One of Osaka’s top light-roast specialists occupies some seriously impressive digs in Kitahama, along a street lined with the historic stone edifices of banks and stock brokerages. The café and roastery is housed in a heritage-listed wooden rowhouse built in 1912, with windows opening up over the Tosabori River and towards Nakanoshima Park.
Grab a seat at one of the small tables and let your everyday worries drift away as you sip on your choice of single-origin coffee (four varieties are available at all times, from ¥700 each). Pair your joe with some banana pound cake (¥550) or Linzer torte (¥600), a buttery, jam-filled pastry of Austrian origin, made fresh every day by the resident pastry chef.
While mindful of accomplishing a balance of tanginess, sweetness and unintrusive aroma in every cup, the baristas at Embankment focus especially on bringing out the fruit-like properties of their beans. The café sources its product directly from farmers in countries including Ecuador, Honduras, Kenya and Rwanda.