Where to Find the Best Coffee in Kumamoto

Jul 29, 2024

Where to Find the Best Coffee in Kumamoto

Kumamoto locals love a good cup of coffee. This is great news for visitors who also want to make sure their daily caffeine is delicious.

Coffee Gallery

Despite being located in a renovated 120-year-old machiya (a traditional wooden townhouse), Coffee Gallery has a sleek, modern interior. The coffee shop is on the first floor and there are often art exhibits on the second. There are 25 varieties of coffee beans available, refined in different ways and hand-selected from various farms. The staff will help you choose the right beans for you depending on what you prefer in terms of flavor, bitterness, and acidity. Accompany your drink with some daifuku — mochi stuffed with sweet bean paste.

Where: 20 Nishitojinmachi, Chuo Ward (map)

Open Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day

Coffeedot

If you’re doing some shopping Kumamoto, swing by Coffeedot — a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop in the shopping district. Many visitors say this is the best coffee they’ve had in the city. You’ll find everything from latte macchiato to espresso.

Where: 1-6-27 Shimotori Takahama Building 1F, Chuo Ward (map)

Open Hours: 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day

Rotary Coffee

At Rotary Coffee, the owner will help you find the perfect bean for you by offering you samples of the four or five on offer, which range from light to dark, along with at least one seasonal blend. If you purchase a bag of beans to prepare your own coffee at home, you’ll receive a free cup of coffee (which can be from different beans). The café also prepares a special treat called coffee milk pudding, which is made from cold brew coffee, pudding, and coffee sauce.

Where: 315 Motoyamamachi, Chuo Ward (map)

Open Hours: 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day

Gluck Coffee Spot

Enjoy a coffee in the cozy Gluck Coffee Spot. There are always fresh pastries and light snacks available. Plus, like at Rotary Coffee, you’ll receive a free cup of coffee if you purchase a bag of beans.

Where: 5-52 Jotomachi, Chuo Ward (map)

Open Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday

A Blue Coffee

A quiet spot for coffee, tucked away down an alley, is A Blue Coffee. The café roasts its own coffee beans and uses them to prepare all sorts of drinks, although drip coffee is the specialty. You can sit either indoors or outdoors or take your coffee to go.

Where: 2-7-32 Shimotori Shower Valley 1F-B, Chuo Ward (map)

Open Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday to Monday

Licht

If your priority is cake more than coffee, there’s no better option than Licht. The desserts, ranging from cream puffs and tarte aux poires to pound cake, are all prepared by a professional patissier. Every cake comes with a suggestion of what coffee to pair with it. Other perks of this café include that your second cup of coffee is half price and there is a pet-friendly terrace.

Where: 2-2-22 Kasuga, Nishi Ward (map)

Open Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day

If you’ll be in Kumamoto a while, try out several of the above until you find a coffee shop where you can see yourself becoming a regular.

KingVik Planet, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons