Comfy - Japanese Café & Bar
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
- Kintetsu-Nara Station · 8 min walk (Kintetsu Nara Line, Kintetsu Kyoto Line)
- Time needed
- 45–90 min
- Best time to go
- Lunch (11:00–14:00) for seasonal multi-dish teishoku platters
About
Comfy is a cozy, highly-rated café and izakaya in Nara's historic Naramachi district, offering an intimate escape for travelers. Known for its welcoming atmosphere, it serves up comforting Japanese home-style dishes, creative cocktails, and excellent matcha lattes. Expect a warm, friendly vibe where the English-speaking host makes you feel right at home after a day of exploring the local temples.
What Japanese guides note
Located along the Nishiterabayashi shopping street in Naramachi just south of Sarusawa Pond, Comfy integrates easily into walking tours between Kōfuku-ji and Gangō-ji. The kitchen is operated by a chef with over a decade of traditional ryōtei apprenticeships, designed intentionally to demystify formal Japanese dining. Lunch sets regularly draw midday queues, making seat reservations or arriving promptly at opening advisable before the premises transitions into afternoon café and late bar services.
Details from local sources
- Comfy opened on December 26, 2022, established by a team of three proprietors to present authentic ryōtei-style cooking in an informal setting. [source]
- Ingredients are sourced directly from Nara Prefecture producers, including vegetables from Okuno Farm Yamato in Gose, soy sauce and miso from Inoue Honten, tea from Kenichi Natural Farm, coffee from Matsu Roaster, and sake from Nobori Saketen. [source]
- The house miso soup broth combines bonito flakes, tuna flakes, and kombu kelp, finished with Gotoku miso brewed by Inoue Honten. [source]
- Lunch sets allow diners to upgrade standard white rice to seasonal clay-pot rice such as sea bream takikomi gohan for an additional ¥100. [source]
Insider Tip
Try the obanzai (small traditional side dishes) paired with a local Nara sake for an authentic and relaxing evening.
Frequently asked
What style of lunch does Comfy serve?
Comfy serves seasonal Japanese teishoku sets featuring approximately ten small dishes arranged on a single plate alongside soup and rice. Diners choose a meat or fish main course, and standard white rice can be upgraded to earthen-pot seasonal rice like taimeshi for a ¥100 surcharge.
How do you walk to Comfy from Kintetsu-Nara Station?
From Kintetsu-Nara Station, head south through the Higashimuki and Mochiidono shopping arcades for approximately 8 minutes. After passing through the arcades toward Sarusawa Pond, turn left into Nishiterabayashi Street; the shopfront is located at 6-2 Nishiterabayashichō.
Does Comfy cater to international travelers?
Yes. The venue was established specifically to make traditional Japanese gastronomy accessible to international travelers and younger guests without the formality of kaiseki courses. The restaurant provides an English menu, and the staff communicates comfortably in English.
Our Nara walking tours
On the same walk
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