8 Most Popular Dessert Shops in Kobe

Jan 23, 2020

8 Most Popular Dessert Shops in Kobe

Kobe isn’t just famous for their beef; their desserts are also equally popular for tourists and locals alike. After a fantastic meal of beef or seafood, as the port city is also well known for, you’ might lounge and relax in their sweet shops and sample picture-perfect and mouth-watering desserts that aren’t just crazy good, they’re also reasonably priced.

Although these shops are westernized due to their arrival on the shores of Kobe so many years ago, there are still shops that offer traditional Japanese treats who stand out and who have quite a following. Some of these cafes or stores also are not quite popular with tourists but are well visited by locals who appreciate the flavors and textures of their fare. It’s lovely to say that there is a harmony between the local and Western dessert selections in this city despite the latter’s significant influence in their culture.

Desserts are little slices, cups, or morsels of heaven in their prettiest and simplest presentation. Although not everyone has a sweet tooth, some of these sweets have a come hither aura that is mesmerizing and would tempt you to take just one bite. For the dessert aficionados, a pilgrimage to these popular shops will surely be on top of their travel itinerary.

Konditorei Kobe

Japan has it’s most famous, and fluffiest take on cheesecakes and here in this internationally awarded sweet store, given no less than the Monde Selection, you will taste the lightest and creamiest cheesecake ever, their Vanilla Fromage Cheesecake. They use cream cheese from France and Australia, and they add premium yogurt to achieve this award-winning piece of perfection. They sell it frozen, and when you get to your hotel or wherever you’re staying, you need to defrost it for 3 hours before you can enjoy it.

Juchheim

Baumkuchen was first introduced by the namesake of this sweet store, Karl Juchheim, German confectioner. Today, this delicate German cake has not only become a household name, but it has also become a symbol of prosperity and longevity because of its carefully crafted rings. It is now a staple on festive occasions across the country. With an elegant boxing and refined appearance, it truly has the qualities of the cultures that created it and made it famous.

Frantz

If you love strawberries, chocolates, and matcha, you will dig this decadent dessert from another famous dessert shop in Kobe. The strawberries are freeze-dried and dipped in either white chocolate, chocolate, and matcha flavored chocolate. These are packed in simple colored boxes and are sold even online and not just in their shops. It would be amazing to visit their shop and sample their treats right out of their shelves. These truffles are gorgeous and tempting, and they’ve been a huge hit as gifts to bring home to friends and family. This 20-year-old shop also sells the equally famous magic pot pudding with layers of caramel, creamy custard, and cream with variations like mango, strawberry, chocolate, and more.

Kannonya Motomachi Honten

Their Denmark Cheesecake is a must-have when you decide to visit their shop in Motomachidori. They are open all week long and serve this cake with a crispy exterior and topped with melted cheese that sits perfectly on top and drips to the sides right on to the plate. If you love cheese and cake, but not precisely cheesecake, then head over to this shop and indulge in this famous treat.

Gregory Collet

They’ve been serving their clientele since 1988 with desserts that look too good to eat. These desserts are so elegant, and the colors so magical, its almost a shame to eat it. They truly are a work of art and they’re also just as decadent when sampled. There’s flowers, fruit, cream, and just about anything masterfully decorating these pretty pieces of sweets.

Patisserie Mont Plus

This is another of those French sweets stores that you often see in anime and drama series that offer picture-perfect desserts. Located in Sakaemachi, Kobe, they are known to have introduced French desserts and some beverages to the locals. Shelves of the prettiest gateaux and packs of other confectionery fill the shop every day, so you’re welcome to visit anytime, or you can also purchase their items from their online shop.

Kameido Sohonten

They’ve been serving these dainty and artfully crafted cookies since 1873 and a long time favorite of Kobe locals because they have not changed their recipe. The rice crackers or cookies are shaped like roof tiles and have intricate gilded designs like sakura and warriors in cavalry armor and are in different sizes, shapes and variations. These are wonderful gifts for families and friends who’d love to taste traditionally made Japanese desserts.

Hontakassagoya Motomachi

There are a lot of European influenced dessert shops dotting Kobe, but some of them, like this sweets store, serve treats with traditional ingredients. With over 100 years of history, Hontakassagoya Motomachi became known for its Takasago kintsuba, which they started concocting back in 1897 a couple of years before they opened shop. These sweets are made with red beans in thin-skinned wraps and go well with the rest of their sweets lineup. You can visit their store near the Motomachi shopping street.

Sweets aren’t called such without evoking feelings of love and happiness. Chocolates are often gifted to sweethearts, and a box of soft pastries are given to friends to cheer them up if they are emotionally distressed or if they’re ill. It’s something you can bring home, and everyone will swoon over except when for health reasons, your family or friends aren’t allowed to eat them. But, most of the time, you can never go wrong in taking them home as presents because everyone will surely enjoy them.

By J o (Photo taken by J o.) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons