The Challenge of Procuring Real Bread in Japan: Japanese bread is dreadful. Japanese sandwiches are dreadful. Japanese coffee is dreadful.
Fortunately in Kyoto there are a few bakeries that make excellent bread. Le Petit Mec is my favorite and has two locations in Kyoto. Le Petit Mec has great bread, great sandwiches, great sweets and tarts and great coffee too. The original location is up in Nishijin and keeps weird hours — only open three days a week, fortunately a newer location is open in central Kyoto, near the Karasuma and Oike intersection.
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Le Petit Mec - The Best Bread in Kyoto!
Aka Mec and Kuro Mec
The storefront of the original bakery in Nishijin is red and the new bakery near Karasuma is black. Among locals in the know, they are accordingly known as ‘Red Mec’ and ‘Black Mec’.
Le Petit Mec – Red Mec (Imadegawa Omiya Neighborhood)
Unfortunately, this bakery is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The bread, sweets, sandwiches and coffee are excellent. A French friend of mine judged the couissants at Le Petit Mec to be very, very good. I prefer the chocolate filled couissants with a café au lait which makes a fine breakfast!
Le Petit Mec Storefront
Le Petit Mec - Bread
Le Petit Mec - Sweets
Le Petit Mec Interior
location: Le Petit Mec is located in Nishijin on Imadegawa Street just west of the Imadegawa-Omiya Street intersection.
business hours: open 8am to 8pm. Closed Mon-Thurs, only open Fri, Sat and Sun!
website (no English): www.le-petitmec.co.jp
tel: 075-432-1444
京都市上京区今出川通大宮西入ル元北小路町159
Map:
OpenKyoto/KyotoFoodie Map – Le Petit Mec
Le Petit Mec – Black Mec (Oike Komorodana Neighborhood)
The Black Mec location is new, more centrally located and is open 6 days a week. The menu is about 80% the same as the original Red Mec, the there is no sit down area inside the restaurant (there are a few chairs and tables outside) and while the coffee tastes pretty good it is served in a horrible paper cup.
Le Petit Mec Storefront
Le Petit Mec Bread
Le Petit Mec Bread
Le Petit Mec Coffee
location: Le Petit Mec is located near the Karasuma Oike Streets intersection. It is on Koromodana Street, just north of Oike Street.
business hours:
tel: 075-212-7735
京都市中京区御池衣棚通上ル下妙覚寺町186
Map:
View OpenKyoto/KyotoFoodie Map – Le Petit Mec
Hunaudieres (Shimogamo Neighborhood)
Hunaudieres specializes in authentic German bread. The yeast is homemade and it is the only bakery I know of in Kyoto that makes pumpernickel bread. Real pumpernickel, thick and heavy.
There is no sit down area in this tiny bakery.
Hunaudieres
location: Hunaudieres is located on Shimogamo Naka-dori Street just south-east of Matsugasaki-dori Street. From the Demachiyanagi neighborhood it is about a 15-20 minute walk up to Hunaudieres.
business hours: 7:30am – 7:00pm closed Sunday
tel: 075-722-8714
京都市左京区下鴨松ノ木町20
[...] l’eterna scusa del già che siam qui, fate un salto a vedere Le petite Mec, una delle più osannate boulangerie francesi di Kyoto (pare che il miglior pane venga da qui, anzi, c’è chi dice che [...]
We are going to Kyoto in October and I was glad to hear that we can buy real bread in Kyoto. We are staying at the hotel Monterey near the Karasuma-Oike intersection so Le petit Mec should be close to our hotel. Unfortunaley I can’t find Koromodana street on my map of Kyoto. Where exactly is it?
Hi Mariko-chan,
I think it would be about a 10 minute walk from your hotel. Just walk north on Karasuma street, that is the street that your hotel is on, and turn left at Oike street, then walk west three blocks to Koromodana street and turn right. Check the link to the Google Map above, if you zoom in you can see Koromodana street.
Enjoy Kyoto!!
I went to Hunaudieres today looking for pumpernickel bread but perhaps I should have looked for something other than パンパニッケル… What is it called in Japanese?