​Yanagase Shopping Street in Gifu City is a mix of old and new, from old-fashioned shops to stylish bars and select shops.

This time, I would like to introduce you to the cafe "Honky Tonk" located in such a shopping street. This is a place where you can enjoy delicious coffee and exquisite lunches with pleasant music.

A cafe feels like a secret base, 
soothing you with jazzy music.

About a 10-minute walk from JR Gifu Station to Yanagase Shopping Street, you will see a building with a faint Showa scent. The cafe is on the second floor, let's go inside!

When I went up the stairs, I saw the signboard of the shop illuminated by the light. The entrance door is made of glass, so you can see inside the store from the outside.

A beautiful antique sign

The pleasant scent of fragrant and bittersweet coffee beans welcomes you. Even though it faces the main street of the shopping district, once you enter the cafe, you will feel like a secret hideout.

Large windows with a sense of openness. It is also fun to enjoy the atmosphere of the shopping street that changes depending on the weather of the day. Unfortunately, it was raining on the day of the interview, but looking at the leaves of the trees swaying with raindrops made me feel at ease. On sunny days, the natural light will come in comfortably.

In addition to table seats, there are also counter seats that are great for solo diners. The counter faces the wall, so you can relax without worrying about other customers looking at you. The pendant light provides just the right amount of illumination.

About Honky Tonk

-Please tell us how you started the shop.

Owner: "Ever since I was a student, I've always wanted to own my own cafe. To do that, I first decided to study food and drink, and after graduating from university, I got a job at a food and beverage company. Since I was entrusted with the job as a restaurant manager I was able to learn not only about cooking but also management.”

-Are you from Gifu Prefecture?

Owner: "No, I'm from Ichinomiya City. In fact, I often came to Gifu Prefecture for my previous job, so before I knew it, it had become a place that felt familiar to me. I thought that if I were going to open a cafe, it should be in Gifu, and I decided on this location."

Owner: "This building was originally owned by a Japanese confectionery shop, which used the first floor for sales and the second floor as a tea house for enjoying Japanese sweets. But when I found the property, there was no sign of it and it was completely empty, so I had to build all the necessary facilities, including the restrooms, from scratch."

Recently, the part that was used as a counter was remade into a cupboard by DIY.

-Please tell us about the origin of the name of the cafe.

Owner: "The name of the cafe, 'honky-tonk,' is a word related to music. The meaning itself would be too long to explain, so I'll spare you the details. ...... (laughs) I also hope that the name will be recognized by people who like music."

-You like music!

Owner: "Yes. I have always loved music and still listen to many different artists regardless of genre. All the records in the store are my own. I'm still collecting them. On holidays, I often go out with my wife to visit record stores. If there is a record you are interested in, I can play it for you in the store, so please feel free to ask."

-I heard that you are holding live performance events in the store.

Owner: "We use a corner of the store as a stage for live performances. This event started one day when an acquaintance asked us if we would be interested in having a live concert. Some live performances are held on a regular basis, but basically they are held on an irregular basis. It is a fascinating event where you can listen to live music up close and talk with the artists. Thanks to this, we have received positive feedback from our customers every time."

-Please tell us about your future prospects.

Owner: “I would like to continue to provide a comfortable space where regular customers as well as first-time customers can relax and take a rest. I would be happy if we could become one of the shops loved here in the Yanagase shopping district.”

On the day of the interview, both of them were wearing nice aprons. It seems that it is handmade by his wife! His wife, who has sewing work experience, makes aprons and other work wear and sells them as "Atelier Honky Tonk".

Each piece of clothing is carefully finished one by one and is excellent in design and functionality, and you will want to wear it carefully for a long time. You can purchase from the online shop and Instagram, so please take a look.

Enjoy a moment to savor each carefully dripped cup.
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"Today's coffee (500 yen including tax)" where you can enjoy various aromas and flavors. They check the condition of the beans, such as the temperature and humidity of the day, and only offer carefully selected beans.

It is popular for its weekly coffee tastes from slightly unusual coffee producing countries such as East Timor, Rwanda, and Nepal, etc..

Honky Tonk original blend coffee bags are sold next to the cash register.

The owner of Honky Tonk has asked BASE COFFEE, a coffee shop in Ichinomiya City, his hometown, to make an original blend of coffee exclusively for Honky Tonk.

It's not a drip type, but a coffee bag type, so all you have to do is put it in a mug, pour hot water over the bag, and wait a few minutes. You can easily enjoy authentic coffee at home. It is also sold in a gift box, so it is recommended as a gift or souvenir.

The lunch menu with plenty of attention to detail! 

The lunch menu, which started in February this year, is already getting repeaters!
All lunches come with soup, an after-meal drink, and dessert.

Deli salad lunch with more than 20 items (1,300 yen including tax)

Enjoy a plate full of colorful delicacies with this deli salad lunch. Even though most of the dishes are vegetables, the satisfaction level after finishing is 5 stars!

Homemade pickles, cumin marinated chickpeas, marinated red onions...all delicious.

You can fully enjoy more than 6 kinds of deli such as homemade herb chicken and carrot rapees. A healthy and satisfying lunch menu. Apart from the main deli, the menu of the deli served in small bowls changes regularly.

The homemade dressing made with olive oil, white wine vinegar, and apple cider vinegar is simple yet delicious. It is a refreshing and slightly sweet dressing that brings out the flavor of each ingredient.

Deli plate mini size

Keema curry lunch and monthly pasta lunch comes with a deli plate (mini size) as a set. Even though it's a mini, it's so full of volume!

The potage in the set changes depending on the season. On the day I visited for the interview, it was corn potage.

Boiled corn is carefully strained to make a paste. Of course, the core is not thrown away. When boiled, it produces a broth with a gentle sweetness and richness. The sweetness of the corn is pleasant, and the toppings of freshly ground pepper enhance the flavor, making this potage beautiful to look at and to taste.

Keema curry lunch (1,600 yen including tax)

Keema curry is the most popular item on the lunch menu. This is a dish that they are proud of, made by carefully simmering minced meat purchased at a butcher shop, onions, tomatoes, and other ingredients in the homemade broth.

The final touch is to shave the "Grana Padano", a hard cheese, into fluttering petals. The umami and sweet aroma of the cheese adds a nice accent. The flavor of the keema curry is perfectly balanced without interfering with the taste of the curry.

The texture of the brown rice is nice, and the curry has a rich taste that becomes addictive the more you eat it. When you take a bite, the spicy aroma stimulates your brain and you won't be able to stop eating it!

Keema curry can also be taken out (850 yen including tax)! For +150 yen, you can add cheese topping. *Soup and salad are not included with takeout.

Monthly pasta lunch (1,500 yen including tax)

A lunch menu featuring a variety of pasta dishes that change monthly. The key point is the homemade sauce made from carefully selected ingredients. From the classic to the creative, all of the pasta dishes are very appealing, so be careful not to miss out on any of them.

Lemon cream pasta, tomato sauce, carbonara, etc. The pasta menu is updated on Instagram as needed.

Peperoncino with Firefly Squid and Spring Vegetables

Bolognese

Having room for dessert

Sweet snacks are indispensable to accompany you to enjoy coffee more. Honky Tonk desserts are great because you can eat them even when you're full.

Gateau chocolate (450 yen including tax)

The photo is the lunch dessert set version

A delicious dessert that melts like rich chocolate. The crunchy pistachio topping goes well with the moist mouthfeel of gateau chocolate.

Excellent compatibility with dark roasted coffee with bitterness.

New York Cheesecake (500 yen including tax)

The smooth texture and chewy texture are irresistible. The refreshing sweetness spreads softly in your mouth.

Cheesecake and white wine... how about the perfect combination?

Extra edition
Carefully selected by the owner! 3 recommended records

The racks in the shop are full of records that the owner has been collecting since his school days! The number of the record is over 1,000! Records of various genres such as jazz, soul and hip hop are lined up.

"If you don't mind, could you recommend a record?"

"Where is that record?" thank you very much!

Now, let's take a look at three recommended records selected by the music-loving owner.

Waltz for Debby：BILL EVANS

Eternal masterpiece of Bill Evans, who is praised as a jazz piano poet. This album, which contains live sound sources from the trio era, has many fans, and the atmosphere unique to live performances and beautiful and delicate melodies fascinate listeners. This is a piece that allows you to fully enjoy the piano played by the master of jazz piano.

SELL OUR SOUL：THE BLUE HERB

Formed in 1997, the Blue Herb is a three-piece hip-hop group based in Sapporo, Hokkaido. It is a very impressive piece with a title that means "selling your soul only to listeners". Olympic athlete Ayumu Hirano also listened to this album the night before the tournament. The lyrics and beats are heavy and deep, and the music is addictive, making you want to listen to it over and over again.

Nanako Sato: Funny Walkin'

A clear singing voice captivates the listener. The debut work of Nanako Sato, who is said to be the originator of whispering voice. This is one of the city pop masterpieces that influenced the J-pop scene, including the later "Shibuya-kei".

He got it signed at the concert. It is very precious!

BEST OF EARTH WIND & FIRE：Earth wind and fire

In addition, I also found a record of the artist who sang "September", a song I had heard in a commercial before and thought it was cool! It seems that 2020 was the 50th anniversary of the group! It's the best album with every song in a good groove. Time seems to fly by just looking at the record shelves!

Owner: “It’s fine to decide in advance which record you want before you buy it, but I really like that time when I go to a used record shop and feel like I’m looking for treasure. You don't know if there's anything out there, and the joy of finding a bargain is something you can savor no matter how many times you experience it."

Whether you want to have a fun meal or spend a relaxing time, you can spend it at Honky Tonk.

Have a "good time" with music at a wonderful hideaway found in the city...