Why You Need to Go to Lancaster for Your Next Coffee Break

A warm, beckoning glow shines through Lancaster’s Historic Downtown’s northwest corner for the first time since Six-Shooter Bar and Grille shuttered. 

Tucked tightly between Tasha’s Beauti Bar and Hug BBQ is the nearly missable Kyotobrew, a Japanese-inspired neighborhood coffee and cocktail bar that opened in late February.

“We're really happy to be here in the community,” co-owner Hannah Kirst said March 13 as she glanced at the bar filled with regulars and Lancaster residents stopping in for the first time. “It's one of the most rewarding things, meeting everybody in this community.”

Kirst, a former Air Force engineer and geotechnical engineer, and her older sister, marketing guru Estelle Hernandez, succumbed to the urge to open a coffee shop and bakery during the pandemic. Kyotobrew is a combination of their Japanese heritage and their dreams to bring Lancaster, a town south of Dallas with a little over 40,000 residents, an izakaya.

“It's where you go drink with your friends and it [izakaya] really translates to the stay drink place; we wanted to bring that here, like, stay a while, stay, drink and hang out with your friends,” Kirst says.

Lancaster is doing just that. On a March evening, guests who had passed by in the morning for a $6.50 slow-dripped coffee made in a Japanese Oji water dripper were back decompressing with $14 yuzu old fashioneds.

“We have a really full, interesting, eclectic population here, and my gut was telling me people would accept it and they would be interested in it,” Hernandez says. To bring the venture to fruition, she brought on their brother and his significant other and bought the abandoned space, which was formerly a speakeasy in the '20s.

“You had to knock to get your alcohol,” Kirst details.

Kyotobrew's conceptualization stems from a trip to Kyoto, Japan, where the sisters with Japanese ancestry were inspired by the country's peaceful artistic nature.
The siblings enlisted Coevál Studio to imagine the coffee and cocktail bar as a portal from Texas to Japan. American clay plaster walls and earthy tones create a cozy atmosphere in the izakaya. Natural light streams in from skylights, playing with shadows and the warm light glowing from Japanese-sourced paper teardrop pendants. Lush flora line bench seating and window sills and hang from the skylight, breathing life and texture into the space filled with natural woods and sleek, structured furnishings.

The menu is a trifecta. The coffee portion features Cultivar Coffee. There’s a standard espresso menu with all the staples, teas served with house-made syrups, slow-dripped and steeped coffees and matcha sourced from Uji, a historic Japanese city known for its high-quality matcha. Beverages are served in ceramics inspired by Mino ware, a traditional pottery style originating from the Mino region, which dates back to the 7th century.  The additive-free house-made breads and hearty treats menu is by Kirst, who combines her father’s Pennsylvania Dutch roots with Japanese- and Texas-inspired goods. Shokupan Texas toast ($2) is a fluffy Japanese milk bread baked in Japanese tins. A sliver of rich, real butter lies on top of the airy bread. Tiger shokupan toast ($3.50) is chocolate-swirled. The Morning Set is a $4.75 combo with drip coffee, toast, jam and butter.

“I really like having a traditional item, but making it as great as I can,” Kirst says. Take the cinnamon roll with pecans: It’s a homage to Texas through added texture.
Kirst’s apple pie ($5.75) is loaded with farm-picked apples and topped with a crumbly streusel. An ice cream scoop add-on is available for $1.50.

The sourdough starter is affectionately named Toby.

“He's very much part of our home here at Kyotobrew,” Kirst says. “We love him. We feed him every day, and he makes all the sourdough here, so it's made with love.”

Kyotobrew’s dedication to Lancaster is embedded in their development. “If there was a thing that people didn't like, we would probably take it down, but every single item gets ordered every single day, and a lot,” Hernandez says. And if the community loves something, it stays.
For example, take the seasonal drink spiked hojicha latte ($15). The bourbon-based hot or cold cocktail is made with roasted green tea, oat milk, Baileys and spices. The rich, toasty hojicha and comforting milk are a hug served old-fashioned style.

“It’s Christmas in a cup,” bartender Danny Heller says. The drink is now a menu staple.
Award-winning Japanese mixologist George Kaiho, who recently returned to Tei-An after Jettison’s October closure, created the cocktail menu. Jettison fans, like Hernandez, will recognize Matcha, by George! ($14), a mezcal and matcha cocktail with coconut cream, lime and egg white. It’s Jettison’s Matcha Mucho’s rebirth.

Heller, a former bartender at Las Vegas' Nobu, energetically executes every sip. He recommends the light and approachable Soleil Saketini ($14) composed of sake, fino, Italicus and bitters, which he says is the perfect summer drink. Enjoy $3 off cocktails for happy hour on Thursday and Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.

The café has been awarded a grant from the city of Lancaster to re-energize its operations. In less than a month, the sisters have made good on their promise.

“There's no one else that I would want to do this with,” Hernandez says.

121 Historic Town Square, Lancaster; Monday - Wednesday, 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Thursday - Friday, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Sunday closed