Nagoya has its famous things. An-butter toast (sweet red bean paste and butter on toast), for instance. Honestly, I suspect people who actually live in Nagoya could not care less about it, but I am a tourist, so I figured I should drop in at least once.

An onigiri specialist in Toyohashi

I stopped in Toyohashi before heading to Nagoya, and there is a good shop inside the station. Rice balls are far better from a specialist like this than from a convenience store, and there is enough variety that you can pick whatever you feel like. So I end up stopping in whenever I am out that way.

Kissa Morning

It is within walking distance of Nagoya Station, though I would hesitate to call it close. Anyway, the area around it is a faded shopping street, and yet this one shop had a long line out front. I suspect places with a concept like this take off precisely because the traditional an-butter toast shops are so old and drab.

The menu

There is curry, there are sandwiches, that sort of thing.

Opening hours

They open at 8 in the morning and close at 3:30 in the afternoon, apparently.

This as well..

I do not know much about coffee, but this looks like the machine they roast with.. Which is presumably why the coffee has a good reputation too.

The illustration

Nicely drawn. The staff member in the back was handsome enough to model, but the photo does not do him justice. I imagine that is part of this shop’s appeal too.

Coffee

They sell all kinds of coffee.

They sell beans too..

It is a good concept, I think.

Inside

The ground floor is cramped, but go through to the back and you can head up to the second floor.

Second floor

It is a bit roomier up here, and the tables turned over quickly. So even with a long line, the wait was bearable.

Sandwich set

It came out looking neat. Drawing eyes on the boiled egg is this shop’s signature touch, and it is cute. As for the taste, well, it tastes like a good sandwich.

An-butter sandwich

The toast was done well and the an-butter was good. But there are already so many similar an-butter sandwiches around that I could not say this one tasted especially better.

Chocolate brownie set

Sweet. Something like taking in an excessive amount of carbohydrates first thing in the morning.. I suppose this is the Nagoya style..

A character outside..

Fun concept, good food, a nice retro mood, a handsome staff member.. If only the line were shorter it would be perfect. Then again, the menu itself cannot be all that different from what you get at Komeda, the Nagoya coffee-shop chain.. My conclusion was that it is a shop worth a visit as a tourist.

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