Sentido

Very nice little coffee place for breakfast or lunch. We tried breakfast and really liked it. Vegetarian options available. Bring time, as it can take a while until your coffee is served, if all seats are taken.

Fantastic little place for coffee lovers. When you order a café drink, you get a choice of their regular blend, or the single origin of the day for 50yen more. I went with the blend that day, and it was quite good and easy to drink.
I also ordered half a wrap with avo, kabocha, shrimp, and lotus root. It was delightful and a half size was just the right amount for a light dinner/​snack, as I also got the brownies. I’ve been on the hunt for «real» brownies in Japan for a while… this place is the closest I’ve gotten so far.
The brownie was on the denser side, and it had pumpkin spice and pumpkin seeds on top. That being said, it still doesn’t match up to anything you get in America. Why? No idea, but for now, if I have a brownie craving, I’ll come here.
The café also has sandwich sets which include a small side salad and soup, and seeing how good the wrap was, I’d definitely try their other food.
In addition to good food and coffee, Sentido also has a little retail section near the door, featuring different whole coffee beans and a variety of coffee accessories such as mugs or filters.
The interior is cute– light wood and concrete. It’s warm and inviting, and I found it to be a good place to do work or read a book. Also– it’s very convenient; right near the Karasuma Oike station.

This was #1 on my coffee-​to-​try list in Kyoto. It’s located on a small street but look for the sign they usually put onto the street. I noticed that most coffee shops in Kyoyo open at 8:30 or later which was a bit odd. Sentido opens at 7:30 which is more reasonable. Really nice staff. Drinks take a really long time to come out because the baristas juggle food and coffee prep. My mocha was dark and delicious. You could taste the intensity of both the coffee and the cocoa powder (was worried when I saw powder instead of ganache, but their powder was really good). Would definitely return. Nice clean restroom too.