Cafe & Bake NAKAMURAYA: Blissful coffee and baked goods at a hideaway cafe in Imabari

A nostalgic yet new space filled with the aroma of coffee and baked sweets. Cafe & Bake NAKAMURAYA, located in Imabari's central shopping arcade, is a dedicated cafe run by the owner and her husband, who are both certified baristas.

A Cafe with Roots in the Local Community: Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura's Passion and Commitment

The owner, Mr. Nakamura, became a certified barista when he was in college. He returned to his hometown of Imabari and opened his own cafe at the age of 25. In 2022, he moved to the building where his family's fish cake store, Nakamuraya, once stood.

Nakamura says he hopes to grow old together with the store, "I will never move from here," he says. He has created a calm atmosphere in the store so that he and his family will fit in well with their grandparents. The relocation has also made it possible for the shop to have its own parking lot.

The number of repeat customers who come from far away is increasing, but they are also passionate about their hometown, Imabari, and want local people to enjoy good coffee and delicious baked goods. From behind the counter where the baked goods are lined up, a sign that has been displayed at the fish cake store for 7 to 80 years watches over the customers. When the store moved to a new location, the name was changed from "Nakamura Coffee" to "Nakamuraya" and the name of the fish cake store was added.

You can savor a latte by yourself, or take out some baked goods and enjoy them with gusto. The shop aims to be a relaxing place where people who want to take a breather will want to visit. The brunch menu is also popular.

Professional Pride: Mr. Nakamura's Passion for Espresso

Mr. Nakamura's first and foremost passion is coffee. Using an espresso machine, he makes adjustments according to the condition of the beans and the temperature of the day. Nakamura's pride as a professional is evident when he says, "Every single step of the process is meaningful," and "It's difficult to make the same delicious coffee every time. Extracting espresso requires skill and experience. Nakamura checks the condition of the beans every morning and serves the best cup of espresso.

Cafe & Bake NAKAMURAYA's exquisite sweets that can only be tasted here!

At Cafe & Bake NAKAMURAYA, you can also enjoy a wide variety of sweets. Every day, about 10 kinds of carefully handmade sweets, including muffins, cakes, pies, bagels, and more, are available. The sweets are said to be homey and American-oriented, different from French pastries.

Apple pie is recommended through the winter. The pie is baked using a recipe taught by Akiko Hirano, who is known as the "Legend of Apple Pie. Instead of wrapping apples cooked in a pan with pie crust, she puts raw apples dusted with sugar and cinnamon on top of the crust and bakes it as it is. It goes great with ice cream. Another specialty is the Hummingbird Cake, which originated in the southern United States. It is a banana cake with cinnamon, and many fans come here because it is the only place they can taste it. It is said to be a favorite among foreign customers as well.

The sweets are made with such attention to detail, but they are also made with care to suit the tastes of the locals and Japanese people by slightly reducing the amount of cinnamon and making the cakes smaller in size. The lineup of baked goods also changes with the seasons, so you are sure to discover something new each time you visit.

A space where time stops: The serene interior of Cafe & Bake NAKAMURAYA

Stepping into the store, one is enveloped by a sense of tranquility, as if time has stopped. The warmth of the wood interior, decorated with signs from the days of the fish cake shop, creates a unique atmosphere that blends history and modernity.

The Nakamura's wish to create an atmosphere where people can come alone, take a break, and go home is evident in every corner of the restaurant. Even the dried flowers on display are handmade. The stylish interior and cute sweets make you want to take pictures, but the lighting is a little dark for relaxation, so "it may be difficult to take pictures that look good in photos," she says with a laugh.

Lights on the shopping street: Cafe & Bake NAKAMURAYA

Three months after the relocation and opening in 2022, the "Setouchi Minato Marché," held twice a month at the nearby Imabari Port, began. The event attracts many people with fresh fish, vegetables, food tents and kitchen cars. It is said that visitors to the Marché find "Cafe & Bake NAKAMURAYA" quietly operating in a shopping street lined with shuttered stores and stop by.

Even local Imabari residents are sometimes surprised to see the shop. and even local Imabari residents are sometimes surprised. She said she feels a sense of fate that the "Setouchi Minato Marche" started at about the same time as the relocation.

We want you to eat at your favorite place."

Drinks and baked goods are of course available for takeout. Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura say, "We want you to enjoy the food we carefully put in and make at your favorite place. When you take out baked goods, everything is placed in a hamburger bag, so you can open it right away and enjoy it in a snap. Buy a drink and a baked good and enjoy it at your favorite place.... Since the port is close by, take-out is becoming increasingly popular, with customers buying before boarding a boat or stopping by on the way on a drive.

In the future, they would like to try their hand at wholesale and online sales of baked goods. Cafe & Bake NAKAMURAYA" is a beacon of hope in a shopping district that has lost its former liveliness over time. Why not stop by and enjoy the aroma of coffee and baked goods?