Len

Husband and I were staying at a nearby hotel and saw the good reviews on this bar so we decided to stop in. Most of the staff knows pretty good English and are very, very friendly. Food is DELICIOUS and reasonably priced. The fish and chips were super yummy. Some of the best fries! The lamb over rice is a good, simple «fill me up» dish. I was almost licking the bowl. Some good local beers on tap. You can get a GIANT mug of beer for the equivalent of 11ish USD. Seemed to get much busier around 8pm. So busy we actually had to stand.

Went there right after visiting Apprivoiser. My latte tasted delicious. I loved the ambiance. It is a bit away but worth a visit.

I’ve been to a lot of different hostels and this one definitely is one of the best.
The Len is super well located, around 10 minutes walking from the center of Kyoto and very close to some of the best temples too. It’s also quite easy to come from the train station.
The place in itself is awesome, very modern and minimalist, and the staff was very welcoming. There is a nice bar located downstair, serving food during the day and drink during the evening until midnight.
The rooms and bathrooms are very clean, and again very minimalist. There is also a kitchen with a small common room.
The only thing I would have changed is the bed: on the upper bed there is a big hole between the mattress and the wall which I found a bit scary.

Discovered this place in the 2016 Guide to Best Kyoto Cafes (highly recommended).
I needed a place to work and study and had previously been going to Starbucks. Yeah, over that.
Love LEN because:
1. Centrally located in Kyoto (which seems ideal for those staying at the hostel.)
2. Clean and organic vibe– wood décor, plants, floor to ceiling windows.
3. Free Wifi– like real free. NOT «log in for 2 hours after giving your email address and other personal info away.»
4. Power Outlets– not a ton of them, but this place doesn’t get as packed as a Starbucks so at least you’re not fighting over them.
5. All Day Hours– 8am –11pm. Think breakfast (french press coffee, yogurt and granola with bananas), light snacks (mixed nuts, desserts), more of that Ethiopian Coffee, then transition to… ALCOHOL. Wine, mixed drinks, beer. Prices are very reasonable. 500yen for a glass of wine and 400 yen for the granola/​yogurt thing. I’ve literally spent entire days here.
6. Music. Wide range– best of iTunes, funk, and some dance beats and treasures that you can’t just Shazam. (but they’re more than happy to tell you what they are if you ask!)
7. Staff and Patrons– Staff is all Japanese, but they speak a little bit of English and are friendly. The international patrons make for good people watching. plus, there’s a good amount of Japanese locals too that come to meet and hang. always a good sign.

What a swish hostel. Probably the best hostel I’ve ever stayed in if I’m honest. I wasn’t super keen on going back to sleeping in communal dorms whilst over in Japan, so most accomm was either Airbnb or hotels, but we decided to give Len a bash for a few days as I’d heard so much about it, and I’m glad we did! Some of the finer points:
— The design of the place is just really beautiful. It’s got a really organic arty kind of feel, but still polished and top notch
— The food and drink in the café is excellent and cheap as chips.
— Service — as all over Japan, friendly, so friendly, polite, and knowledgeable
— Cleanliness — again as with nearly everywhere we stayed in Japan, you could practically eat your dinner off the floor it was so clean
— The dorms are excellently designed. The beds are nearly pod-​like in that you can pull across these curtains so you’re totally cocooned and private. They seem to be half way between a single and double maybe and have plugs, reading lights, really soft comfy duvets and lockers for each person.
— The kitchen is well equipped should you wish to make your own food (though I don’t know why you would with that fab café downstairs!), and there are cheap and easy laundry facilities
— There are two laptops there for your free use with fast wifi (so useful when you’re just relying on your phone for internet and travel planning)
— The showers had unbelievable pressure and huge private changing rooms, with really good quality products for your use.
— Absolutely perfect location — right in the thick of it all and easy to get anywhere by bus or train, or great for strolling along the canal and finding some very cool hidden bars & restaurants around the immediate area.
Honestly aside from the shared rooms, it felt much more like a hotel than a hostel. Really enjoyed it and would highly recommend anyone staying there. I hope I get a chance to again in the future.

The food here was fantastic. It had a lot of variety for breakfast

Best coffee I had in Kyoto so far: you have a choice in the menu for espresso, filtered or aeropress, and real good coffee. Try the one from Ethiopia, as it looks like a tea but it taste like real coffee.
For breakfast there is an option of fresh croissants, butter and chocolate.
Staff super friendly and hospitality is genuine.
Strongly recommended.

If you are alone and want to see someone from around the world?
Here is a place for you to spend your time with your new friends.
I simply love this place as other Kyoto locals and travellers from around world do. If you want to do some work you can do it and having food at there you can do it as well.
Coffee is great at Len during daytime and Having craft beer is nice in the evening. All staff at Len are very nice and they make you feel like you are at home !
I always be there when I want to have a chat with staff, new and old friends!
Try it out, you won’t regret it!

Given that I have been attempting to find the best coffee in Kasai, finding a café serving Tokyo coffee shouldn’t be a huge surprise, but… surprisingly… it is quite hard to find cafes in Kansai serving Onibus coffee, a popular roaster in Tokyo.
The café at Len however is an exception, and not only does it have Onibus coffee, it does a fantastic job with it. As both an espresso and filter, it performed well. The staff here were great, and as a bonus to the English speaking traveller, from what I could see, all the staff could speak English.
The other bonus this café has is the generous opening hours. More often than not in Japan the cafes are late to open (and late to close), but this means that it is sometimes hard to find a good café in the morning (when you really want one). So if you are visiting Kyoto, make sure to drop by and give these guys a try.
Passion: ⁹⁄₁₀
Crema: ⁹⁄₁₀
Coffee: Onibus

A hip and very clean hostel located in Kawaramachi, Kyoto. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Shared dorms are clean and have privacy curtails as well as small storage lockers.
Private rooms come with a small desk and sink.
Conveniently located about a 10 min. walk from Kawaramachi station.
Overall, I’d highly recommend this hostel for anyone staying in Kyoto on a budget.

**This is a review for the bar area only, not the hostel**
As soon as I stepped into Len, I felt at peace. The décor is natural and gorgeous. The room is lit with a soft glow, the furniture is wood, and light music plays.
For ¥500 yen you can get a small glass of jibiru (craft beer), or ¥700 for a regular size glass. It’s a very reasonable price for craft beer in Japan.
Because the bar is also a hostel common space, it seems like a place you can go to do work or read without fear of being kicked out. Also, it looks like a good place to meet old friends or find new ones.
I’ll definitely be going back! And next time I’ll try their food!