Kyoto is known for being the historical and cultural heart of Japan, and it’s home to well-preserved shrines and rows of traditional wooden buildings. But there are also plenty of bakeries in Kyoto that deserve attention in their own right.
To help power you through your day, we’ve got you covered with a list of 10 bakeries in Kyoto for your breakfasts and mid-day snacks.
Image credit: @caolina_tavola
GRANDIR Boulangerie Patisserie operates multiple stores in the Kansai area, including 5 outlets in Kyoto itself. One of the more popular stores is the GRANDIR Oike store which is located near Kyoto City Hall. With a black storefront reminiscent of a boutique store in France, GRANDIR Oike is eye-catching and stands out amidst rows of traditional wooden buildings.
Image credit: @tomoaki_yumura
This local favourite is known for their bagels and paninis, a type of sandwich that’s made with Italian bread, and served warm and toasted. Even though GRANDIR is a takeaway store, you can request for your panini to be toasted.
In a display right next to the counter, find paninis stuffed with generous filling, which ranges from prosciutto and mozzarella cheese to avocado and ham. Expect to fork out ¥330-¥460 (~USD2.50-USD3.49) for each serving.
Image credit: @rumiko_torizuka
Bagels at GRANDIR Oike are made using natural yeast, and there are typically more than 10 flavours available. Some of the more interesting flavours include mentaiko, edamame cheese, and black tea and white chocolate. On average, the bagels cost about ¥200 (~USD1.52) each.
GRANDIR Oike
Address: 480-2 Kamihonnojimaecho, Nakagyo Ward, 604-0925 Kyoto
Opening hours: 8am-7pm, Daily
Contact: 075-231-1537 | GRANDIR Oike website
Image credit: @ayulogu66
Panscape is a popular bakery that has 2 outlets in Kyoto – the main store in Sanjo and another in Nijo, which is located conveniently near Nijo Station. Both their stores have simple furnishings, choosing instead to let the quality of their bread shine.
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They specialise in making whole grain bread. Using a stone mill, whole grains are ground in-store, before being incorporated into the dough, which means it’s as fresh as it gets.
Besides whole grain loaves, find a wide variety of bread which includes scones, butter rolls, baguettes, and campagnes. Smaller bread such as croissants and cinnamon rolls cost approximately ¥250 (~USD1.89) each while larger loaves and baguettes go from ¥300 (~USD2.27) per piece.
Image credit: @pan_memo
A must-try at Panscape is their whole grain croissant (¥235, ~USD1.78). Due to the addition of whole grain flour, their rendition of this iconic French pastry is denser than a traditional one and has a slightly chewy texture.
Panscape Sanjo main store
Address: 19 Imashinzaikenishicho, Nakagyo Ward, 604-8801 Kyoto
Opening hours: Thu-Mon 10am-7pm (Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
Contact: 075-821-9355 | Panscape website
Panscape Nijo Station store
Address: 19-3 Nishinokyo Shokuji-cho, Nakagyo-ku, 604-8381 Kyoto
Opening hours: Thu-Mon 10.30am-5pm (Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
Contact: 075-801-1233
Image credit: @majide_ayano
Opened in 1948 on Kawaramachi Street, Sizuya is one of the oldest bakeries in Kyoto. They are a chain bakery with over 20 stores in Kyoto, Osaka, and Shiga, though the majority of their stores are concentrated in Kyoto.
One of the must-tries is their Kyoto Carnet (¥200, ~USD1.52), which comprises slices of ham and shredded onions that are sandwiched between a spiral French-style bun. For a touch of richness, Sizuya’s homemade margarine is spread onto the buns.
Image credit: @kansaigourmetusagi
Another popular product is the cutlet sandwich (¥570, ~USD4.32). Thick slices of pork are breaded and deep-fried, before being slathered in a special sauce and wedged between 2 slices of white bread.
This sandwich has been on the menu since the establishment of Sizuya, which means you can say that you’re literally having a taste of history.
Image credit: @sucre_lis_blanc
Besides Sizuya, the company also runs Sizuyapan, an anpan speciality store that sells exclusively the traditional Japanese sweet red bean bread.
At Sizuyapan, you can get anpan in various flavours such as matcha ogura (Uji matcha with bean paste), kuromame yuzu (black soybeans and yuzu), and waguri (chestnut with black bean paste and brown sugar). The prices of the anpan start from ¥250 (~USD1.88) each.
There are currently 6 Sizuyapan stores in Kyoto, but we recommend going to the branch at Kyoto Station, as it operates out of the same space as the Sizuya Kyoto Station outlet.
Sizuya Kyoto Station
Address: 8-3 Higashishiokoji Takakura-cho, Shimogyo-ku, 600-8214 Kyoto
Opening hours: 7am-9pm, Daily
Contact: 075-692-2452 | Sizuya website
Image credit: @kyoto_no_8n
Just a few minutes’ walk from Hankyu Kawaramachi Station is Wälder, a quaint little store located in a small alley. The bakery is recognisable by its eye-catching pink sunshade, and a wooden door that looks like it belongs in a fairytale.
Image credit: @gallery_rico_plus
Popular items include their Wälder shokupan, a soft and fluffy Japanese milk bread, and pretzels.
Another interesting item you can get at Wälder is their adult cornet (¥220, ~USD1.66), a brioche that’s filled generously with rum and matcha cream. It’s sold chilled, but you can leave it out at room temperature for a while if you prefer a softer bun texture.
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Wälder also sells cute mini cube-shaped anpan (¥100, ~USD0.75). These come in a variety of flavours such as chocolate, matcha, and sesame. As they’re small, you can easily try a mix if you’re indecisive when it comes to food.
Address: 452 Sakai-cho, Rokkaku- dori, Fuya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, 604-8065 Kyoto
Opening hours: Fri-Wed 9am-7pm (Closed on Thursdays)
Contact: 075-256-2850
Image credit: @pan_memo
Helmed by a former pastry chef who has trained in hotels and French restaurants, Hanakago is a small bakery that produces bread that pairs exceedingly well with food and alcohol, especially wine.
Image credit: @ryoko__kod
One of their bestsellers is red wine bread (¥252, ~USD1.90). Instead of plain old water, red wine is added to the dough, giving the bread a reddish colour and imparting a light tanginess. It’s also filled with figs and muscat grapes.
Image credit: @mschildo624
Hanakago is known for selling different types of baguettes made from flour that are sourced from all over Japan. You can get the baguettes at a price starting from ¥296 (~USD2.23).
Address: 516-4 Koiyamacho, Nakagyo Ward, 604-8163 Kyoto
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 8am-6.30pm (Closed on Sundays and Mondays)
Contact: 075-231-8945
Image credit: @sanowataru
Année is a quaint French bakery located just 3 minutes on foot from Karasuma Oike Station. Once you enter the store, you’ll be greeted by a rustic and homely interior, and rows of shelves displaying all the bread and pastries available for the day.
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Besides takeaway breads, you can also dine in and have their lunch sets. They offer 5 types of lunch sets, the most popular one being the quiche set (¥780, ~USD5.87), which includes a heaping portion of salad, a slice of quiche, and a few slices of bread.
Image adapted from: @okutami_128
First-timers may be spoilt for choices by the different types of bread available at Année, but we recommend going for their palm-sized bread loaf (¥110, ~USD0.83), which looks like a mini shokupan. Due to its petite size, it’s perfect for light eaters.
Address: 139 Tsukinukecho, Nakagyo-ku, 604-8202 Kyoto
Opening hours: Mon-Wed & Fri-Sat 11am-10pm (Closed on Thursdays, Sundays & the third Wednesday of the month)
Contact: 075-222-0517
Image credit: @ramenking2018
Boulangerie MASH Kyoto is a bakery with a traditional storefront that looks right at home along a Kyoto alley. It has a curtain hanging at the entrance and an old-school lantern that reads “pan” (パン), which means “bread” in Japanese. Look out for the red standee and potted plants along the road to spot the store.
Purple sweet potato bun.
Image adapted from: @okutami_128 and @okutami_128
Foodies will notice that the pastries at Boulangerie MASH Kyoto have French roots, but with a Japanese twist. For example, locally sourced ingredients such as kujo negi (九条葱; Japanese green onion) are incorporated into the breads.
Their popular bread, a purple sweet potato bun (¥180, ~USD1.36), is topped with an edible flower. Purple sweet potato bean paste is encased in a dough that’s infused with sake, yielding a soft and chewy bun.
Matcha anpan.
Image credit: @ramenking2018
Another star item is the matcha anpan (¥250, ~USD1.88). It’s a green tea brioche made of gyokuro (玉露; a type of green tea that’s known for its subtle sweetness) and matcha powder from Ippodo, a Kyoto-based Japanese tea company that’s established in 1717.
Besides being soft and fluffy, it’s filled with bean paste and matcha shiratama dango (白玉団子; mochi made from glutinous rice flour).
Address: 568 Higashinotoin-dori, Takatsuji-dori, Torocho, Shimogyo-ku, 600-8401 Kyoto
Opening hours: Thu-Mon 8am-7.30pm (Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
Contact: 075-352-0478 | Boulangerie MASH Kyoto website
Image credit: @wakaba1995
Bagels are beloved for their distinct chewiness, and one place to get your bagel fix in Kyoto is Flip Up!, which is located near Karasuma Oike Station and the Kyoto International Manga Museum.
Image credit: @nnlovefor
Flip Up!’s bagels are chewier than other bagels in Japan, but they aren’t too hard. They offer a wide variety of flavours including chocolate, cheese, and white sesame. There are also unique flavours such as orange, muscat raisin, and cereal honey banana.
Bagel sandwiches stuffed with tandoori chicken, or ham and cheese are also available if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Each bagel costs between ¥120- ¥200 (~USD0.90-USD1.51).
Image credit: @acotantan
Other interesting and popular options include their heart-shaped bread. One of them is a cherry white chocolate bread that’s generously filled with cranberries (¥120, ~USD0.90). The slight tartness of the cranberries balances out the sweetness of the white chocolate.
A larger heart-shaped bread is filled with white beans and kintoki beans (dried red kidney beans). This hard bread costs ¥150 (~USD1.13).
Address: 292-2 Takoyakushicho, Nakagyo Ward, 604-0021 Kyoto
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 7am-6pm (Closed on Sundays and Mondays)
Contact: 075-213-2833
Image credit: @uousaou23
Dating back to 1979, Boloniya is a bakery which specialises in a Danish-inspired Japanese bread loaf. It’s shaped like a loaf of bread, but it uses the intricate technique of croissant-making by laminating its dough with butter. The result is a buttery yet fluffy loaf that resembles a cross between a croissant and bread.
The bread loaves at Boloniya come in many flavours, ranging from chocolate to black tea. Other unique flavours include bacon and onion, chocolate banana, and caramel coffee. The loaves are sold in 3 sizes – a 1-loaf portion, a 1.5-loaf portion, and a 3-loaf portion – and prices start from approximately ¥1,000 (~USD7.54) each.
Image credit: Boloniya
Besides the original flavour, the 3-colour bread is also a hit. With a combination of plain, strawberry, and matcha dough, you can enjoy 3 different flavours in a single loaf.
Image credit: @asumon45
According to Boloniya, the bread can be sliced and stored frozen if you can’t finish the entire loaf in 3 to 4 days. Simply pop it into the toaster, unthawed, and toast it for a few minutes before digging in.
Address: 609 Takabatake-cho, Higashiyama-ku, 605-0017 Kyoto
Opening hours: 9am-6pm, Daily
Contact: 075-561-5837 | Boloniya website
Image credit: りん1025
Oreno Pan is the bakery arm of Restaurant Okumura, a chain of French restaurants opened by Kyoto chef Naoki Okumura. Currently, Oreno Pan has 3 stores in Kyoto and 2 in Okinawa. Every day, they offer over 50 types of bread. Their stores are furnished simply and have a homely, welcoming atmosphere.
Oreno salt bread.
Image credit: @kyoto.oreno.okumura
Their bestseller is the Oreno Salt Bread (¥180, ~USD1.36), which is a buttery French bread topped with salt.
Uji melon pan (left); Uji matcha loaf with sweet beans (right).
Image adapted from: @tsujimoton and @tsujimoton
Other popular products include the Uji matcha items. As Uji matcha from Kyoto is considered by many to be one of the finest matcha, matcha products at Oreno Pan are a hit.
The Uji melon pan (¥195, ~USD1.47) is made by kneading Uji matcha into the dough. The sweetness of the melon pan balances out the pronounced bitter flavour from the matcha. Another item, the Uji matcha loaf with sweet beans (¥195, ~USD1.47), is a small, cube-shaped loaf filled with sweet beans.
Oreno Pan Okumura
Address: 1F Kojima Building, Karasuma Nishiiri, Nishikikoji-dori, Nakagyo-ku, 604-8155 Kyoto
Opening hours: Thu-Tue 9am-7.30pm (Closed on Wednesdays)
Contact: 075-221-5522 | Oreno Pan website
Oreno Pan Kyoto Station
Address: 31-1 Higashishiokoji Kamadencho, Shimogyo-ku, 600-8215 Kyoto
Opening hours: 9am-9pm, Daily
Contact: 075-691-6886
Oreno Pan Emmachi
Address: 63 Nishinokyo Nishishikagaki-cho, Nakagyo-ku, 604-8495 Kyoto
Opening hours: 9am-7.30pm, Daily
Contact: 075-748-0893
While you explore the historical and cultural heart of Japan, check out these bakeries and the variety of bread they offer. Likely, you won’t be disappointed.
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Cover image adapted from: @nnlovefor, @mschildo624, @sucre_lis_blanc, @ulysse_224
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