© DA bureau / Photography: Sergey Melnikov

Founded in 1255, Kaliningrad is one of the Baltic region‘s oldest cities with an eventful history and cultural legacy to match. Interestingly, as of late, this storied setting forms the backdrop of Tamago Kissaten, a Japanese-inspired coffee parlour and pastry shop run by hospitality entrepreneurs Dmitry Akulov and Pavel Borisenko. Situated just north of the historic city centre, the establishment occupies a 30 sqm. (323 sq.ft.) unit on the ground floor of modern low-rise office building smack on the banks of Nizhniy Prud, a man-made pond which stretches out into the northern suburbs. The interior design, created by acclaimed St.-Petersburg-based architecture practice DA bureau, takes ample cues from Japanese aesthetics, and most notably, the symbolism of the country’s iconic flag and an extrapolated imaginary landscape.

The latter has been loosely translated into abstracted design elements that underpin the venue’s intentional Nipponic identity. The cast round table is a nod to the sun, and the meandering light tube references the outline of mountains. Arguably the most visually impactful element within Tamago Kissaten‘s understated setting are the walls which are adorned by a gradient red hue which references the sunrise. Additional furnishings are few and simple, comprising merely of a large concrete counter which straddles almost the entire length of the premises, in addition to wooden stools that accompany the aforementioned round table. The menu at Tamago Kissaten lists a wide range of coffee concoctions and an equally abundant number of freshly baked Japanese pastries and classic equivalents infused with Japanese flavours.

Tamago Kissaten
Ulitsa Sergeeva 2B (Tsentr)
236016 Kaliningrad
Telephone: +7 4012 509860
Daily 9am-9pm

© DA bureau / Photography: Sergey Melnikov