Kawagoe Art Cafe Elevato

Modern Chic cafe and bar in Old Town

Like the majority of the shops and services in the area, Cafe Elevato is in an old building. However, unlike the traditional Japanese buildings, Cafe Elevato is housed in a Western style building reminiscent of many of the old stone buildings in major European cities. Even the interior has more of a Western feel than it does Japanese. The first floor is essentially a bar and it reminds me of many of the modern trendy bars that were renovated from old banks, offices and public buildings in capital cities in Western Europe. The second floor which is were the cafe space is centered, is also more Western than Japanese. There are some tables on the first floor too. The exterior and interior may have a Western feel, but with things like sweet potato pudding on the menu, there's no mistaking you are in Japan. Most of the food and drink are Japanese although they do have some European antipasto. The beer is local, from the Coedo breweries. They have a great selection and even have some limited addition seasonal craft beer. They have a good selection of soft drinks and beverages too. You can sit at the bar on the first floor and watch them pull the beer. The art in the cafe's name is quite misleading, I may have missed something but it didn't strike me as an art cafe. There are some antiques, including an old fashioned cash register, on the 2nd floor. There is no elevator in the building, but they welcome all ages from babies up. There is space on the first floor to store buggies / strollers. They provide children's cutlery and bowls. The opening hours are 10.30 am to 7 pm Thursday, closed on Tuesdays. The closest stations are Kawagoe-shi and Hon Kawagoe. It cafe bar is on the main tourist thoroughfare and is serviced by public and tourist buses. No parking available.