Kanazawa Café Guide: Top Coffee Spots You Must Visit Part2

Wandering around the lovely city of Kanazawa, are you? Perhaps your path has taken you to the East Teahouse and Geisha District (Higashi Chayagai)? Or maybe you’re keen for a day of shopping in Kanazawa’s own Daiwa Department Store, which often hosts limited-time shops (like the Hokkaido foods store, which is a big favorite) or exhibitions of anything from fine, locally-made pottery (Kutani Pottery) to popular anime and manga paraphernalia (such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba). But maybe today is the day you’re going to tackle Kanazawa’s impressive Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art! No matter where your feet lead you, a cozy cafe with a nice cup of coffee can be found.

Nonstop Coffee Stand and Roastery, for the discriminating coffee lover!

©Keri Yazawa

Wooden siding, a raised threshold, and a low ceiling keep Nonstop Coffee in tune with the nearby thematic neighborhood of Higashi Chayagai, the East Teahouse District, just a short stroll away.

On warm, fair-weather days, the shop counter opens right onto the street (all the better to catch the eye of weary pedestrians), giving the impression that you’re not stopping for a cup of coffee. You’re just picking one up on your way!

On cold days or during inclement weather, the shutters will be drawn closed, but there’s a very small door, one that you’ll have to duck your head, hunch your shoulders, and pick your feet up to get through. (I have a new appreciation for how spry people were back in the olden days here.) The contortion is worth it, though! That is, if you are a discerning coffee aficionado.

A simple order of pour over (i.e., “drip coffee” in Japan) becomes quite the event as you’re pointed over to an array of ten coffee aroma display tubes. Looking a bit like an old-timey bicycle horn that’s been folded in half stuffed into the top of a glass beaker, they keep the coffee beans fresh and germ-free. Give the bulb a squeeze and aim your sniffer at the flower-shaped vent.

©Keri Yazawa

In the case of hot coffee, your selection is handed over in a chardonnay white wine glass. If you order an iced coffee, you’ll find yourself holding a tall, slender tumbler with large ice cubes – all the better to distribute the chill.

There’s no regular milk on offer here. If you’re determined to doctor your cup, you’ll have soy milk, almond milk, and oat milk to choose from. I ordered a flat white (hot) with oat milk and just about had a religious experience. Yes, it was that good.

©Keri Yazawa

Nonstop Coffee Stand & Roastery
Website: https://www.good-day-mate.com/en 
Google Maps Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gP468iY17s5AYvEV6 

Chitose Coffee, a Kanazawa roastery enjoyed by locals for decades!

©Keri Yazawa

Located on the basement floor of Daiwa Department Store, Chitose is one of several local coffee roasters in Kanazawa, and arguably the most elegant! You’ll be seated at a counter with a geometric arrangement of mirrors at your back, which always puts me in mind of Prohibition-Era speakeasies for some reason. There are no tables, but who cares when you consider the view: bustling baristas and sparkling cup-and-saucer sets that glitter like jewels from their spotless glass shelves. Each cup of coffee is brewed with a siphon and poured into a unique mug, becoming a work of art in its own right. A cup of single origin Mandheling with a crispy waffle topped with fresh fruit was a marvelously satisfying experience!

©Keri Yazawa

Like most cafes, the menu gives you both sweet and savory options such as pizza toast and an omelet sandwich. But why not double up on the caffeine by going with the affogato (vanilla ice cream in a shot of espresso) to accompany your seasonal latte? If you’re feeling adventurous, order from the seasonal menu. This winter’s selection showcased a Cafe Valencia and a layered cake with chunks of caramelized apple blanketing the top.

©Keri Yazawa

Feel like taking something from Chitose home with you? No problem! Aside from selling whole beans to passersby, there are also packs of individually sealed, single-serving pour-over coffee. Just tear open the bag, rip off the perforated top (carefully!), and hook the whole thing over the rim of our favorite mug. Boil up a kettle of water and get pouring! No freezing or grinding or coffee filter juggling required: you’re ready to brew a fresh cup in seconds. 

Chitose Coffee
Website: https://chitose-coffee.com/ 
Google Maps Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/t6qT9LTjXskpzdGH6 

kakurezato coffee, have a nook of kitsch and nicknacks with that!

©Keri Yazawa

Although it says on their instagram that kakurezato coffee is “a small coffee stand in a back alley in Kanazawa,” it’s a bit more than that! Beyond its understated entrance lies a delightful nook. A blend of both eclectic nick-knacks and exposed floor and ceiling, kakurezato coffee is tucked away on a side street beside the Great People of Kanazawa Memorial Museum. The cafe offers a charmingly mismatched collection of tables and chairs (and even benches with cushions) for those who prefer to dine-in. Shelves upon shelves display charming and kitschy items from pottery to a wooden rolling pin.

©Keri Yazawa

Their homemade pies and tarts are fantastic and flaky crusts abound! Whether you’re interested in the savory meat pie or the tangy yuzu pie or the decadently spiced cream tart, you’ll thoroughly enjoy your selection. I cannot resist yuzu, a type of Japanese citrus fruit, so even though I’m tempted by the rum raisin and the apple and the strawberry-earl-grey, I go for the marmalade-y choice every time. Whatever your pleasure, you’ll get the cafe’s signature, golden brown and baked to perfection, flaky pie crust. The best in town!

If you like your coffee dark and earthy, you’ll be satisfied with their house blend. I prefer their long black coffee, which has a sourness to match the yuzu with a mellow dark roast finish and the grittiness for which French press coffee is well known.

©Keri Yazawa

On your way out, take a moment to look over the handcrafted items that are for sale. The selection is small but varied; there’s antique pottery as well as dishes from a local artist, clay figurines, costume jewelry, and even knitted beanies from Fallen Feather (a Japanese manufacturer whose information placard explains the superstition of receiving good luck whenever one stops to pick up a wayward feather). So spend a moment or two browsing the shelves. Who knows – you might just find that perfect souvenir to mark your stay at kakurezato coffee.

kakurezato coffee
Website: https://instagram.com/kakurezato_coffee Google Maps Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Uj3ZuAYY9Gan5JR96

This article was written by Keri Yazawa

About Keri Yazawa
Keri Yazawa has been a resident of Kanazawa City since 2005 and enjoys cycling, stamp-making, and tofu!

©Keri Yazawa