Capella Kyoto's bar and night dining venue Yoi is hosting a one-night-only collaboration event on September 28 (Monday). Bartenders from Brooklyn's buzzworthy Bar Rêve will join Yoi's mixology director Mario La Pietra behind the counter, bringing the energy and appeal of Brooklyn's nightlife to Capella Kyoto for one night only. The lineup includes Bar Rêve co-founders Alexander Buchholz and Victor Triebel, along with head bartender ディラン マキーヴァー.
Bar Rêve, New York's New-Generation Bar
Bar Rêve opened in Brooklyn, New York in 2025, drawing inspiration from the salon culture that flourished in Paris between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a world where art, literature, music, and conversation intersected. The bar has been popular with New Yorkers since it opened. Set in a space dressed with red velvet curtains, vintage furniture, and Murano glass chandeliers, Bar Rêve builds its menu around classic cocktails reimagined through original creations inspired by Impressionist works from artists such as Monet and Degas. With deep respect for tradition paired with a creative touch on the classics, the menu has drawn attention for delivering drinks that could only come from Bar Rêve.
Miyagawa-cho, where the hotel is located, is home to Kyoto's own hanamachi geisha district culture, one that values geiko and maiko performing arts, seasonal design, food, drink, and the encounters and conversation shared between people. In Belle Époque Paris, the era that inspires Bar Rêve, salons played a similarly important role as places where art, literature, music, and social life intersected. Though separated by era and culture, Miyagawa-cho and Belle Époque Paris share a common thread: both cultivated their culture through people gathering, talking, and spending time together while engaging with art and aesthetics. Nightlife culture, in this sense, is about more than enjoying a drink; it is a time when culture and sensibility are shared through the new encounters and conversations that human connection brings.
Bar Rêve is located in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill neighborhood and was founded by hospitality industry veterans Alexander Buchholz and Victor Triebel. Drawing on the salons and soirées of Belle Époque Paris, the bar offers a timeless setting lit by candlelight, filled with conversation and laughter. Bringing together their years of travel and hospitality experience, and above all their affection for Cobble Hill as the neighborhood they call home, the founders set out to create a place that feels like an escape from everyday life while still feeling like home.
Speaking about the event, Bar Rêve co-founder Alexander Buchholz said Bar Rêve grew out of the experience the founders built working at luxury hotels around the world, making it especially meaningful to bring that world view to Capella Kyoto. He noted that Capella Kyoto and Yoi's drink program are setting a new standard for refined hospitality built on respect for place and culture alongside personal service, values that closely echo what Bar Rêve aims for. Bringing their perspective from New York to Kyoto together with the Yoi team, he said, is both a return to their roots and an exciting expression of where Bar Rêve is headed next. He added that they hope this event in Japan marks the start of a long-term relationship with Capella Kyoto, and that they look forward to welcoming the Yoi team to New York in the future.
Yoi's mixology director Mario La Pietra said Bar Rêve and Yoi are rooted in two entirely different cities, each with its own character and energy, and that this contrast is exactly what makes the collaboration interesting. He said the two venues are united by a shared goal: delivering unforgettable experiences to guests through exceptional drinks and genuine hospitality. What makes the collaboration especially exciting, he added, is that it marks not just a one-night event but the start of an exchange between New York and Kyoto, and he is looking forward to seeing what emerges when the two worlds meet at Yoi's bar counter.
Cocktails for One Night Only
Guests can look forward to signature cocktails from Bar Rêve's Impressionism-themed drink collection, inspired by the art movement that defined the Belle Époque, including Bistrot, Over the Bridge, and Moulin, along with the bar's signature Dirty Martini Chargé.
Event Overview
Date: September 28, 2026 (Monday)
Time: From 7:00 PM
Price: Cocktails from ¥2,800 (tax and service charge included)
Reservations: By phone at 075-541-8877 (hotel main line)
About Yoi
Yoi is a bar and night dining venue where guests can also enjoy Japanese cuisine built around seasonal ingredients. Seasonal Japanese dishes prepared by an in-house chef are paired with delicate drinks, creating an experience where food and drink unfold together. Housed in a building that carries the memory of its former life as an elementary school, the space has a quiet, nostalgic warmth that invites guests to settle into a relaxed Kyoto evening.
Seats: 46 total, including 10 counter seats
Hours: 5:30 PM to 12:00 AM (last order: food 10:00 PM, drinks 11:30 PM)
Instagram: @yoibar.kyoto
About Capella Kyoto
Capella Kyoto opened on March 22, 2026, in a rare location near the Kamo River, facing the 800-year-old Zen temple Kennin-ji and set within the Miyagawa-cho geisha district. The building, designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, reinterprets traditional machiya architecture in a low-rise form that blends into the Higashiyama streetscape while bringing together the memory of the site with a fresh design sensibility. Built alongside the reconstruction of the Miyagawa-cho Kaburenjo Theatre, the hotel preserved and transplanted existing trees from the elementary school that once stood on the site, carrying forward the area's history. Its 89 guest rooms draw on 1,200 years of Kyoto tradition while embodying the highly personal style of stay Capella is known for, and six suites come with their own private onsen. Auriga Spa offers wellness programs centered on renewal and balance. Dining options include the signature restaurant SoNoMa by SingleThread, the French brasserie Lanterne, and the bar and Japanese restaurant Yoi, alongside an in-house contemporary art collection and cultural experiences that celebrate Kyoto's living traditions.
Address: 130 Komatsu-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto
Phone: 075-541-8877
Rooms: 89 total (including 29 suites)
Facilities: Signature restaurant, bar and Japanese restaurant, French brasserie, pastry boutique, spa, banquet hall
Instagram: @capellakyoto
