Why Did This Arabica Coffee Shop Open a Japanese Diner?

%Arabica, the minimalist arabica coffee shop brand, has opened %Shokudō in Kyoto, its first traditional Japanese breakfast restaurant and its 188th store worldwide. The 12-seat space sits across from the %Arabica Kyoto Higashiyama store and serves a reservation-only one-soup-three-dishes breakfast at 4,800 yen per set, including miso soup, rice, grilled fish, and three side dishes.

The brand opened its first branch in Hong Kong in 2013 and returned to Kyoto in September 2014, turning a historic private residence into its global flagship. It now runs 187 stores across 24 countries and regions. The shokudō format realizes a long-held ambition to run a restaurant, and marks its first move into dining after a decade of coffee retail.

%Arabica, known for its minimalist design and small cups of coffee, recently opened the world's first traditional Japanese breakfast shop, %Shokudō, in Kyoto, Japan, officially entering the restaurant industry. Located directly across from the %Arabica Kyoto Higashiyama store, this shop combines traditional wooden architecture with a glass curtain wall and has only 12 seats. It offers a "one soup, three dishes" Japanese breakfast by reservation, priced at 4,800 yen per set including tax, comprising miso soup, rice, a grilled fish main dish, and three side dishes, with a choice of tea or %Arabica coffee after the meal. This move marks %Arabica's first foray into the shokudō format among its 188 stores worldwide since returning to Kyoto in 2014, and fulfills the brand's long-held dream of running a restaurant.

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Taking advantage of the arrival of cherry blossom season in Kyoto, coffee brand %Arabica has opened its first traditional Japanese breakfast shop worldwide in Japan, named %Shokudō (Japanese-style shokudō), positioned to present an authentic Japanese breakfast experience, and it officially opened its doors on the 28th of last month.

Looking back at the brand's history, %Arabica opened its first branch in Hong Kong in 2013, and then in September 2014 in Kyoto, Japan, under the concept of a "showcase in an alley," it transformed a historic private residence into its global flagship store. To this day, %Arabica has established 187 stores across 24 countries and regions worldwide.

As its footprint continues to expand, the % symbol, with its high recognizability, follows the brand's footsteps deep into cities around the world, blending into the streets and alleys of different cities. And %Shokudō, as the brand's first iconic venture into the shokudō format, also means that after a decade, the brand is "returning" to Japan as its 188th store.

It is reported that this new store faces the %Arabica Kyoto Higashiyama store across the street. The building has two floors and adopts a traditional Japanese wooden house style, combining hinoki wood walls with a glass curtain wall, which both continues the ancient charm of Kyoto and creates a transparent modern feel.

%Shokudō has only 12 seats inside, and breakfast is served in three time slots: 09:00 / 10:30 / 12:00. Currently, each time slot accommodates only 6 guests, and dining time is limited to within 1 hour. It should be noted that this breakfast shop operates by reservation and does not accept walk-ins without reservations; those who wish to dine must book in advance through the brand's official channels.

As for the meal, %Shokudō offers the traditional Japanese breakfast "one soup, three dishes" (いちじゅうさんさい, ichijyusansai), a common set meal combination in Japanese cuisine, consisting of one soup dish (soup) plus three dishes (one main dish and two side dishes) paired with staple rice; literally, it means "three dishes and one soup."

From the pictures released by %Arabica, each set includes miso soup, rice, a main dish (grilled fish), and three side dishes (vegetables and pickles). After the meal, tea and %Arabica coffee are also offered as choices, and the tax-included price per set is 4,800 yen (about 225 yuan).

Speaking about the original intention behind opening this shokudō, the brand said in a recent post that, in fact, the %Arabica Kyoto store normally serves freshly baked baguette sandwiches every morning, but opening a restaurant has always been their dream. As a Japanese brand, they hope to select high-quality local ingredients, present the best traditional Japanese breakfast, and share it with tourists from around the world.

Image source: arabica.coffee

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