Cafes in Inawashiro and Urabandai with great food and atmosphere that you want to go out of your way for
The Bandai Plateau area is a place where you can experience the richness of nature centered around the majestic Bandai Mountain. Around Lake Inawashiro and in Urabandai, there are many cozy cafes dotted with lush greenery. Here are some cafes with delicious homemade sweets and coffee that you can stop by during your drive. Some are also available for lunch.
1cafe217 (Nina)
Rich chocolates and original blend of coffee are delicious!
Located along Route 49 near Inawashiro Lake, this café is known for its sweets and pasta. The standard of sweets is gateau chocolat. It has a taste for adults that is not too sweet and goes well with their original blend of coffee. The dishes are one-of-a-kind and are made by the Shigaraki ware "Bungoro-gama". The unique texture enhances the dishes.
Three types of pasta are offered at lunch time. The chewy texture is superb, and the most popular one, "cream of aosa seaweed and scallops," in particular, is a luxurious dish that highlights the sweetness of aosa seaweed and fresh scallops with an aroma of the sea.
Healing space renovated from a 60-year-old agricultural warehouse.
The name of the restaurant, "217," reads "Nina. The owner's birthday is February 17, and she had decided on this name when she opened the café because "the combination of words is very Japanese. The building is a former warehouse where rice was stockpiled and equipment used for farming was stored. The exterior walls and roof were retained, and new rooms were created inside. The shoji-like fittings are impressive, and the space is calm, with colors limited to white and beige. Spending time while enjoying our signature pasta and seasonal sweets will help you reset your mind and body from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
- cafe217 (Nina)
-
660-1 Minamitoboshi, Oaza-Nagata, Inawashiro-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
7 minutes drive from JR Inawashiro Station
11:00-17:00 (L.O. 16:30), Lunch 11:30-14:00 (L.O.)
Tuesdays (irregular holidays)
0242-85-8640
Free of charge
2Lunch & Cafe Sunny
Many repeat customers. Popular handmade chiffon cakes.
The cafe is located along Route 2, which connects Lake Inawashiro and Goshikinuma. The "fluffy chiffon cake" with a choice of chocolate sauce or caramel sauce is a popular menu item with many repeat customers. As the name suggests, the fluffy batter with bananas sandwiched in between is very satisfying. The crunchy texture is accentuated by the crunch.
If you choose a drink as a set, try the "Iced Chocolat," which is not as sweet as it looks and has the bitterness of deep-roasted coffee. The "Parfait with Handmade Chiffon Cake" is also popular.
At-home cafe run by a husband and wife team.
The coffee is home-roasted and deep roasted, the milk is Aizu milk, and the sweets are made with blueberries and strawberries grown in Inawashiro.
At lunch time, two types of dishes are available from a variety of genres, such as "sauteed salted pork," "chicken thigh marinated in honey and lemon," and "stewed motsu. The dishes are generous in volume with plenty of vegetables, and are popular with even men as they fill them up. All drinks can also be taken out. Sweets can be enjoyed during café time starting at 2:00 p.m.
- Lunch & Cafe Sunny
-
- 6353-2 Aza-Oyachi, Inawashiro-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
- 10 minutes drive from JR Inawashiro Station
Take a bus from JR Inawashiro Station, get off at "Kokusai Ski Resort Entrance" and walk 5 minutes.- 11:00-17:00 (L.O.), December-March (weekdays) 11:30-17:00 (L.O.)
- Wednesdays (irregular weekdays during winter)
- 090-2437-2038
- Free of charge
3En cafe
Crispy and chewy pizza baked in a stone oven at 500°C
This café is famous for its pizzas that use "mountain salt," which is made by boiling down hot springs from the Oshio Urabandai hot springs at the foot of Mt. Bandai, for the dough. Compared to sea salt, mountain salt is rich in minerals and has a strong sweet taste. This dough, which goes well with Italian flour, is baked in 1 minute and 30 seconds in a high-temperature oven specially designed for pellets, which the owner is very fond of. The short baking time keeps the dough moist, making it crispy to the touch and chewy in texture. The Margherita, which also uses mountain salt in the sauce, goes especially well with the acidity of the tomato sauce.
A secluded cafe deep in the forest in Urabandaï
For dessert, we recommend the heart-shaped sweet pizza. The standard "chocolate banana" and seasonal fruits are available, and both their appearance and taste are very satisfying. They go perfectly with the mild-tasting coffee made from beans aged in a snow room.
Located in the forest of Urabandaï, the restaurant is a hideaway with beautiful greenery of beech and mizunara oak forests outside its windows.
4Self-roasting coffee shop MOTO COFFEE
Specialty coffee where you can enjoy the individuality of the beans
This coffee specialty store is located along the road connecting Lake Sohara and Lake Onogawa in Urabandai. Five types of specialty coffees, including Ethiopian and Costa Rican, are available seasonally. The menu includes comments on the origin, aroma, and flavor, which will help you choose the right beans. If you are lucky, you may come across beans from Bali, Indonesia, which have a tropical fruit-like flavor, or other beans that are hard to find in other stores. We recommend pairing them with handmade cheesecake or scones.
Coffee time is served on the second floor in a relaxed atmosphere.
After placing your order on the first floor, head to the cafe space on the second floor. Sitting at the counter, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the majestic Bandaisan Mountain in front of you, which even the owner was fascinated by. The owner says he became interested in coffee because of his love of roasting machines and espresso machines. He says that he has been studying roasting and brewing so that he can enjoy the individual flavors of each bean. Using his experience and knowledge, he brews each cup of mellow coffee by hand drip, making it exceptional. The beautiful scenery makes for an even richer experience.
In addition, since there are few places to eat in the surrounding area, we plan to offer light meals in the future.
- Home Roasting Coffee Shop MOTO COFFEE
-
- 1097-125, Aza Jinkurousawa, Oaza Hibara, Kitashiobara-mura, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
- Approx. 25 min. by car from JR Inawashiro Station
- 11:00-18:00
- Thursdays
- 0241-23-5884
- Free of charge
5Bakery Sasakitei
Enjoy coffee and bread made with handmade ingredients
The bakery is located in an area dotted with pensions in Urabandai, about a 5-minute drive from Lake Sohara. The owner, who used to be a French chef, makes handmade bread with a special attention to detail. For sandwiches, be sure to try the country bread with natural honey. We recommend the ham and egg, which is ordered from a butcher store in Aizu Wakamatsu City, and has an exquisite salty taste. The boiled eggs are made from heirloom chicken eggs and have a rich flavor. Ratatouille in spring and summer and mushroom pizza toast in autumn are also regular menu items.
The café space overlooks Urabandaï's natural beauty that changes with the seasons.
The store bakes 30 to 40 varieties of bread every day, using seasonal vegetables and local fruits. The variety is best available around 10:00 a.m., and reservations by phone are a sure thing, as they are sometimes sold out by 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. The delicious bread is served with a cup of hand-drip coffee brewed one cup at a time in the café space. You can spend a relaxing time while enjoying the view of Mt. The owner says, "I want people to come here and eat bread in this location.
In the back of the store, there is also a "Bandaisan View Library" where you can enjoy books and bread while sitting around the fireplace.
- Bakery Sasakitei
-
- 1097 Jinkuro Sasawa, Oaza Hibara, Kitashiobara-mura, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
- Approx. 30 min. by car from JR Inawashiro Station
- 8:00 - close when sold out
- Mondays and Tuesdays (closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when Monday is a national holiday)
- 0241-32-2824
- Free of charge
Local Guide who was in charge of this article
- Saori Kuji Active girls full of love for Aizu
