The Lower East Nine Hostel

We stopped in for brunch and coffee at about 11:30 on Saturday. There was a steady flow of people over the hour we were there, though it never felt too crowded. The egg and tuna toast sandwich was my favorite, 8/10, with a crisp but chewy toast and tasty dressing on the small side salad. The avocado toast got 7.5/10. Its bread was fluffier, and the mash had diced tomato and onion, plus a savory note that almost tasted like parmesan. Both coffees were on the acidic side. I gave the iced Americano 7.5/10 and the iced caramel nut latte 7/10. The latte had only a faint caramel taste and a strong nut flavor, like freshly ground peanuts or almonds. We’d wanted the sweet bean toast, but it sold out just before we ordered. The food took a while, maybe because it was made to order and there were only two staff members. They were still nice and polite, and we liked having books and card games to use.

The coffee is the best part, and the food is good too. I loved the Cherry Blossom Macha cake. It’s a cozy place to sit, with comfortable seating and a warm interior that has a bit of a mid-century feel. The young team is friendly and made me feel at ease as soon as I walked in. A great spot in Kyoto city.

Really, this place is so good. Get the egg sandwich with tuna. It wasn’t fishy at all, and it made the 7-11 egg sandwich look bad. The place feels crisp and clean, and I loved the coffee too.

The atmosphere is great, but the visit was frustrating. We showed up 7-8 minutes after opening, and although six chairs were empty, staff said we couldn’t sit there. We waited outside for 20 minutes before getting a seat. We took our coffees outside to drink, but they were only lukewarm. The menu is limited, and when I asked to add an extra egg to my meal, they said no. They don’t make substitutions or additions, so this isn’t a good place for vegan or gluten-free diners.