It never ceases to amaze me that one can come across the coolest cafes in the most unexpected of places. This week, a shot of tasty-looking tarts in a magazine on Kumamoto eateries led me down tiny back roads just under the bridge of the Kyushu expressway to the welcoming lights of Ura Cafe.
Despite its size, Ura Cafe offers a cozy dining experience. The long, low building is subdivided into multiple dining rooms, some featuring soft floor chairs and low tables and others sporting regular tables and bench seats. The music was an eclectic mix of global singers; not one song in a row was in the same language!
Though we arrived in the middle of the afternoon, Ura Cafe was still serving lunch and a glance at the menu assured us that food is actually available all day and late into the evening, with no break between normal meal times. The menu, while in Japanese only, has a long list of options, ranging from omuraisu dishes to pastas to a few meat and rice bowl combinations. There are a handful of pictures to accompany the choices in case you need a hand in ordering; on the day we went, one of the staff members spoke excellent English. Prices for the lunches averaged around 1100-1200 yen and the main dishes were accompanied by small salads and a selection of bread baked in-house.
There are also numerous options for those just wanting to swing by for sweets. The focus here seems to be on ice cream and various parfaits but there is also a small selection of cakes and tarts to choose from. My apricot tart was a decently-sized slice and served with both ice cream and whipped cream on the side. We also tried the marbled pound cake, a dense concoction presented very artfully with a selection of fresh fruit.
While one of Kumamoto's only Starbucks is a two-minute drive away from Ura Cafe, it's worth checking out this lesser-known spot for some excellent, slow-drip coffee, delicious desserts and stylish atmosphere. For drivers, there are two parking areas on either end of the restaurant.
