Café & Bar Kingyotei

Tucked away down one of the quieter back streets in Kawagoe is this adorable goldfish-themed café, offering charming snacks and drinks to match.

What’s Cafe & Bar Kingyotei?

With its fun and rather summery concept, Café & Bar Kingyotei serves a mix of goldfish-themed and regular lunch-style dishes.

Notable items on the menu include the goldfish-themed soda, which comes in a variety of fruit flavors. Similar to this is the kakigori (shaved ice) available in different fruit flavors and topped with little goldfish-shaped jellies. You can also order some colorful, goldfish-shaped taiyaki.

On our visit, we tried the soda and taiyaki sweet — both in the Blue Hawaiian flavor. This writer had personally never seen such a bright blue taiyaki before.

As you bite the taiyaki, you’ll taste Kawagoe’s specialty: sweet potato. The staff beautifully served this ¥1,110 set with a sunflower on the tray and a little omikuji (fortune) slip.

If you’re after something savory to cool off with, the café offers cold noodles with different refreshing bases, including lemon miso and kimchi. Other savory dishes are also available.

As for the interior, there are a few fish-themed decorations and a tank full of friendly goldfish. The café definitely has an airy, bright atmosphere — making it the perfect spot for a warm summer’s day.

What to know before you visit Cafe & Bar Kingyotei

Do you need reservations for Cafe & Bar Kingyotei?

No, you can just walk in. Note that the café gets busy, so we recommended avoiding the lunchtime rush and heading there in the middle of the afternoon.

by Jane Pipkin