Doutor is one of Japan’s iconic coffee shop chains with thousands of stores nationwide. However, this Mukaijima branch will blow your mind!
At a glance, you already know this isn’t your usual Doutor café. Built like some kind of aviation hangar, this huge establishment is located in Kyoto’s semi-countryside town of Mukaijima.
Amazing Atmosphere
The moment you walk in, you’ll be completely blown away by the interior design of the place, bearing no resemblance to any of the standard Doutor branches you see around Japan.
There are quite literally different rooms with different types of seating areas throughout this Doutor, like some kind of mansion! From cool one-man workstations to comfortable couches for groups, this café is open to all types of people whether you’re in for productivity or leisure.
Specialty Coffee
As advertised at the front entrance, this Doutor specializes in premium “specialty” coffee.
For those who don’t know, specialty coffee essentially refers to coffee that is brewed to the standards of the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association).
I ordered the “Doutor Blend” as it was seemingly their best item, and I was not disappointed!
Black coffee usually isn’t something I can enjoy as it’s hard to taste anything except dark bitterness (at least as far as instant coffee goes) but Doutor’s specialty coffee throws that stereotype out the window with its flavorful, rich, and aromatic brew!
Scrumptious Cheesecake
I always say black coffee tastes best with something sweet, like this scrumptious cheesecake.
Japan is one of the biggest cheesecake-enthusiast nations with some of the most globally renown brands of fluffy cheesecakes from Rikuro’s to Uncle Tetsu.
For just 950 yen (6.35 USD) you can enjoy the Doutor specialty blend coffee and cake set, allowing you to choose any of these high-quality cakes to go with your hot beverage.
Aesthetic Latte Art
If you go for a latte instead, you’ll be impressed by the in-house latte art your coffee comes with at this particular Doutor branch.
As you can see on the mug, it reads “The Farm Doutor” which is what this special establishment of Doutor is known by (as indicated by the Japanese kanji at the shopfront).
My guess is that this special Doutor branch offers fresher brews of coffee due to its approximation to the farmlands where the coffee beans are sourced.
I also find it pretty cool that instead of a table number ticket or a plastic number stand, you get this cool vintage treasure chest key with a customer number attached (which you bring to the front desk when you pay).
Unreal Café Experience!
In all honesty, I’ve never been a big fan of Doutor coffee as I typically prefer the seating and menu items at other establishments such as Hoshino Coffee or Mister Donut.
However, this Doutor (or “Doutor Farm” as they call it) has given me an all-new admiration for the franchise. If you want to take your café sessions to a whole new level, check out this amazing Doutor kingdom in the heart of Kyoto’s Mukaijima!
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