Ista Coffee Elements

Located near Sakaisuji-Hommachi Station in the bustling business district of central Osaka, Ista is a small eight-seater with big ambitions. It’s also somewhat of a rebel – a coffee shop that operates in the evening, pulling espresso shots long after others of its kind have closed for the day. More interestingly, it doubles as a cocktail bar with one of the most unique and cohesive menus in the city.

Owner-bartender Fumiaki Nozato has a laser-focused vision where everything revolves around coffee. Beans are roasted in-house with the micro-roaster tucked away at the end of the narrow bar, before forming the base of his speciality coffee cocktails. Highlights include the decadent Maillard Banana Shake, made with the namesake fruit, rum, milk, chocolate and espresso, as well as the cake-like Element, a world competition winner consisting of coffee, brandy, rose, raspberry, cream and Campari.

Ista’s creativity truly shines in the menu section labeled ‘Coffee Tree Cocktails’. Here, the innovative concoctions reimagine what coffee cocktails can be by utilising other parts of the tree: cherries, flowers and even the leaves. 

The eye-catching Tea Experience comes served like a tea ceremony, where you whisk the matcha in the bowl before pouring it into a rocks glass filled with a refreshing mix of gin, meloncello, coffee flower, elderflower and green guava. There’s also the vodka-based coffee cherry lemonade and the warm Kouyou cocktail made with roasted coffee leaves. These imaginative drinks truly showcase Nozato’s strength as an award-winning bartender and coffee cocktail champion.

The selection at Ista doesn't stop there. Right at the end of the menu, you’ll find seven more coffee cocktails made in collaboration with some of Japan’s and Taipei’s most renowned bars. These include Nara’s Lamp Bar, Tokyo’s elusive Bar BenFiddich, and Kumamoto's Yakoboku. Plus, your teetotalling companion would be pleased to know that some drinks can be made alcohol-free.

Do note that there’s a table charge of ¥300 per person, but this is waived on Saturday, when the bar closes early at 8pm. Yes, that’s right: 8pm on a Saturday, just another quirk of Ista’s unconventional spirit.