Hiroshima’s coffee scene has grown significantly in recent times, with its rising number of independent cafés and the introduction of an annual city-wide latte art competition. Discover the best coffee shops in Hiroshima by exploring the city’s hipster roasteries, Japanese tearooms and independent artisan coffee shops.
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Best Coffee Shops In Hiroshima
Bluebird coffee shop
Stop by and enjoy riding the caffeine wave at what is known as one of the best coffee shops in Hiroshima! Either you visit this café before your ferry ride to Miyajima Island or drop by after your Island jaunt, Bluebird Coffee Shop always keeps its doors open for one and all. Convenient location, excellent service, winsome food, heart-warming beverages, delightful ambiance and a friendly pet cat are the noteworthy features of this café.
They will make for you the best coffee you’ve ever had and that too served in the cups crafted by the local potters. Grab a cup of a spiced maple latte, which was sweet and creamy yet held on to the rich bitter caramel of the coffee, and a Green tea chocolate chip muffin or a Tiramisu cake, and you’ll be good to go.
Aki Café
Just a three-minute walk from Hiroshima Station’s south exit, Aki Café is attached to a guesthouse, so you’ll find the crowd here tends to be a mix of Hiroshima residents and international visitors. The building that houses Aki Café was renovated in 2019 to reveal a bright, airy space featuring wooden counters and cutlery, with cactuses adding a touch of greenery to the interior.
Aki Café serves breakfast from 8am to 11am, featuring wallet-friendly plates such as toast (a popular café snack in Japan) and coffee sets for just ¥600 (£4.50). Aki Café’s lunch hours run from 11am to 4pm and original lunchtime dishes include omelette sandwiches or sautéed mushrooms with avocado and hummus. The café also has vegan and gluten-free options making it a safe choice for anyone with dietary requirements. Outside of regular meal-service, a selection of home-made cakes are on display to tempt you into an afternoon sugar-rush.
Social Book Café
Situated close to Hiroshima’s Peace Park, Social Book Café is an ideal spot to rest after visiting the city’s Peace Memorial Museum. The café’s second-floor location above a hair salon makes it a bit of a hidden gem. As you settle in for coffee and a curry, you’ll find yourself surrounded by stacks of books that owner Erika has collected, and customers can also try their hand at grinding their own coffee beans.
Social Book Café is a particularly cosy spot during the winter, where Japanese kotastu tables are available to hibernate under – these are tables with electric heaters built-in, covered by thick blankets. A warning to first-time users: once you get under the kotatsu it’s almost impossible to leave. Another highlight of Social Book Café are their regularly organised events where visitors can talk in English with A-Bomb survivors about their experiences.
Obscura coffee roasters
If you are an avid coffee-drinker or need that early morning jolt to get you through the day, then let the Obscura Coffee Roasters serve you an excellent brew. Just in the city centre and near Peace Park and other major tourist sites, stands this café with an industrial-style décor. The café opens around 9 am and has plenty of seats for the visitors to sit comfortably and plan their day.
The coffee shop cum retail outlet surfs up its very own house-made roasts and serves top notch espresso, pour over, latte and other boatload of varieties. You’d love the tiny details too – the excellent staff service, the atmosphere and the cutlery. Whether it is a rainy day or the sun is shining bright, a cup of your favourite beverage at the Obscura Coffee Roasters will never go vain.
24/7 coffee & roaster Ujina
This folks at this café know how to craft a near perfect coffee. But first, let’s start with the location: It’s also pretty damn near perfect. Situated in the FLEX gallery furniture and retail outlet on the Ujina waterfront, 24/7 Coffee & Roaster Ujina overlooks the lovely sea and all indoor seats are placed to give clear view of the ocean, which, of course, is very relaxing to behold.
Come here to feast your eyes on the awesome sea views whilst enjoying the specialty brews (both alcoholi and non-alcoholic) and other eats like the cheese toasts, Setouchi lemon pound cake and fruit and Azuki bean versions of hotcakes.
Having a capacity of 30 pax, the café is hit among the young and the elderly alike. Good service coupled with the peaceful ambiance makes it an ideal venue to spend some time chatting with that significant other, group of friends or simply by yourself with a nice book and brew in hand.
