Local Guide
Five cafes where you can enjoy the bounty of Aso's great nature

The Aso region boasts one of the world's largest calderas and a vast expanse of nature. In addition to its magnificent scenery, the Aso area is blessed with mineral-rich spring water, flourishing agriculture, and an abundance of delicious foods. Here are some cafes where you can enjoy the blessings of nature and the beautiful scenery of Aso. Why don't you enjoy visiting cafes full of delicious food and other attractive features?

Enjoy red beef and seasonal vegetables in a nostalgic café

Grilled red beef with salad bowl (2,200 yen). Almost all the ingredients are grown in Aso.
Grilled red beef with salad bowl (2,200 yen). Almost all the ingredients are grown in Aso.

About a 5-minute drive from Aso Shrine, this café is housed in a renovated wooden school building built in the Meiji era (1868-1912), the former site of a women's school for Western-style dressmaking. The space is nostalgic, with antique furniture collected by the owner, who loves France.

The menu here features a variety of dishes made from Aso's red beef and vegetables. The "Grilled Red Beef with Salad Bowl" features tender red beef in a soy sauce-based sauce and seasonal vegetables served over rice. The chewy and sweet texture of Milky Queen rice purchased directly from local farmers can also be enjoyed, and the delicacies of Aso are concentrated in every corner of the dish.

Enjoy the shabby space of a wooden school building

The French antique space is enchanting. Owner-selected sundries and accessories by Japanese artists are also on display.
The French antique space is enchanting. Owner-selected sundries and accessories by Japanese artists are also on display.

Another popular dish is the "Curry with Coarse Minced Red Beef served in a cocotte dish with seasonal steamed vegetables," a lavish curry using minced red beef. Another not-to-be-missed item is the vegan fruit tart, which is made from a variety of seasonal fruits. It is popular not only in the restaurant, but also for takeout, and is inevitably sold out.

Surrounded by a spring-fed creek where watercress grows wild, the cafe is a peaceful place to spend time. This is a spot to relax, take your time, enjoy the space, and enjoy the bounty of Aso.

Local Guide Comment
An antique furniture store and a sweet store using spring water called "Kanzarashi" are also adjacent to the site of the old girls' school. Why not take a stroll while enjoying the photogenic scenery that retains the atmosphere of the Meiji era?
TIEN TIEN
  • Address 3204 Miyachi, Ichinomiya-cho, Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from JR Miyachi Station
  • Business hours 11:30-17:00 (L.O. 16:30)
  • Closed Wednesdays and Thursdays *Open on national holidays
  • TEL 080-6406-8133
  • Parking Free of charge

Organic lunch featuring the seasonality of Aso is popular!

One plate set of vegetables from the field
One plate set of vegetables from the field" (1,590 yen). You can choose between bread or cereal rice.

This café-restaurant with two zelkova (olmo) trees standing in a rural landscape is a landmark. Its carefully prepared lunches, handmade with organic ingredients, are popular.

The most popular "Field Vegetable One Plate" is a healthy lunch with a main dish of three-color fried fu (fu) and a mountain of seasonal vegetables from Aso, delivered by farmers on request. The vegetables and ingredients are sourced directly from the farmers, mainly pesticide-free vegetables, with a focus on those grown in their own gardens, in Aso, and in Kumamoto Prefecture. The dish, which includes the producer's specialties, will make you feel the season and the nature of Aso, and the rich and tasty flavor will soak into your body.

A place where you can feel the joy of enjoying seasonal foods

The store was renovated from a warehouse that used to be in the owner's family home. The windows offer a view of trees and rice paddies.
The store was renovated from a warehouse that used to be in the owner's family home. The windows offer a view of trees and rice paddies.

You can also enjoy "Field Vegetable Pasta" filled with freshly picked vegetables or "Higo Beef Yakuzen Curry". Occasionally, the owner will share with you the charm of seasonal vegetables and their producers. It is a blissful moment when you can feel the "joy of eating truly delicious food" while reconfirming the season that we almost forget in this age of convenience. If you inquire in advance, a vegetarian menu is also available.

The atmospheric building is a renovated 150-year-old warehouse. Experience the bounty of Aso's nature with your whole body in this serene space.

Local Guide Comment
The baked cheesecake made with Yotsuba cream cheese and original drinks such as organic coffee and homemade ginger ale are also excellent. We hope you will try one.
Organic Cafe olmo coppia
  • Address 627-1 Kurahara, Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 10 min. walk from JR Ikoi no Mura Station
  • Business hours 11:30-15:00 (L.O.14:30)
  • Closed Monday, Tuesday
  • TEL 0967-34-1710
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Advance reservations are recommended. Check the website for reservation status as needed.

A hideaway café famous for its photogenic sweets

Tiramisu-style Dutch Baby (1,200 yen) and cappuccino with latte art (550 yen)
Tiramisu-style Dutch Baby (1,200 yen) and cappuccino with latte art (550 yen)

A former farmer's barn was renovated into a hideaway warehouse café. The red beef lunch and sweets prepared by the owner, who trained in Japanese cuisine, Italian cuisine, and cafes, are popular.

Dutch Baby" is a German pancake baked in the oven, crunchy and chewy, and "Tiramisu Style" is a homemade pancake. The "Tiramisu Style" is enchanting with the moderate sweetness and richness of the homemade mascarpone mousse, and is also visually photogenic! Enjoy an exciting café time with a cup of home-roasted coffee brewed by our baristas and latte art.

Using rice and vegetables from our own farm for "self-production for self-consumption

The store has been renovated in a modern Japanese style while retaining the atmosphere of a warehouse. In the back, there is a tatami room with round tables.
The store has been renovated in a modern Japanese style while retaining the atmosphere of a warehouse. In the back, there is a tatami room with round tables.

Of course, the lunch menu is also popular. The lunch menu, which features Aso's famous red beef, offers a wide variety of dishes, from char-grilled beef, hamburgers, steaks, and pie wraps. Pasta lunch is also available. The restaurant strives for "self-production for self-consumption," using home-grown vegetables and rice in abundance, and all dishes are handmade, from even a single sauce. The love and care that goes into making these delicious dishes has made them a favorite of many customers.

The large windows in the renovated Japanese modern space offer a spectacular view of the Aso countryside and the outer rim of the mountain, allowing you to enjoy a hearty lunch in Aso.

Local Guide Comment
In front of the parking lot on the premises, there is a store selling dried flower goods and handmade accessories. The shop offers a variety of cute items, and you may find yourself impulsively buying some of them.
Hidden Tea House Chagura Cafe
  • Address 625-1 Kurahara, Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 15 min. walk from JR Ikoi no Mura Station
  • Business hours 10:30-22:00 *Advance reservation required after 17:00
  • Closed Wednesdays *Thursdays if Wednesday is a national holiday
  • TEL 0967-34-0087
  • Parking Free of charge

Hot dogs made in Aso served at a café attached to a workshop

Left:
Left: "Lark Dog" (480 yen), center: "Cheese Dog" (450 yen). Nagata black tea served in an iron kettle (400 yen).

Located in the rice paddies overlooking the five Aso peaks and the outer rim of the mountain, the café is attached to the sausage workshop "Hibari Kobo". Visitors can enjoy hot dogs made with sausages and bacon from the workshop.

The "Hibari Dog" is a signature item, featuring sausages and Aso vegetables on a bun specially ordered from a local bakery, Mame-no-ki, and topped with meat made from red beef and Aso tomato sauce, "Aso Monogatari". There are also more than 10 other hot dog varieties, including the "Cheese Dog" and "Bali Dog," so there is something for everyone to choose from.

Enjoy the German gold medal-winning hot dogs amidst the scenic beauty of Aso.

The flat rice paddies surrounding the restaurant provide an unobstructed view of the five Aso peaks and the outer rim of the mountain when the weather is fine.
The flat rice paddies surrounding the restaurant provide an unobstructed view of the five Aso peaks and the outer rim of the mountain when the weather is fine.

The sausages are made from carefully selected pork from Kyushu, with as few additives as possible. The sausages are made using an original blend of spices, natural salt, and spring water from Aso, and are prepared with time and care using traditional handcraft techniques. The sausages are rich in juiciness, umami, and texture, and have won a gold medal at a meat processing contest in Germany, the home of this product.

You can enjoy such special delicacies while enjoying the panoramic view of Aso in each of the four seasons. If the weather permits, relaxing on the terrace while feeling the Aso breeze is also an enjoyable experience. This is a café where you should stop by on a whim.

Local Guide Comment
At the on-site workshop, you can purchase sausages, ham, and bacon from the "Hibari Kobo". If you want a hearty meal, go to the "Hibari Grill," which is also located on the premises. The owner's garage is also a popular spot for bikers.
HOT DOG & DRINK Hibari Cafe
  • Address 640-1 Nakadori, Ichinomiya-cho, Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from JR Miyachi Station
  • Business hours Open 11:00-17:00
  • Closed Tuesdays, every other Monday *Varies depending on the season.
  • TEL 0967-22-1894
  • Parking Free of charge

A long-established café famous for its apple pie, which attracts customers from far and wide.

Apple pie
Apple pie" (440 yen). It is served in an apple-shaped bowl baked to order.

Minami-Oguni Town has many hot spring resorts including Kurokawa Hot Spring, and the famous "Oshido-ishi no Oka" hill, valleys, and countryside scenery are attractive. Apple pie, coffee, and apple curry have been popular here for over 30 years.

The signature item on the menu, "Apple Pie," is a specialty that many people come all the way from far away to try. 5 days are spent making the pie dough, and the apples are divided into 16 equal portions. The pie dough is made over a five-day period and filled with 16 equal portions of apples, cooked without cinnamon and using only warm sugar, then wrapped in pie crust and baked. The crispy texture of the dough and the simple taste of the apples are so delicious that you will never get tired of eating them again and again.

Stop by casually for a meal or as a café!

The space is calm and relaxing, with old-fashioned pillars and beams. Several apple trees stand at the entrance of the store and bear red fruit in the fall.
The space is calm and relaxing, with old-fashioned pillars and beams. Several apple trees stand at the entrance of the store and bear red fruit in the fall.

The restaurant started as a café using apples from its own farm, and now uses apples carefully selected from all over Japan. The "usual apple curry" is a curry in which chopped apples are stewed with the curry, leaving the texture of the apples so that the apples look like potatoes.

In addition to other apple menu items such as apple cheesecake, the restaurant offers a wide variety of food items such as home-roasted coffee, turkey rice, and red beef menu items. It is a place where you can stop by for lunch or as a café. You can also take out a piece of "Appuru Pie" as a souvenir.

Local Guide Comment
Inside the bakery is the "Bakery ASO" that uses natural yeast. The crispy, glutinous "ultimate melon bread" kneaded with milk is so popular that it is shipped to many places in and out of the prefecture! It is a must-try.
Chakabo Ringo no Ki
  • Address 137 Akababa, Minami-Oguni Town, Aso County, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
  • Direction Approximately 60 minutes by car from JR Aso Station
  • Business hours 10:00-17:00 *Saturday, Sunday and national holidays: 18:00
  • Closed Tuesdays
  • TEL 0967-42-0785
  • Parking Free of charge
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.