Kitahama is located in central Osaka. It's an important business district that blends modern office buildings with charming vintage-style buildings. Although it looks like a busy area full of office workers on weekdays, Kitahama actually hides many cozy cafés, especially along the Tosabori River. Here are 10 of the hottest riverside cafés in the area for 2025. Which ones made the list? Let's take a look.
Location Guide Osaka Cafés: 10 Must-Visit Cafés in Kitahama in 2025
Brooklyn Roasting Company Kitahama
Let's start with Brooklyn Roasting Company, an American coffee shop founded in 2009 that has expanded to Japan, now with 5 branches across Tokyo and Osaka. The Kitahama branch has a great view and is easy to reach — just get off at Kitahama Station and walk about 300 meters.
The atmosphere feels like being in New York, with seating both indoors and on the outdoor terrace, perfect for sipping coffee in the cool breeze. There are many coffee beans to choose from, from dark roast to light roast, and if you love what you try, you can buy beans to brew at home. There are also many sandwich and bakery items, such as scones, brownies, carrot cake, cookies, and fragrant croissants, which pair perfectly with the coffee.
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/XtdrqBp7wNdmesuv7
Nakaoka coffee Nakanoshima
Nakaoka coffee Nakanoshima is a café near Oebashi Bridge. As soon as you open the door, the rich aroma of coffee hits your nose. The café's specialty is its own coffee beans, roasted over Kishu binchotan charcoal, which is known for giving off steady, even heat. This roasts the beans thoroughly, bringing out their full aroma and flavor.
Mornings tend to be quite busy since it's popular with office workers who stop by for coffee and breakfast before work. Most menu items are sandwiches, such as egg sandwiches and smoked ham sandwiches. There are also pancakes and hot dogs. Prices average around 700 - 800 yen per dish, and coffee refills are served too.
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/US49SXp87tJ5izpF7
& ISLAND
& ISLAND is another popular café, with an atmosphere so pleasant you'll want to stay for hours. Besides the terrace seating with a nice breeze, it also offers a perfectly framed view of Osaka's central convention hall right across the way. It's ideal for resting your feet, getting a caffeine boost, or bringing your laptop to work, since it has plenty of power outlets and Wi-Fi.
The menu isn't ordinary either — besides coffee, there's a wide range of food. During the day it serves sandwiches and rice bowls, such as roast beef sandwiches, bacon and blue cheese sandwiches, smoked mackerel sandwiches, and roast pork or roast beef rice bowls. In the evening, the menu becomes more substantial, with beef steak, burgers, butter-sautéed scallops, and various snacks to pair with wine.
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/YXRrhHUh9b58ExXG7
NORTHSHORE
NORTHSHORE is located only about 100 meters from Kitahama Station. It's perfect for those with a sweet tooth and for content creators, since every dish is beautifully plated — it looks great from any angle, with barely any need for filters. Importantly, it's not just about looks; the taste is great too.
A must-order is the Caramel Banana Pancake, a soft pancake served with ice cream, drizzled with rich caramel sauce, and topped with crunchy nuts. For the health-conscious, try the Acai Bowl, packed with a variety of fresh fruit and topped with homemade maple granola — every bite is delicious. Another dish that seems simple but has become hugely popular is the Choco Berry, big strawberries generously covered in chocolate. If you want to try this one, come early, as it sells out fast, often gone by the afternoon.
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z6Yki1NRpYzjWiQu5
Kitahama Retro
Kitahama Retro is a British-style café located across from the Osaka Securities Exchange. The building is a classic old structure built in 1912 as a meeting place for brokers, before it became a café in 1997. Inside, it's split into two floors: the ground floor sells sweets and small goods, while the upper floor is a warm, cozy café serving scones, cakes, tea, coffee, sandwiches, and a full Afternoon Tea set. You can order the set or choose items separately, whichever you prefer. During spring and autumn, you can also see roses in Nakanoshima Park across the Tosabori River.
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/MxnzynvsqirhsjPo9
Sandwich Parlour 47
Sandwich Parlour 47 is a small, cozy café with a pleasant terrace that also offers a view of Nakanoshima Park. It has been open since 2021, serving Japanese-style sandwiches made with fresh ingredients from around the country. Every dish is prepared by the chef team from "OUI", a popular Italian restaurant in the Umeda - Kitashinchi area. You can eat in or take it to go.
The highlight is the bread, toasted on a hot pan until crispy outside and soft inside, and generously packed with filling. Prices are around 1,000 - 1,500 yen per dish, great value considering the quality and taste. The menu changes every week with 5 varieties, so you can try something new each time you visit.
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/9rznB5Dz51FQZmWH7
Moto Coffee
Next up is Moto Coffee, an Italian-style café at the foot of Naniwabashi Bridge. The building has 3 floors, decorated in a simple, minimalist style in white and brown tones that feel warm and easy on the eyes. If you want to sit outside and enjoy the riverside breeze, there's outdoor seating, while the 2nd and 3rd floors have large windows that also offer river views.
The coffee here uses specialty beans, all roasted in-house, with 4 options ranging from light to very dark roast. The food menu is just as impressive, especially the homemade cakes made with carefully chosen ingredients, such as cheesecake and chocolate gateau, as well as breads like butter toast, pizza toast, bagels, and croque monsieur. After eating, it's worth crossing the bridge to the other side, where there are plenty of great photo spots!
Hours: 11:00 - 18:00
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/5VuRww6LnnqkPjFL9
Mount Kitahama
Mount Kitahama has been open since 2017. Originally, the owners didn't even intend to open a coffee shop — they just wanted to create a nice space for people to relax and enjoy some quiet time. But it turned out that visitors fell in love with both the atmosphere and the coffee. Inside, there's plenty of space with several different zones, whether you want to bring a book and read alone or come with friends.
The menu here offers a lot of choices, with drinks and bakery items that look delicious and taste just as good. The muffins come in several flavors, including blueberry, cheese, and Earl Grey. There's also cranberry cheesecake and chocolate Danish served warm — perfect with coffee.
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/K8q2qfhF917Dx2Fs7
World Tea Labo
World Tea Labo is a café that opened at the start of 2024, just 1 minute from Yodoyabashi Station. It's decorated in a contemporary Japanese style, with gray, black, and natural wood tones that give it a relaxing yet stylish atmosphere.
Here, they've curated drinks from around the world in one place, from excellent coffee from Ethiopia to a wide variety of teas — Chinese, Japanese, and Western, such as black oolong tea, Earl Grey, and Uji matcha from Kyoto. Tea lovers shouldn't miss this! The dessert menu is sold as customizable sets, such as 1 dessert with 2 drinks for 1,500 yen, or 3 desserts with 2 drinks for 2,200 yen, all beautifully presented.
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/mt6BZakLz2bVYXGP6
Embankment Coffee
Last but not least is Embankment Coffee, a café in a renovated traditional Japanese wooden house built in 1912, still keeping its original tiled roof amid the surrounding modern high-rises. This spot is ideal for coffee lovers, with dozens of bean varieties to choose from, suited for both drip and espresso brewing. The café uses only fresh Single Origin beans, roasted in-house to bring out the unique flavor of each variety as much as possible. The main desserts include 3 options: Cinnamon Cheese Cake, Linzer Tarte, and Banana Cake, with special items added from time to time.
Location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/947myVTYVvnTRVxeA