A new salt butter bread specialty shop, "Mountain," is set to hold its grand opening in Kyoto on Monday, October 5, 2026. The shop is located along Oike-dori, which runs east to west through the city.
The area is home to many local residents and families, and schools and offices are scattered around, so people come and go throughout the day. Beyond Kyoto as a tourist destination, the bakery aims to be one rooted in the daily lives of local residents, a place to drop in casually for breakfast, lunch, or a light snack.
While valuing the simple kind of deliciousness that makes bread a daily staple, the shop offers a varied lineup that suits meals, snacks, or whatever you feel like on a given day.
Mountain's logo mark. The salt butter bread is shaped like a mountain.
The shop has large windows so the baking process can be seen from outside, giving it an open, airy feel.
A New Kind of Bakery Built on Japan's "Shio Pan"
Mountain is an original bakery brand developed from the "shio pan" (salt bread), which originated in Japan.
The bakery chooses domestic wheat to match the flavor and texture it is aiming for, pays close attention to its ingredients, and bakes each item in the shop.
The base is a simple bread that lets you enjoy the flavor of wheat, the richness of butter, and a moderate saltiness. From there, cheese, chocolate, nuts, and seasonal ingredients are added to create a range of tastes from sweet to savory.
The aim is a bakery where you can freely choose to suit your mood, whether for a daily meal or when you are just a little hungry.
Each bread is shaped by hand in the shop.
Salt butter bread baked on the day is served.
Baked in the Shop Every Day
Mountain works on an "all scratch" basis, handling everything from making the dough to baking it in the shop, and serves freshly baked salt butter bread.
Two types are baked: a standard type with a fragrant, crisp outside and a soft, fluffy inside, and a hard type made with French bread dough. Both bring out the flavor of domestic wheat and butter.
Every bread is handmade one by one in the shop each day.
Menu Highlights
Each product at Mountain is formulated so that the flavor of butter and the saltiness come through, yet the butter never becomes overpowering, even when you finish a whole large salt bread.
There are about 15 varieties of salt butter bread, and the dough is chosen for each one to bring out its flavor. Doughs include a standard dough made from a blend of domestic wheat that includes whole wheat flour, doughs kneaded with black cocoa or Earl Grey tea, and a firmer dough close to French bread dough. The shop plans to offer breads that can be enjoyed casually in many everyday situations, such as breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
Salt Butter / Butter Rich — ¥230 (¥248 with tax)
Made with an original blend of all-domestic wheat dough rolled around salted butter from Hokkaido. This is a signature item of Mountain.
Salt Butter / Hard Dough — ¥230 (¥248 with tax)
An original hard, French-style dough rolled around a restrained amount of Hokkaido salted butter. It is a simple, easy-to-eat salt bread.
Chocolate Macadamia — ¥350 (¥378 with tax)
Cocoa butter dough rolled around plenty of chocolate and macadamia nuts, with cocoa cookies scattered on top as an accent. This is also a signature item of Mountain.
Lemon White Chocolate — ¥330 (¥356 with tax)
Earl Grey tea leaves are kneaded into the dough, lemon peel is rolled in, and the whole bread is coated in white chocolate. It is an indulgent treat.
Other offerings include salt butter bread filled with custard cream made with plenty of raw milk, and a bread rolled with coarse-ground pork sausage and cheddar cheese. The shop has carefully tested not only the taste but also how filling each item is and its price range, aiming for breads people can choose as an everyday meal. Alongside the regular lineup, seasonal limited items are also planned, to offer the fun of choosing in everyday life.
Following RABBIT BAGELS With a New Bakery Format
The shop's operator has worked on new brands and stores built around food, including RABBIT BAGELS, a bagel specialty shop that originated in Kyoto.
Mountain was launched as a new bakery format, drawing on the product development and store operation experience gained along the way.
What Mountain focused on is the salt bread, which was born in Japan and is now loved by a wide range of generations. Building on its simple deliciousness, the shop studies combinations of ingredients such as domestic wheat and butter as well as production methods, and proposes a new way to enjoy it as "salt butter bread," offered in a variety of flavors and as sandwiches.
As with RABBIT BAGELS, the operator says it hopes to explore opening more salt butter bread specialty shops both inside and outside Kyoto.
Store Information
The shop sits along Oike-dori, which runs east to west through Kyoto, in a location that is easy to use every day, and it aims to operate as a store rooted in the local community.
Mountain Oike Store
- Address: 427 Ishibashi-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0043
- Phone: 075-354-5156
- Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (no eat-in space)
- Pre-opening date: September 20, 2026
- Grand opening date: Monday, October 5, 2026
