A unique coffee shop concept that's been long in the making for the city of Lancaster has arrived: Kyotobrew, a Japanese-inspired coffee shop-combo-cocktail bar, is now open in Lancaster's historical downtown in a darling storefront at 121 Historic Town Square that previously housed a bar called Six Shooters.

Kyotobrew is a family affair led by Estelle Hernandez, who runs the bar with the assistance of her sister, brother, and sister-in-law. She drew her inspiration from the heritage of her mother, whose family is from Kyoto, Japan.

“It's the region that’s known for growing matcha, which is a centerpiece of our menu," Hernandez says.

Their matcha drinks, made from powdered green tea leaves, include hot or iced teas and lattes or matcha lemonade starting at $5.

They also do regular drip coffee for $3, plus espresso-based drinks, plus a cold brew made with a Japanese-style device called the Kyoto dripper, in which the water drips very slowly. Fans say that it extracts intense flavor from the coffee beans while leaving behind bitter compounds.

Food offerings consist of a limited selection of baked items: butter pecan cinnamon rolls, and two varieties of shokupan, AKA Japanese milk bread, which they offer toasted plain for $2 or in a chocolate marbled version for $3.50.

“Shokupan has an extra step where they cook part of the dough on the stove with milk in the process, so it makes the bread really soft and fluffy,” Hernandez says. “Another reason we loved it is because it felt familiar, like a crossover between Texas and Japan that we wanted to highlight.”

The pastries are made by Hernandez' sister Hannah Kirst, a dedicated home baker who's had some formal training from Dallas College.

The Kyoto dripper at Kyotobrew Kyotobrew

Cocktails
Part of the mission at Kyotobrew is to be open at night and serve cocktails. The shop received an Economic Development grant from the city of Lancaster, to help drive activity and nightlife to the downtown area.

"At the moment, it's split fairly evenly between the number of patrons coming in the day and night, leaning toward a little more volume during the day," Hernandez says. "I think our transition from day to evening is pretty cohesive. That aspect was very important to us. People will often come in for a lunch cocktail or a night matcha."

"It may take some time for the community to learn that we are a coffee shop that is also open for cocktails, however the ones that know about us are repeat guests and often return with their friends," she says.

They also invested in their evening program by partnering with award-winning Japanese-Texan mixologist George Kaiho, as well as bringing on a bartender from Nobu.

Cocktails include a spiked hojicha latte with bourbon, green tea, and oat milk, served warm or cold, plus a saketini and a yuzu old fashioned. Prices range from $12-$15. There are also Asian beers.

The space had been abandoned for two years, and Kyotobrew spent more than a year creating a charming space designed to mimic a Japanese izakaya (a small restaurant with cocktails and snacks). The atmosphere is casual and homey, with tea light candles, orchids and plants, and a counter side bar.

“We always wanted to create a space for people that feels like a second home, and we found that food and drink is something that brings people together,“ Hernandez says.