5 Food Stops Near Tsukuba Station! Cafes, Bakeries, and Craft Beer
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Tsukuba, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture, is just a 45-minute train ride from Akihabara Station on the Tsukuba Express line. It is the perfect destination for a casual outing from Tokyo with its cozy cafes and restaurants. Read on to learn about our top five selections to try in the city!
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Tokyo, Japan
Tsukuba: An Exciting Destination for Foodies
Tsukuba is accessible in 45 minutes from Akihabara Station in Tokyo along the Tsukuba Express Line. It is a popular sightseeing destination with scenic places and exciting activities. These include the famous Mt. Tsukuba and Tsukuba-Kasumigaura Ring Ring Road, a popular cycling course.
Tsukuba is also home to amazing food specialties! This article introduces five recommended food spots to try in the city.
Café Boulangerie Takezono: Located Near the Station! A Welcome Surprise in a Residential Area
Walk for a few minutes from Tsukuba Station and, as you pass through the residential area, a blue roof will catch your eye. That is Café Boulangerie Takezono.
Residents often pass by the cafe while walking with their kids or dogs since it's located in a residential area.
Café Boulangerie Takezono opens daily at 6:00 in the morning. Greet the morning in a good mood upon smelling the rich aroma of bread and watching passersby on a stroll.
Eating bread freshly out of the oven is a moment of bliss for bread lovers. Freshly baked bread is always displayed on the shelves and counters at Café Boulangerie Takezono.
Canele 195 yen, Pomme Caramel 340 yen (price as of November 2022)
Did you wake up half asleep and want some sugar to jump-start your system? Then how about a pomme caramel?
This freshly baked dessert has a crispy texture that is incredibly delicious. The apple garnish is boiled in sugar before being combined with the caramel sauce. This combination brings a natural sweetness to the dessert that will stimulate your appetite.
Kurabiyori: A Japanese-Style Bakery in a Seasonal Japanese Garden
Kurabiyori is a Japanese-style bakery and cafe located next to a Japanese garden. The building housing the store was constructed during the Edo Period with a history spanning over 180 years. It gradually became what it is today after undergoing reconstruction in 2005. It was also designated as a tangible cultural property of Japan.
In addition to baked goods, there is a reservation-only teppanyaki (food grilled on an iron griddle) and an Italian restaurant on the premises. The garden is especially beautiful in the spring and autumn with cherry blossoms and foliage. Enjoying a meal surrounded by stunning nature is the joy of life itself.
The cafe bakery building was originally a rice granary. Although the shop interior isn’t that big, a wide variety of bread and pastries line the shelves.
The cafe staff also displays a popular product ranking so customers can see which baked goods are a hit. The Maple Melon Bread always tops the rankings, even winning first place in Tsukuba's bread competition.
Many customers purchase their bread to go. At the time of this article, many patrons ordered drinks with their trays of bread and seemed to eat them right away.
Kurabiyori also offers a light lunch menu. The dine-in space is on the second floor of the cafe and the outdoor terrace area. You may also ask to have your bread heated up for you when opting to dine in.
Yuzu Hojicha Natural Yeast Bread 324 yen, Burdock Cheese French Bread 216 yen, Spinach and Salmon Quiche 280 yen, Maple Melon Bread 216 yen (price as of November 2022)
The Maple Melon Bread has a wonderfully soft yet chewy texture with a unique flavor. The flavor won’t betray your expectations of what the top-ranking bread should taste like!
The Yuzu Hojicha Natural Yeast Bread is another top-rated item with a surprisingly delicious flavor. The refreshing acidity from the yuzu (citron) matches well with hojicha (roasted green tea). If you warm it up, the hojicha fragrance becomes even more prominent. You’ll likely end up buying and bringing some home without realizing it!
Yakiimo Kaitsuka Tsukuba: A Specialty Roasted Sweet Potato Shop
Ibaraki is blessed with a suitable climate and soil, making it a major production area for sweet potatoes. The prefecture also has numerous desserts and souvenirs made from these locally-grown root vegetables.
Among the many options available, we recommend Yakiimo Kaitsuka, a specialty roasted sweet potato shop. You'll find multiple sweet potato products focusing on Benitenshi, a popular sweet potato brand. The starchy vegetable is transformed into exquisite desserts thanks to their skilled techniques.
Yakiimo Kaitsuka has numerous locations in Ibaraki Prefecture. Even better, each store has a slightly different menu.
The Tsukuba location mainly sells products for takeout. It has an adjoining dine-in area for light snacks such as drinks and soft-serve ice cream with a few outdoor seatings. This allows visitors to relax and take a short breather here.
Yakiimo Soft-Serve Latte (Roasted Sweet Potato / Purple Sweet Potato) 530 yen, Yakiimo Apple Pie 630 yen, Yakiimo Custard Pudding 500 yen (price as of November 2022)
We highly recommend the Yakiimo Soft-Serve Latte. The same latte comes in two flavors: roasted sweet potato or purple sweet potato. The purple sweet potato is refreshing, while the roasted sweet potato features a rich flavor.
The Yakiimo Apple Pie, a popular product at every location, is generously served with crunchy sweet potato slices. You’ll even find sweet potato puree in the pie base and apple sauce enveloping the top of the pie. Its crispy texture and addictive sweetness are absolutely delicious.
The Yakiimo Custard Pudding is smooth with a rich flavor. It is an ideal souvenir since anyone who tastes it will find the product delicious!
TSUKUBA BREWERY: Make a Toast in Tsukuba at a Local Beer Bar
Picture courtesy of TSUKUBA BREWERY
Mr. Takayuki Nobutoki, the owner and manager of the local beer bar TSUKUBA BREWERY, originally never intended to go into brewing as a career. However, he had the opportunity to connect with local corporations and farmers in Tsukuba through work. He soon wanted to transform the area into a better place with the help of locals.
Tsukuba is blessed with a great climate and natural environment, contributing to its long history of sake brewing. However, Mr. Nobutoki later realized, “While Japanese sake and wine are made in Tsukuba, there’s no local beer.”
So, Mr. Nobutoki began learning how to make craft beer. That was followed by the creation of TSUKUBA BREWERY. The flavor of this craft beer continues to be improved daily.
Picture courtesy of Tsukuba BREWERY
TSUKUBA BREWERY serves dishes that pair well with beer and sake. You are also welcome to bring outside food into TSUKUBA BREWERY from restaurants and cafes in the vicinity.
The brewery is busiest on the weekends, and nearby international residents often stop by to visit.
Picture courtesy of TSUKUBA BREWERY
Beer brewing machines are visible through the glass opposite the counter seats. Imagining how the beer you’re drinking was made on the other side will likely deepen the flavor of your beverage.
In addition to beer, TSUKUBA BREWERY offers sake produced from outside the prefecture. New flavors are introduced at irregular intervals to coincide with seasonal changes. Many of the dishes are made with ingredients grown in Tsukuba. This truly sets our expectations for TSUKUBA BREWERY’s future potential.
Doho Park: A Park Loved by Tsukuba Residents
Picture courtesy of Pixta
Doho Park, deeply loved by Tsukuba residents, is filled with greenery with several sports and leisure facilities on its grounds.
You'll find food spots near the park, including bakeries, cafes, restaurants, bars, and more! Have a picnic here or order takeout from nearby shops. Doho Park is a spot we hope you visit if you love taking walks.
Around the end of autumn, the avenue of ginkgo trees turns a gorgeous golden hue. Make sure not to miss out on this seasonal beauty!
Head on a Food Adventure the Next Time You’re in Tsukuba!
Most visitors to Tsukuba tend to head straight from the station to sightseeing destinations like Mt. Tsukuba by bus. However, there are tons of charming shops to explore inside the city.
The next time you’re in Tsukuba, add time for exploration into your schedule to find hidden treasures. There are several wonderful shops at your fingertips, so we recommend not overeating at one shop and embarking on a food crawl of the area.
Add Tsukuba to your list of places on your next trip, and don’t miss out on this city’s charms!
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Written by Kenko
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Tokyo, Japan
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