Must Visit In Sendai! Top 3 Trendy Cafes Near The Station

Fun Shops and Cafes in the Sendai Station Area

Upon exiting Sendai Station and heading to Sendai's city center, you’ll find many shopping spots, such as large fashion department stores, shopping districts, and arcade malls. The Sendai Morning Market is also held in the area, making it a city where you can enjoy sightseeing even if it’s just around the station.

There are also a handful of cafes nearby, full of charm and great coffee. After shopping, take a break with your favorite beverage and something sweet to refuel for the rest of your adventures.

This time, we’ll introduce three cozy cafes recommended to those in the Sendai Station area. These shops are immediately accessible from the city.

Table of Contents

• 1. CAFÉ MUGI – A Cafe with Warm Wooden Interior
• 2. darestore – Convenient for Snacks and Meals
• 3. FLAT WHITE COFFEE FACTORY – A Must for Coffee Lovers!

1. CAFÉ MUGI – A Cafe with Warm Wooden Interior

Picture courtesy of CAFE MUGI
CAFÉ MUGI is a coffee shop with delicious signature muffins. The cafe windows face the main street, known for its lush greenery and tall rows of trees.

A design and branding company runs the cafe, resulting in its cohesive, natural design. It is has a very stylish, but comfortable interior. The cafe is on the first and second floor of the four-story office building.

Orders are taken on the first floor. You can use any of the seats located on either the first or second floor.

Counter seats by the window are available on the second floor. Doesn't the wooden interior and greenery throughout the shop give it a welcoming atmosphere?

Numerous Selection of Muffins and Coffees

Picture courtesy of CAFE MUGI
The muffins are highly recommended at CAFÉ MUGI. Every day, five to ten different types of muffins—with flavors ranging from anko butter to pumpkin—are available to try. Several batches are baked throughout the day so that customers can eat delicious, freshly baked muffins.

Their most popular item is the Hokkaido Anko Butter Muffin and Coffee Set (807 yen with tax). If you’re eating inside, you can ask to have your muffin reheated. The melted butter and salty-sweetness of the red bean paste has a delicious, unique flavor. The refreshing coffee also pairs nicely with the muffin.

Buy Sendai Souvenirs at the Merchandise Corner

There is also a merchandise corner on the second floor. Here, you’ll find a selection of Japanese products including handicrafts from the Tohoku region, healthy seasoning, stylish dishes, and more.

The shop’s recommendation is a soy sauce called Tokiwa (350 yen before tax) produced by Kamada Soy Sauce—who have been in business for more than 230 years—and the Kuradashi Miso (600 yen before tax). There are hardly any other shops in the country that sell these products.

Both the soy sauce and miso are popular for their rich flavors with a sweet aftertaste. Please feel free to buy these as souvenirs from Japan.

Baked sweets and rice cafe wheat

1-3-35 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture 980-0812 1TO2...

2. darestore – Convenient for Snacks and Meals

Darestore is on the third floor of a building tucked away on a side street of Vlandome Ichibancho Shopping Arcade. The shop roasts their own coffee beans. Darestore is a cozy cafe with just the right amount of light, which gives it a very calming ambience.

We recommend trying the light meals and snacks at the cafe. These include hot sandwiches, soups, croissants, and baked sweets. The English-speaking employees are friendly, so you’ll feel right at home.

The Popular Banana Bread

We ordered the banana bread (300 yen with tax)—the cafe's most popular item—alongside a latte (400 yen with tax). If you're eating inside, ask to have your food reheated and it will be served on a plate with a side of honey.

The banana bread is slighty sweet and full of the taste of banana. It is more filling than it looks, making it perfect if you’re a little bit hungry.

The latte is a harmonious mix of bitter coffee and the rich milk, making it refreshing and easy-to-drink. It brings out the taste of the baked sweets, so we recommend ordering them together.

The black coffee from CAFÉ MUGI, which we previously introduced in the article, also uses the coffee beans from darestore.

Additionally, the baked sweets are sold individually, so many local students will visit the cafe on their way home to buy a snack. We also recommend this shop for those looking for take-out snacks.

Darestore Coffee Roastery

〒980-0811 3-11-27 Ichibancho, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi Building 3F...

3. FLAT WHITE COFFEE FACTORY – A Must for Coffee Lovers!

FLAT WHITE COFFEE FACTORY has a total of three locations in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. One of these locations is the Downtown shop. The remaining two stores are hard to visit from the station without a car, but this location is easily accessible on foot from Sendai Station.

As there are many counter seats, you can easily stop in at the cafe if you are by yourself. All of the coffee served here is roasted in-house, so you'll be hit with the robust fragrance of coffee as soon as you enter the shop.

The Shop’s Namesake, Flat White Coffee

FLAT WHITE, the shop’s namesake, is a type of beverage made by adding smooth milk foam to espresso. It can also be called an espresso version of the cafe au lait.

This is a common type of coffee served in New Zealand and Australia. The owner, who has visited New Zealand in the past, introduced this coffee style to the shop.

A flat white (450 yen with tax) is served in a smaller cup than a latte or a cappuccino. By having a smaller serving size, the espresso flavor is stronger.

In comparison to a latte, the milk used is also much creamier. It has a strong bitterness, so we recommend this drink if you love lattes with depth.

FLAT WHITE COFFEE FACTORY also has a drink menu aside from flat whites that includes classic coffees, lattes, and more.

Browse Through a Full Selection of Coffee Beans

Immediately to the right of the entrance is the merchandise corner. Here, they sell coffee beans, tools, and other goods. There are usually 15 – 20 different varieties of beans. All are roasted inside the store.

The BRAZIL (750 yen per 100 grams, with tax) is recommended for beginner coffee drinkers. It is low in acidity and has a faintly nutty fragrance.

There are many other varieties available, so please ask a staff member if you want recommendations. Many people decide on their purchase by talking with one of the professional staff.

Flat White Coffee Factory DOWNTOWN

1-1-17 Kokubuncho, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture 980-0803

Drop by a Sendai Cafe

Cafes are great spots to drop by when traveling, whether it be to take a break from walking or look up information while strolling downtown.

Find your favorite shop from the cafes we’ve introduced in this article!

In cooperation with BRIGHT Inc., DARE STORE and FLAT WHITE COFFEE FACTORY