Ogura Toast: Where to Eat, Prices & Hours (Aichi)

Ogura toast is toast browned and spread with butter, then topped with plenty of sweet red bean paste. It is said a cafe owner devised it back in the Taisho era after seeing students dip toast into zenzai red bean soup. The sweet bean paste and salty butter together make it an icon of Nagoya morning culture. It has been cherished as a morning pleasure true to Nagoya, sometimes called a kingdom of cafes.

Highlights

• Warm toast and salty butter lift the gentle sweetness of the bean paste
• A contrast of textures between crisp toast and moist red bean paste
• Serving styles vary, with some shops offering the paste on the side and others piling it on
• Arrangements such as topping it with whipped cream or ice cream vary by shop and are fun

Seasonal Enjoyment

As a famous Nagoya morning dish, it is a classic enjoyed with a cup of coffee in the morning. On cold mornings the warm toast heats the body, and in the hot season it refreshes paired with a cold drink. Year round, it brightens cafe mornings.

Access and Basics

• Area: widely enjoyed at cafes across Nagoya
• Long established shops tied to its origin remain, such as in the Endoji shopping arcade
• Budget: with a morning set just the price of a drink, or a few hundred yen a la carte
• With a morning set, some shops let you enjoy it for just the price of a drink

Practical Travel Notes

• Time of day: morning sets are mainly served from opening through the morning, so an early visit is best
• Order a drink and toast and egg come with it, so experience Nagoya morning culture along the way
• Avoiding crowds: popular cafes get busy on weekend mornings, so a weekday morning is more relaxed
• Nearby strolls: pairing it with a walk through retro streetscapes like the Endoji shopping arcade deepens the mood of travel
• As a starting point for sightseeing, it is just right to drop by in place of breakfast

A Little Advice

Mix the butter and bean paste well as you eat to bring out the sweet and salty contrast. Eating it while warm is the trick to drawing out its flavor. Each cafe differs in how it heaps the paste and the thickness of the bread, so comparing them is one of the joys.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Line of descent: Kissa Matsuba in the Endoji shopping district is a spin-off of "Mitsuba," the shop where ogura toast originated, and was founded in 1933 (Showa 8)
• Where to try it: Kissa Matsuba (1-35-14 Nagono, Nishi Ward, Nagoya) / 8:00-18:00, closed on Wednesdays
• Area information: The Endoji Shopping District Promotion Association (1-6-16 Nagono, Nishi Ward, Nagoya), which covers the area where the shop is located, publishes information on its member shops on its official website
• Finding a shop: On the official website of the Nagoya Meshi Promotion Council, formed by Aichi Prefecture, the City of Nagoya and others, you can search for eateries serving ogura toast

* Opening hours and prices vary from shop to shop.

(Sources: Endoji Shopping District Promotion Association "Endoji Online Shopping Street", Nagoya Meshi official website)

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information provided by the City of Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture, together with information published by each shop. Prices and menus differ by shop and are subject to change, so please check each shop's official information for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: With a morning set you pay only for the drink; a la carte it is just a few hundred yen
• Where to eat it: Coffee shops around Nagoya (such as the long-established ones in the Endoji shopping district)
• Best time of day: Morning sets are mainly served from early morning through the late morning
• Avoiding the crowds: Popular shops are busy on weekend mornings, so weekday mornings are more relaxed
• Combine it with: A stroll through retro streetscapes such as the Endoji shopping district