10 of the Best Kamakura Cafes Serving Coffee, Sweets, and More

1. café vivement dimanche

Richard, enjoy my life!/Flickr

This famous cafe started out in 1994 when Kamakura was experiencing a cafe fever. Make yourself at home here among its wooden furniture, yellow walls and sexy music. This cafe is famous for its Japanese omelette rice topped with a rich demi-glace sauce that comes with a salad on the side (¥820, ¥460 for a smaller portion and ¥870 for a bigger portion). Their hot sweet waffles and home-brewed coffee will fill you up happy too.  In summer, you can cool down and get your coffee fix here with their special parfait dimanche (at ¥600 and sink your teeth into their coffee-flavored shaved ice, coffee jelly and coffee ice-cream)!

HP: www.facebook.com/pages/caf%C3%A9-vivement-dimanche/138167602895001?sk=timeline (Japanese Only)

Address: 1F Sakurai Bldg., 2-1-5 Komachi, Kamakura City (Google Map)

2. Iwata Coffee

Walk down Komachi Street and you'll find this quaint cafe to your right that has been around since 1948! Famous writers are said to frequent here. Besides famous writers, this cafe also had the late John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono in here before and rumor has it that they loved the fluffy pancakes here that are 7cm in thickness each (sold at ¥800 but you might have to wait for 30 minutes till they get done)! These pancakes will win your heart too cause they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

Address: 1-5-7 Komachi, Kamakura City (Google Map)

3. OXYMORON

This cafe is hip and trendy and many come here for their curry dishes and desserts. While you wait for your food and drinks to arrive, you can enjoy browsing the many knick knacks here. Their dry curry of minced pork with coriander, shiso and scallions is a favorite too (sold at ¥1200).  The cakes are not to be missed, so if you have room in your tummy, you should definitely order the drink and dessert set (at ¥1800)!

HP: www.oxymoron.jp/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 2F, 1-5-38 Yukinoshita, Kamakura City (Google Map)

4. Milk Hall 

This cafe will blast you back in time with its Showa era design. You might need to navigate yourself to get to this place as it is tucked in the back streets of Komachi Street. With classic antique furniture, this cafe screams retro style! If you are looking for some really good pudding to satisfy your taste buds, you have definitely come to the right place. Their pudding is sold at ¥1000 and it comes either with coffee or tea. Their hashed beef rice dish is just as good. 

HP: www.milkhall.co.jp/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 2-3-8 Komachi, Kamakura City (Google Map)

5. SONG BE CAFE

There is a really nice cafe along the tracks that might make you think that you have just stepped onto an exotic land in South East Asia. This Vietnamese cafe has al fresco seats, sofas and traditional floor seatings for you to relax on while you take a spoon of their yummy green curry (¥850) or a bowl of pho noodles or their parfait dessert of the season. And in case you were wondering about the unusual name of the cafe, it's named after a place in Vietnam that is famous for pottery.

HP: song-be-cafe.com/top (Japanese Only)

Address: 13-32 Onarimachi, Kamakura City (Google Map)

6. Hatokoji

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Moody Man/Flickr

Those that come to visit Kamakura will always leave with a box of Hato sable cookies. These yummy cookies are sold by Toshimaya and the same store runs a really nice cafe at the back of their cookie store. We recommend you get their warabimochi (¥700) and iced coffee (¥650). You will not regret trying out the all-so-foreign warabimochi cause they are made to order and they serve it warm to you. Order your iced coffee and they'll serve it to you chilled in a small wooden bucket with a really cute handkerchief printed with a picture of a dove. You will also be pleasantly surprised when you take a sip and taste the subtle hints of yuzu in the ice cubes. 

HP: https://www.hato.co.jp/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 2-9-20 Komachi, Kamakura City (Google Map)

7. Itsuki Garden

There is a nice cafe tucked within the trees along the hiking course from Kita Kamakura to Kotoku-in. Come here to relax with their fragrant refreshing fruity herb tea (¥650) and a slice of their apple pie (¥700). The chirping from the birds and the green foliage will soothe you and on a good cold day, you might be able to take a clear glimpse of Mount Fuji. 

HP: itsuki-garden.com/en/

Address: 917 Tokiwa, Kamakura City (Google Map)

8. Cafe Sakanoshita

This cafe is housed in a traditional Japanese house and it is only 8 minutes from Hase station on foot. Although the architecture of this traditional house hasn't changed since the Showa period but when you step inside, modern furniture welcomes you. Come hungry cause you would want to eat their yummy pancakes (at ¥1160) or their baby anchonvy pizza. You can dine indoors or outdoors at their terrace. For those who follow Japanese tv shows, you might wonder why this place looks familiar. Well this very cafe was actually featured in the show, "My Second Last Love". 

HP: https://tabelog.com/kanagawa/A1404/A140402/14092245/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 21-15 Sakanoshita, Kamakura City (Google Map)

9. Magokoro

This cafe was opened in 2002 to provide patrons with organic food. They also incorporate hemp into their menu. It's located near Hase station along the coast and you can get a beautiful view of Yuigahama coast. They serve a lot of healthy good-tasting desserts here like their organic cakes that start from ¥580. Their concept is about macrobiotics and they don't use eggs, dairy or sugar in their dishes. Instead they use maple syrup or other natural sweeteners.

HP: sites.google.com/site/magokorokamakura/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 2F, 2-8-11 Hase, Kamakura City (Google Map)

10. Starbucks at Onarimachi, Kamakura

yu_photo / Shutterstock.com

This beautiful Starbucks is built on what used to be the residence of the famous cartoonist, Ryuichi Yokoyama. It's not only beautiful but calming with their high ceilings, beautiful cherry blossoms, wisterias and a pool. 

HP: www.starbucks.co.jp/store/search/detail.php?id=624&mode=concept (Japanese Only)

Address: 15-11 Onarimachi, Kamakura City (Google Map)

Kamakura is truly a famous and popular tourist area and during the weekends, it will attract crowds of people! Plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to enjoy one location. Don't forget to visit one of the above cafes to relax after a full schedule of sightseeing.