Coffee Don, Takayama

This place is extremely cozy and the staff is so friendly! This is not your typical tourist breakfast spot. It’s a beautiful local family-owned coffee shop. It’s definitely worth stopping in for some breakfast or dessert. The toast and jam is a must-try dish! The orange jam is definitely one of the best I’ve had. And the pudding with ice cream served along local seasonal fruit is delicious!

I walked in to another hole in the wall and found myself in a cozy dark cafe with jazz playing. We ordered a hot coffee (pour over), hot chocolate, mocha, cream puff, pudding with caramel (flan), and a donut. The donut was incredibly soft like a cloud and the pudding was subtly sweet. The cream puff was the same. The coffees were dark roast and I enjoyed it with a biscuit. The lady was nice enough to give us snacks on the way out too maybe because we were foreigners. Truly a great experience. If u enjoy coffee and sweets with smooth jazz, I’d say this is a must visit.

January 2024 - we miss Coffee Don. We are dreaming of the coffee and the strawberry parfait 😄👍

December 2023 - Full of character and charm. Easy listening jazz. Even the silverware and cutlery harken to an earlier time.

Serving no-nonsense coffee, Colombian and Blue Mountain, not machine made but hand-brewed. Strong and flavourful. No sourness, just enough bitter to balance the cream - it's coffee to warm the belly and make you smile.

Good sandwiches and toast, made to order. The pizza toast is a great snack at anytime. The homemade apple pie, cream puff and cheesecake are also good.

The doughnuts, are light, tender and really tasty.

The strawberry parfait, is serious old-school, so good - excellent; lots of sweet strawberries, the cream, so fresh - great value.

Sure, the counter could be a little neater - but my family and I had great times in Coffee Don. We visited every day we were in Takayama. Pretty soon, we were joining the regulars at 10am.

Lovely people, great service.

Coffee Don looks, feels and smells - like a coffee cafe should.

Hello from Singapore!

I enjoyed my breakfast in this old school Cafe. Service was prompt and courteous. The toast was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and tasted really great!

Coffee was a dark roasted bean which I find accompanied the toast rather well.

Really love the personal touches of the decor by the owner. You could feel that this cafe has a soul and an extension of the owner.

However I must say the music was a little too intensive for me but that's not going to spoil my experience!

A gem in Takayama, the breakfast is good, cappuccino coffee is great , cheese cake and Cream puff is superb ! Thick toast yet crispy on the outside, we have their breakfast set at ¥800, cream cheese toast, pizza toast are yummy !

This is one great coffee place located in the middle of Takayama. Came twice in two days, it was amazing😁. The people are really friendly and coffee and toasts tasted really good. Would definitely come again.

Oldest cafe in Takayama town, opened in 1951 lives up to its hype. Loved the coffee and soup I had here, crafted with care and the service is great. Has a long history to its name and definitely worth your time. Liked the old setting.

We had some great apple pie and chocolate cake… super tasty and the people are super friendly. We even got our pictures taken outside! I will come back!

The people were super nice and we were warmly welcomed. A very sweet caffè with delicious homemade cakes. An oltimey Ambiente, with accommodating service. We will definitely visit again.

We have visited Coffee Don a few times in the last few years and it’s still our number one cafe and coffee spot in town. They open early, the music, the vibes are immaculate and over the years it has not changed. The egg sando is delicious, so are the various toasts. Love the gingerbread latte and their coffees come with a speculoos cookie. Service is also great. Please stay open forever so we can continue to come back for years to come!

Loved this cafe! We went twice in two days, sensational. The toast was lovely and the coffees nice too. The atmosphere for us was the best, wonderful service and people. Felt like we step back in time to enjoy a relaxing break in a busy day ⭐

Love this place. Found it while wandering the streets on a very cold Saturday afternoon. We had tea and cakes, all of very good quality. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and we sang along, quietly of course, to the old time 50s rock and roll that was playing.

We waited five years to return to Coffee Don. And talked about it a lot while we were waiting. When we arrived it was as if we had never left. Impeccable service. Wonderful people and a stylish but homely atmosphere.

The ambience was super comfortable and the music was perfect for the occasion. The staff was super kind and funny, and the food was delicious, the apple pie had delicious flavor as well as the cheesecake and the chocolate cake. Definitely will come back again when I visit Takayama next time.

Traditional small cafe in Takayama with a beautiful environment! The owners are super nice and welcoming and the food is simple yet so good!

It was a real pleasure to have a simple homemade and delicious breakfast and paying a very reasonable price. We’ll be back tomorrow.

Lovely coffee shop, great cup, awesome pastry and egg sandwich. The owners were super nice and we had a great sit down breakfast as a family before our train to Tokyo. Be aware though, not a take-away place, and everything is prepared carefully. Get the cream puff for dessert!

Pudding is amazing, so is the apple pie, egg sandwich is juicy, black coffee has strong aroma 🤤

Loooove this place! The music is perfection. The chocolate cake is just heavenly! I had the cafe au lait with rum which was appropriate for the 5C weather outside. The service is excellent. The old couple who runs it are just too kind and too sweet 🥰

What a delicious breakfast we had! The cream cheese toast, served with honey was my favourite, but the apple pie was also very good! We’ll definitely come back tomorrow to try more things!

Beautiful family owned coffee shop with delicious treats and drinks. The cheese onion toast exceeded our expectations. The chocolate cake was perfectly moist and rich. The coffee was beautifully prepared and served. What really put this place over the top was their kind and welcoming service. One of the workers even approached us on the street later that same day with a bag of treats! Wow, never have I ever seen such kindness and hospitality! Please go here, you will not be disappointed!