Local Guide
5 relaxing cafes in Obihiro and Tokachi where you can taste Hokkaido ingredients

The Tokachi area is Hokkaido's representative field and dairy farming region. Ingredients such as wheat, vegetables, and milk grown in the rich natural environment of Tokachi can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes including breads and sweets. The area also offers a wide variety of cafes where you can enjoy such bounty of the land in a cozy space at your leisure. Here are some recommended cafes that you may want to stop by during your trip.

Hearty parfait at the campus café

Mixed fruit parfait for 380 yen and Colombian coffee for 300 yen
Mixed fruit parfait for 380 yen and Colombian coffee for 300 yen

Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine is where the students who will lead the future of dairy farming and food study. This café is located on its sprawling campus and was opened in 2014 by Farm Designs, which operates a farm and a café and restaurant in Hamanaka-cho, east Hokkaido. The cafe's most popular menu item is a parfait with refreshingly sweet and refreshing soft-serve ice cream. The coffee, made from 100% Arabian beans, is ground to order and carefully brewed.

Comfortable space surrounded by trees

The store is visited by ordinary citizens as well as students. Souvenirs such as baked sweets are also sold.
The store is visited by ordinary citizens as well as students. Souvenirs such as baked sweets are also sold.

Soft serve ice cream and sweets made with pasteurized, non-homogenized milk from pastured cows raised stress-free in the great outdoors are very popular. The showcase is lined with cow-shaped puddings and cheesecakes, as well as cow-shaped cookies and other items that would make great souvenirs. Inside the store, there are tables for large groups to share, as well as seats by the window where you can enjoy the scenery outside by yourself, allowing you to spend your time as you wish. The owner, who is also a graduate of Obihiro University, has set reasonable prices "for the students," and the generous portions are also appealing.

Local Guide Comment
A wide variety of desserts and coffee, so much so that it is hard to believe that it is a café inside a university. Looking outside, you may even see squirrels and woodpeckers!
Farm Designs Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
  • Address 2-11 Inadacho Nishi, Obihiro City, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction Approx. 15 min. by car from JR Obihiro Station
  • Business hours 10:00-17:30 (L.O.) *Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays: 16:30 (L.O.), 30 minutes shorter during winter season, subject to change due to university events
  • Closed Closed during university vacations.
  • TEL 0155-66-6810
  • Parking Free of charge

French toast with homemade bread made from local wheat

French toast
French toast" made with 3cm-thick bread, 500 yen

Hokkaido Route 62 connects Obihiro City and Makubetsu Town. This café is marked by a sign that appears on a straight stretch of road running through farmland as far as the eye can see. One of the menu items that attracts many fans from far and wide is the French toast. It is made with homemade bread cut into 3 cm thick slices and caramelized with syrup at the finish. The crispy, savory, and fluffy texture of the bread can be enjoyed, and even women can eat it easily despite its generous portion.

Take a break in the countryside

Antique furniture blends in nicely with the interior.
Antique furniture blends in nicely with the interior.

The renovated farmhouse in the middle of a field is furnished with vintage furniture, creating a relaxing atmosphere even for first-time visitors. The cafe is surrounded by unobstructed light, and the windows let in plenty of bright sunlight. The menu includes sandwiches, pizza toast, and other items made with homemade bread, as well as an assortment of sweets. This café is a place where you can relax and fill up on a small meal in the typical Tokachi scenery.

Local Guide Comment
Sipping a cup of delicious coffee and gazing out the window at the spacious field scenery is truly relaxing. It is a place where you will want to linger.
Cafe Itaira Winds
  • Address 1-2, West 5-line, Ippei-cho, Obihiro City, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 35 minutes drive from JR Obihiro Station, 10 minutes drive from Obihiro Airport
  • Business hours 10:30-18:00 (L.O. 16:00 on weekdays) *17:00 from November to March
  • Closed Tuesdays (irregular holidays)
  • TEL 0155-64-2164
  • Parking Free of charge

Curry with the aroma of spices and deep flavor

Red curry chicken 1,000 yen. The light soup has a concentrated flavor.
Red curry chicken 1,000 yen. The light soup has a concentrated flavor.

There are three basic curry dishes. You can choose from tomato-based red curry, mild-tasting white curry made with milk that even children can enjoy, and black curry with a deep, rich flavor. Ingredients can be ordered in combination with your favorite curry from chicken, vegetable, shrimp, and pork stew. Each has its own strong fan base. The most popular is the Red Curry Chicken. Chicken broth plus soup stock from kelp and bonito is added to the chicken broth, and the sweetness of onions and spices are fused together in the strong flavor of the broth.

An old private house café where you can spend a relaxing time

Mismatched furniture matches the interior of the renovated old house.
Mismatched furniture matches the interior of the renovated old house.

Located in Otofuke Town, a neighboring town of Obihiro City, "Cafe Jouro" is a 70-year-old renovated private house with an impressive hideout-like appearance. The owner used to run a popular soup curry restaurant, and curry is still his main menu item. To go with the curry, you can choose between rice or naan baked with "Kita-no-Kaori" wheat produced in Otogi. You can enjoy a cup of coffee roasted by Morihiko, a Sapporo-based café, along with cheesecake and other sweets made from Tokachi ingredients.

Local Guide Comment
It is a store where you can relax and enjoy the atmosphere. The fluffy and sticky pancakes are worth the wait!
café Jorro
  • Address 1-11 Kino Shinmachi, Ondo-cho, Kawato-gun, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction Approx. 15 min. by car from JR Obihiro Station
  • Business hours 11:00-17:00 *After 17:00, available by reservation
  • Closed Wednesday
  • TEL 0155-30-6617
  • Parking Free of charge

Popular "Rabbit Gozen" - Enjoy seasonal ingredients with a homemade taste

Usagi Gozen (A)
Usagi Gozen (A)" with 9 side dishes, rice, and miso soup is 1,000 yen. Rice can be changed to 15-grain rice for an additional 120 yen.

The cafe was opened in 1999 by three sisters who wanted to create a stylish and comfortable cafe. The specialty of the menu is the "Usagi Gozen" (a set meal for rabbits). The main dish changes daily and is served with a variety of small dishes and salads, and sashimi can be added for an additional 150 yen. The reason for its popularity is the generous use of seasonal ingredients and gentle homemade flavor. In addition to meals, the restaurant offers five or six types of "cake of the day," so you can enjoy tea time as well. It is a locally loved café with many fans who now include three generations of customers.

A relaxing space with handmade flavors

The simple interior makes you feel at home.
The simple interior makes you feel at home.

All sweets and dishes are handmade and served in the neat and relaxing atmosphere of the restaurant. The taste of the wholeheartedly made coffee has gained a good reputation, and now there is no end to the number of fans who visit from Kushiro, Asahikawa, Sapporo, and other cities. There is a spacious small dining room in the inner part of the restaurant, which is recommended for those with children. Direction is also convenient, as it is only a 10-minute walk from Obihiro Station. You can enjoy a wide variety of dishes incorporating seasonal ingredients and colorful sweets.

Local Guide Comment
There are many cute rabbit figurines in the restaurant! The menu has a wide variety of dishes from meals to sweets, so it is recommended to visit for lunch or just for the delicious sweets.
CAFE&LUNCH USAGI
  • Address 15-8, Nishi-6-jo-minami, Obihiro-city, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 10 min. walk from JR Obihiro Station
  • Business hours 11:00-19:30 (L.O.) *Thursdays - 14:30 (L.O.)
  • Closed Mondays and the 3rd Tuesday of the month
  • TEL 0155-23-4885
  • Parking Free of charge

Enjoy the taste of Hokkaido's famous sweets in the coffee shop

Traditional
Traditional "pancakes" 550 yen

Rokkatei is well known for its famous sweets representing Hokkaido, such as "Marusei Butter Sandwich. Rokkatei's main store in Obihiro, the birthplace of Rokkatei, has a coffee shop where customers can enjoy light meals and desserts. One of the most popular items on the menu is "pancakes," which are popular for their simple, old-fashioned flavor. Freshly cooked and fluffy pancakes are served with plenty of butter and syrup. Everyone, from children to adults, will enjoy this dish. You can enjoy them with free coffee refills.

Cushions with wrapping paper patterns are fun!

Comfortable interior with white furniture
Comfortable interior with white furniture

The coffee shop on the second floor of the store is a clean space with a white base color and greenery seen through the windows. You can fill your stomach with a dessert menu arranged with Rokkatei sweets, pizza, hashed rice, and other dishes. The restaurant is popular among locals and tourists alike, and there is often a line out the door. Not only the delicious food, but also the atmosphere created by the hospitable Staff/staff members is the reason for its popularity. After relaxing in the coffee shop, we recommend buying sweets for souvenirs on the first floor. You can also find limited editions of the main store.

Local Guide Comment
The staff will sing a birthday song for you on your birthday, which is very heartwarming. The cakes are of course delicious, but the pizza is also highly recommended!
Rokkatei Obihiro Main Store Coffee Shop
  • Address 9-6 Nishi 2-jo Minami, Obihiro City, Hokkaido MAP
  • Direction 5 min. walk from JR Obihiro Station
  • Business hours 11:00-17:30 (L.O. 17:00) *Varies according to season.
  • Closed Wednesday
  • TEL 0155-24-6666
  • Parking None
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.