A cafe where you can enjoy specially roasted coffee and freshly baked bread (Minami-ku, Fukuoka City)

About a 10-minute walk from Nishitetsu Takamiya Station, I visited Cafe Margo Mukono Branch (Minami Ward, Fukuoka City) after hearing that they serve specially roasted coffee and freshly baked bread.

Look for the handwritten sign

From the station, walk along Takamiya-dori Street towards Doohashi Station for 10 minutes. In a quiet residential area, behind Noma Yahata, you will notice a wooden sign with the words "Bread baked today" and "Homemade drip coffee roasting" written on it.

This is the second store that opened in Mukaino in November 2019, marking the 10th anniversary of the opening of the main Cafe Margo store in Yakuin (Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City).

The brick-colored walls and large windows are impressive.

The interior of the shop is an open space with a ceiling height of about 4m, and currently there are 4 seats at the cafe counter and 20 seats at the tables. It has a relaxing and calm atmosphere.

We spoke to the owner, Yasutaka Shiraishi, who said, "We renovated a warehouse that was originally a lumber storage area for a construction company, and we covered the walls with white diatomaceous earth and put in a green sofa."

As it is located in a residential area, it attracts a wide range of customers, including young couples, families, elderly couples, etc. There is a ramp at the entrance for people with strollers or wheelchairs.

A roaster in action almost every day

At this shop, you can enjoy coffee made from carefully selected beans from all over the world. Shiraishi roasts the beans in a roasting machine at the back of the shop, carefully bringing out the unique characteristics of each type of bean.

Bring your own container to get a 50 yen discount when purchasing beans

There are about 22 types of coffee on sale at all times: 4 original blends (each starting from 560 yen for 100g, tax included) and about 16 types of straight coffee (starting from 560 yen for 100g).

Enjoy your special drink at the spacious counter

I tried the shop's "Original Taste," the deep-flavored "Margo Blend" (550 yen). It has just the right amount of bitterness, a cacao-like aroma, and a sweet aftertaste.

"I like to drink coffee from white porcelain cups," says Shiraishi. Cups from Royal Copenhagen, Richard Ginori, Meissen and other brands are lined up on the shelves.

"Iced au lait"

They also have a selection of traditional "arranged coffees." There are nine types of hot coffee, including "cafe au lait" (600 yen), "Wiener coffee" (690 yen), and "espresso" (550 yen). There are seven types of iced coffee.

"Ice au Lait" (650 yen) is a rich Italian blend with milk and fresh cream with 48% milk fat, giving it a soft sweetness.

There are many other intriguing menu items, such as "Jelly Au Lait" (650 yen), which is crushed coffee jelly poured over milk and topped with vanilla ice cream, and "Ice Wiener" (730 yen), which is two layers of rich cream and iced coffee.

Round bread comes in three flavors

One of the reasons for the shop's popularity is its homemade bread. 13 years ago, Shiraishi worked at a Fukuoka bakery called "Pan Nagata" for three years, and said, "I always wanted to bake bread myself." The three types of popular "round bread" (plain, sesame, walnut, starting at 90 yen each) are fermented at low temperatures, resulting in a chewy and soft texture.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, white bread (2 loaf size, 550 yen) is available from 10:30 a.m., and on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, about seven types of bread other than white bread are available from around noon. The white bread has a simple taste, unlike so-called high-end white bread. No shortening or margarine is used.

Gift box set available

The original baked goods created by pastry chef Kyoko Teshima are also eye-catching. The four varieties of naturally sweet "cane sugar sable" (from 180 yen per bag) and the three varieties of nutty "florentine" (240 yen each) are perfect as gifts.

Sandwiches start lining up around noon

There are two types of sandwiches with plenty of fillings. The "Smoked Salmon and Avocado Sandwich" (480 yen) is a dish of salmon, sliced avocado, crunchy lettuce and basil sauce. It goes perfectly with the focaccia bread with black olives and mustard butter.

The most popular sandwich is the "Tamago Egg Sandwich" (380 yen). It uses fresh, sweet eggs from Itagaki Farm (Itoshima City) at the foot of Mount Raizan. The "round bread" is spread with cream cheese and topped with a generous filling of boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and black pepper. It's a sandwich that egg lovers will love.

In the future, autumn and winter dishes such as "chili meat and cheese" and "spicy chicken and tomato" will be available. The menu will be decided depending on the ingredients that are in stock.

There are other bread-based dishes on the menu, including the rum-flavored "Adult French Toast" (680 yen with homemade ice cream).

A satisfying quiche

The "Kimagure Quiche" (470 yen) is packed with seasonal ingredients. The quiche on this day was also extremely healthy, and it was a lucky dish if you came across it, as it was limited in quantity and contained lotus root and sticky, soft okra.

The chocolate sponge part has a moist texture

There are about five kinds of homemade cakes. The types and contents change with the season. Shiraishi recommends the "Chocolate Cake" (460 yen). Five layers of ganache cream made with French chocolate are sandwiched between chocolate sponge cake. It melts easily in your mouth and is not too sweet. It goes well with coffee.

The "Custard Pudding" (350 yen) is made with a generous amount of eggs, giving it a smooth texture. It has a bittersweet caramel flavor that is perfect for adults.

The "Coffee Jelly Parfait" (880 yen) is also popular for its photogenic look. You can also enjoy the taste of coffee in desserts such as "Affogato" (690 yen) and "Coffee Jelly" (550 yen).

Carefully hand-dripped one cup at a time

Customers come from far away in search of the unique coffee flavor that can only be found at this shop. "People come from Saga, Oita, and Kumamoto prefectures. We also have customers who have been coming to our Yakuin main store for 10 years. It makes me happy when they say, 'I want to drink the coffee here.'"

We've found a special place where you can relax and enjoy carefully selected coffee, sandwiches, and desserts that will satisfy even the most discerning coffee connoisseurs.

Cafe Margo Mukono

Address: 1-22-25 Mukai, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City

電話：092-408-3646

Hours: 9:00-17:00, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays - 20:00 *Business hours are subject to change

Irregular holidays

*For information such as menus and business hours, please check Instagram.

Instagram @cafemarugo_mukaino