, known nationally for going deep on natural & low-intervention wines. The space feels like walking into an actual wine cellar, which already sets the right mood. And in true natural wine shop fashion, finding the right bottle means crouching down, bending all the way over, and really digging through the shelves. You can think of it as a treasure hunt, because it is really is!
P.S. The goal is to always walk out with a box like this (or maybe 2 or more!)
MON Gallery and Wine Bar, 6PM
Our next stop is MON Gallery and Wine Bar sits near Nijo Castle, running as an art and antiques gallery by day and shifting into a wine bar by evening, with natural wines, homemade bread, and small plates. We came across some genuinely one-of-a-kind ceramic plates while we were there – the kind of piece with a real personality to it (we hand-carried 2 beautiful pieces for our Space already!). The layout is minimalist and a little disorienting in a fun way: to get in, you go up before you go down, and go back before you reach the front. If you’re looking for a place to drink, browse around, and get some inspo, put this one on the list.
Komorebino Natural Wine Bar, 8:30PM
Komorebino is our last stop of the night and always the one we look forward to most, and this visit reminded us exactly why.
We did their “Japanese Wine 101” tasting menu – an introductory omakase flight built around Japanese vineyards and terroirs, five glasses plus one extra pour covering pét-nat, white, rosé, orange, and red.
On top of the flight, we had some expressive by-the-glass options and an extraordinary bottle Vigne aux Dames of Francois Rousset-Martin (Jura) that Yamamoto-san recommended.
The current wine list is tremendous, offering around 1000 different wines from all corners of the world, but all sharing the same winemaking philosophy – less is more. Yamamoto-san keeps another significant stock of 2000-3000 bottles at his private cellar – which he slowly releases once he feels like the wines are ready to be served.
And if the records help, here’s Komorebino on Star Wine List – all Silver Stars:
- Japanese Wine List of the Year Japan, presented by Craft Wine Shop 2025
- Best Medium-Sized List Japan, presented by Dreissigacker 2026
- Best Austrian Wine List Japan, presented by Austrian Wine 2026
- Special Jury Prize Japan 2026
- Best Japanese Wine List Japan, presented by Craft Wine Shop 2026
- Best Long List of the Year Japan 2025
We left Kyoto satisfied, happy, and with a promise to come back soon. Again, an early train tomorrow, this time a shinkansen, that will bring us straight to Tokyo!