Akam Coffee Works is a specialty coffee restaurant in Otemachi, Hiroshima.
Editorially verified August 3, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: A bag of the current single-origin roast to take home
Why locals love it: A one-room Kokutaiji-machi roastery selling green beans and wholesale kilos as readily as cups.
Tip: Green unroasted beans and one-kilo wholesale bags are both sold here, which is unusual at this scale.
Address: 1-9-7 Kokutaiji-machi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
Lopez sits well outside the Hiroshima okonomiyaki tourist circuit in Kusunoki-cho, and it closes all weekend, which keeps the counter firmly local.
Order: Vegetables, pork, egg and soba with jalapenos on top
Why locals love it: A Guatemalan cook running an okonomiyaki griddle in a residential corner of Nishi-ku, open weeknights only and never at the weekend.
Tip: The shop opens at 16:30 on weekdays and shuts Saturday and Sunday, so it never appears on a weekend itinerary.
Kitchen Minot in Hiroshima runs an unfixed menu between European plates and Japanese small dishes, from two tables and a counter that wraps the kitchen.
Order: The squid fritters, if they are on that night
Why locals love it: Two tables and a counter on a Hatchobori side street, with a menu that changes so often it is never written down.
Tip: Themed curry and savoury pie evenings run on alternating months, announced only to people already in the room.
Hachidorisha is a Hiroshima book cafe built around peace-education titles, and it opens from 11:00 on any date containing a six, whatever the weekday.
Order: Filter coffee with whatever lunch plate is on that weekend
Why locals love it: A peace-education book cafe near Dohashi that opens on a calendar rule rather than normal cafe hours.
Tip: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays unless the date contains a six, which is the shop's nod to the sixth of August.
Kissa Saeki looks like any other Hiroshima kissaten from the door, but the kitchen behind it is organic, additive-free and very largely plant-based.
Order: The vegan salad set, served 10:00 to 11:00 only
Why locals love it: An old Kamiyacho coffee house that quietly rebuilt itself around organic produce and a largely vegan kitchen.
Tip: The room keeps kissaten hours and closes by 17:00 at weekends, so this is a morning or early-afternoon stop.