Kahii

Kahii brings together a Japanese kissaten-style café and an intimate evening bar in the lobby of the heritage-listed Kelco House at 364 Kent Street, Sydney CBD. By day, it offers a calm change of pace from the city, with specialty coffee, matcha, pastries and a Japanese-inspired lunch menu. The café is walk-in only, making it suited to a solo coffee, a casual business meeting or a relaxed weekday lunch near Town Hall Station.

The daytime offering includes carefully prepared coffee, matcha drinks and the venue’s black sesame cloud, alongside freshly made pastries and Japanese-influenced dishes. The lunch menu includes green tea soba noodles, salmon don and wagyu beef don, with the website noting that menu items may change with availability and seasonality. Kahii’s broader café offering also references katsu sandwiches and rice bowls, giving visitors options for a lighter stop or a more substantial meal.

As evening arrives, the space shifts into a small cocktail and wine bar. The drinks program is led by Venue Manager and Creative Director Fumiaki ‘Fumi’ Michishita, whose background includes respected bars in Tokyo and Sydney. His approach combines classic cocktail technique with Japanese-inspired precision, including hand-cut ice tailored to individual drinks. The seasonal cocktail list draws on tea, coffee and Australian ingredients, and changes every three months. Guests can also choose from a Two Glass-rated wine list focused on boutique French wines, as well as Japanese-inspired bar snacks created with sister venue Kuro and Chef Hector’s team.

The setting pairs the building’s history with a restrained Japanese-inspired interior, using natural timber, textured sandstone and century-old bricks. That gives Kahii a distinct sense of place without separating it from the surrounding CBD. It can work for an after-work drink, a date, a small gathering or a private celebration, with both bookings and walk-ins accepted for evening drinks and snacks. The venue also offers non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails, while the café’s daytime format provides a more casual option for those visiting alone or meeting friends.