Aug. 25, 2020 UPDATE

Castella do Paulo

Traveler Friendly
The place is run by a Portuguese pastry chef so they're exceptionally tourist-friendly!
Information
English, Portuguese, and Japanese.
Languages spoken
Japanese, English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.
1325 7 10 1 reviews
Aug. 25, 2020 UPDATE

Castella do Paulo

Traveler Friendly
The place is run by a Portuguese pastry chef so they're exceptionally tourist-friendly!
Information
English, Portuguese, and Japanese.
Languages spoken
Japanese, English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.
1325 7 10 1 reviews
Story & Recommendation
Authentic Portuguese sweets made by a Portuguese pastry chef at Castella do Paulo close to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
Do you know the Japanese sweet castella? It’s a sweet whose name sounds Portuguese, and it’s, in fact, something that Portuguese missionaries brought to Japan. But this happened hundreds of years ago, so the present Japanese castella is not quite like the sweets that you can find in Portugal. This is where Paulo Duarte comes into the picture. He is a Portuguese pastry chef who trained in Nagasaki, then opened a pastry shop specializing in castella in the original home of the sweet, Portugal. But after this, he decided to head back to Japan, to the historic ancient capital city of Kyoto. Many Japanese shrines are known for the sweets that are sold close to them. Right now, Kitano Tenmangu Shrine is famous for its Chogoro-mochi, which was the favored by the famous daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi. So maybe in a few hundred years, Kitano Tenmangu Shrine will instead be known for its castella?
  • Sharing Kyoto Staff
    Sampo's Comment
User Reviews
10 Exceptional
goods10.0 service10.0 fun10.0
LifeInSakyoku - Finland
Nov. 19, 2018
Details
Open Hours
9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (The café closes at 5 p.m. but the shop is open until 6 p.m.)
Closed
Wednesdays and on the third Thursday of the month. Open on Wednesdays if 25th, the day of the big Kitano Tenmangu Shrine flea market, is a Wednesday. In this case, Castella do Paulo is closed on the following Thursday instead.
Price range
Credit cards
Not accepted.
Shipping services
They can ship some of their products domestically; check their online shop for more details.
Try to taste as many types of sweets here as you can; they’re all delicious.
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