Kanazawa Café Guide: Top Coffee Spots You Must Visit Part3

Who doesn’t love a perfectly brewed cup of coffee? Here in Kanazawa City, the cafe experience has (like many other things in this area) been elevated to an art form. The quality of the beverages and food – and even the service! – rank among the highest in the country. The cafes themselves are varied and unique; you could visit dozens (and I’m pretty sure that’s how many cafes there are in Kanazawa) and find a new atmosphere to enjoy in each one.

Here are three that will get you out of downtown for a little peace and quiet:

Kaffee Kondetorei Y, Gluten-free with a “kissaten” vibe!

©Keri Yazawa

A short ride aboard a vintage train on Kanazawa’s local line will take you to a single-story building that’s shared between a notable ramen restaurant and a cafe.

The cafe might look unexciting and bland on the outside, but once you step through the door, you’ll enter another time: a low wooden barista bar with stool seats and an assortment of tables with plush-looking chairs near the big picture window give Kaffee Kondetorei Y an old-timey air.

Clean and comfortable and bright, it somehow feels as if it’s been here forever. Kaffee Kondetorei Y has a quality about it that reminds me of post-war Japan. I can easily imagine this sun-warmed space swirling with the cigarette smoke that comes part and parcel with Japan’s old fashioned coffee shops (called kissaten). But like all cafes in Kanazawa, there’s no trace of tobacco to be found. It’s just a feeling, an echo of time gone by. The main menu is presented in ribbon-bound albums but the daily specials are displayed on a digital tablet for you to swipe through.

Open for the past 15 years, Kaffee Kondetorei Y takes its name from German coffee and pastry shops (or, kondetorei), offering scrumptious and gluten-free snack options to accompany your chosen beverage. (My personal favorite is the gorgonzola cheese toast on rice bread which comes with a tiny pitcher of honey!) The pudding (similar to flan) is also spectacular and non-regrettable. Today, I ordered the banana and almond paste tart, which had an actual whole banana draped in whipped cream. But if sandwiches are more your thing, try the deep fried pork cutlet. The owners, a married couple who are a delight to chat with, favor the gluten-free rice-flour toast and sandwiches. Simple fare, but satisfying nonetheless.

©Keri Yazawa

As far as the drinks, well, if you love a good cup of aromatic black coffee, you’ll be in seventh heaven! The husband recommends Kaffee Kondetorei Y’s own house blend and his wife has a preference for Guatemala beans. If you’re feeling adventurous, then do what I do and try their seasonal special coffee (usually written on their outdoor sign board). 

カフェ・コンディトライ ワイー (Kaffee Kondetorei Y)
Website: http://www.kaffee-konditorei.com/
Google Maps Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FRGntF6SiUcKN2Rg6 

Apila, a Nordic Cafe for Moomin Fans!

©Riotaro Mochizuki

Hello Kitty! Pikachu! These are the cartoon characters that often come to mind when one thinks about popular Japanese animation. But there’s a surprisingly large following for Finland’s white hippopotamus, Moomin. And this next cafe is the best place in Kanazawa to commune with fellow fans: Apila.

The cafe is in a small, corner unit of a large flower wholesale warehouse. From the outside, entering the cafe is like passing through a garden arbor that’s been set into a stone wall. Once inside, you find yourself in what can only be described as a dollhouse parlor. With four seats at the counter and three tables, frilly curtains on the window, and a nook displaying Moomin goods, Apila can only be described as charmingly innocent.

The menu offers both lunch and desserts (mainly soft, chewy waffles). There’s a weekly lunch special (such as curry or stew) and savory waffle options (such as eggs-and-bacon), but I had to try the Finnish lunch plate with Nordic favorites such as lohikeitto (salmon and potato cream soup) and lihapullat (meatballs in cream with berry chutney). Though the portions on my plate looked small, there was such a large variety of foods, including pickles and rye bread, that I was quite stuffed by the end.

©Riotaro Mochizuki

Fortunately, I still had room for waffle-and-cream finger sandwiches and flavored Moomin-brand coffee! (I tried the salty caramel blend, but the hazelnut, the chocolate, and the wild blueberry also caught my eye.) It’s a rare treat to find a cafe that serves flavored coffee in Kanazawa, and an even rarer experience that leaves me feeling like a kid again, surrounded by soft things and happy memories.

Apila
Website: https://cafe-apila.gorp.jp/
Google Maps Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SgHKjHGu41mtt63Y7 

Café de Rêverie, a long cup on the waterfront!

©Riotaro Mochizuki

The cafe for those of us who long for a second cup has arrived! Yes, it is here! Every hot beverage arrives with its own French press (in the case of coffee) or pot (in the case of tea), delivering two cups minimum. Ah, bliss.

As a regular here, I’ve already sussed out my personal favorites and it might surprise you to learn that it isn’t the coffee! Don’t get me wrong – the coffee is excellent and French press coffee is a rarity in Kanazawa. But what I treasure are the flavored rooibos teas. Having almost nothing in common with their more astringent-tasting rooibos cousins, these teas are a must-try (especially if you’ve already had too much caffeine for the day). Pair it with homemade scones (with jam and cream) or the seasonal roll cake, or maybe with the generous portion of chocolate pound cake or a simple slice of baked cheesecake. My new favorite is their “caffeine-less” (i.e., decaf) coffees which pair inevitably well with the seasonal roll cake.

©Keri Yazawa

How can it get better than this, right? Well, it can. How? The view! The building itself sits right on the water at the mouth of the Sai River. Its floor-to-ceiling windows give an uninterrupted view of the sunset. But if those tables are all taken, don’t despair! The window seats along the southern wall of the cafe’s three-tiered floor plan show off Mount Hakusan in the distance, white-capped between the months of October and April.

If you’re keen to walk off some of those carbohydrates, take a stroll toward the bridge (visible from the cafe). You’ll wander past the small fishing boat wharf before you’re presented with two options: continue over the bridge and turn left to walk up the forested hill path to the public swimming pool (hang a right just past the public restrooms to reach the Sea of Japan), or you can turn left before you reach the bridge and walk among the cherry trees at the top of the levy where, on a clear day, you’ll be able to see Mount Hakusan straight ahead of you and, to your left in the distance, the Tateyama Alpine Mountain Range.

Café de Rêverie
Website: http://cafe-reverie.com/ 
Google Maps Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FsqxMTsou5PCMGBF7 

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