Mugimugi Cafe : Grab a Coffee and a Pastry at This Stylish Cafe That Smells of Freshly Baked Bread
Stylishly arranged inside an unobtrusive Japanese-style building on Miyoshi’s old main drag, Mugimugi is a popular cafe and boulangerie at the heart of the city, where locals come to relax and travelers can enjoy a taste of Miyoshi. The large windows let in bright sunlight that illuminates an interior of dark wooden beams, fashionably mismatched chairs and tables, shelves full of bread and pastries baked to golden brown perfection, and carefully curated displays of accessories and home goods available for purchase. By 11:30 each morning, the baked goods crowd the counter, and customers start to crowd the colorful seats of this trendy cafe.
There are actually a handful of Mugimugi locations around the Miyoshi area, including Green Mugimugi in Toretta Miyoshi, but this is the only one with a cafe space for customers to sit down and relax. Most of the baking is actually done at another Mugimugi bakery nearby, which delivers the goods straight out of the oven each morning for cafe-goers to enjoy! There’s a choice of about 50 different types of breads, cakes, pastries sweet and savory, sandwiches, and more at Mugimugi Cafe, all made with local ingredients (and with some local themes as well). The sweet smell of fresh baked goods wafts out the door, luring in a wide range of customers every day, young and old, arriving from around the neighborhood or far, far away!
The wheat used in Mugimugi’s baked goods is actually from Mirasaka, another neighborhood of Miyoshi! Much of the produce used in various sweet and savory pastry fillings, like their popular curry bread, is also from Miyoshi, lending each item a fresh taste of local flavor.
You might just find a mononoke (Japanese monster) themed pastry or two as well, like this adorably creepy three-eyed fellow. The cafe is just a few blocks away from the Miyoshi Mononoke Museum, after all!
At lunchtime, the cafe offers a number of options, including sandwiches made using the fresh-baked bread, but also a handful of dishes like stew, which go great with one of Mugimugi’s rolls or a hunk of baguette. The croque monsieur and dishes of curry are particularly popular, and of course, the vegetables are seasonal produce from Miyoshi’s own farms. Plenty of diners also stop in throughout the day for a cup of coffee and a pastry, and the cafe’s two different types of croissant, with slightly different textures and flavors, are local favorites. Other customers grab a drink and a snack to go, to enjoy while walking down the picturesque stone-paved street or along the river. On warm days, the cafe’s yuzu drink (made with locally picked yuzu fruit and honey from a Miyoshi apiary) is the perfect way to cool off.
Whether stopping for a bite to eat or not, people walking by often pop in and head straight to Mugimugi Cafe’s shopping area, which stocks a selection of cups, plates, and other home goods, along with clothing and accessories, plus whatever fashionable miscellany the owner chose to fit the vibe. The colorful displays draw the eye, and they make the shop a popular place for locals to buy gifts (or treat themselves). It’s hard not to walk out of Mugimugi Cafe with a souvenir or two, and a bag of baked goods for later.
Information
Title | Mugimugi Cafe |
Address | 1545 Miyoshimachi, Miyoshi |
Website | http://r.goope.jp/mugi2/free/mugi_mugi_cafe |
Hours | 11:00 - 18:00 |
Closed | Tuesdays, Wednesdays |
Phone Number | 0824-63-5528 |