【Hakone】Famous bread and a cafe with a view of Lake Ashi! Popular bakeries & cafes to visit in Hakone - Part 2

Following the "Famous bread and a cafe with a view of Lake Ashi! Popular bakeries & cafes to visit in Hakone Part 1", in this article, we introduce Bakery&Table Hakone, a bakery & cafe along Lake Ashi where lines form! Why not visit this famous shop where you can enjoy the stunning view of Lake Ashi and hearty specialty breads during your Hakone sightseeing?

*The product information and prices in this article are as of December 2023. Please check the official website for the latest information.

Bakery&Table Hakone (Bakery & Table) - A popular shop in Motohakone where you can enjoy the view of Lake Ashi and specialty bread

Hakone's symbolic presence is undoubtedly Lake Ashi. The Motohakone Port, where sightseeing boats and pirate ships depart, is the best photo spot where you can capture both Lake Ashi and the red torii gate of Hakone Shrine in one picture if the weather is good. And speaking of the bakery that attracts a line of customers every day on the lakeside of Lake Ashi in Motohakone, it's Bakery&Table Hakone. This cafe, which opened in 2009, is popular for its specialty bread and drinks that you can enjoy while taking in the view of Lake Ashi.By the way, on the day our editorial team visited, the weather was beautifully clear, and we were able to get a good view of Lake Ashi and the torii gate!

A bakery with a view of Lake Ashi, 1F is a bakery and footbath terrace, and on the 2F you can eat the bakery's bread

Bakery&Table Hakone is a three-story bakery & restaurant located just a short walk from Motohakone Port. The 1st floor is a bakery and a parlor with a terrace where you can take out coffee and other items, and on the lake side, there is a footbath terrace where you can overlook Lake Ashi right in front of you! The 2nd floor is a cafe where you can eat the bread purchased on the 1st floor. You can also order original drinks such as Ashinoko Float and limited-time drinks on the 2nd floor. The 3rd floor is a restaurant where you can enjoy voluminous focaccia sandwiches, plates, and sweets.

By the way, the time we visited for the interview was around 10 in the morning, but the bakery on the 1st floor was already bustling with customers who came to buy bread. Since it is located along the lake, it seems that many people buy bread and drinks at the bakery and parlor on the 1st floor, take them out, and leisurely have breakfast while looking at Lake Ashi. The footbath counter seats on the terrace were also popular, and they were full immediately after the start of the interview.

The cafe on the 2nd floor has counter seats at the front and table seats at the back. The windows are made of glass, creating a stylish and very open space. The seats are also spacious, allowing you to relax and enjoy the specialty bread and drinks while watching pirate ships and sightseeing boats arrive at the port. What's more, taking photos of your bread and drinks with Lake Ashi in the background is perfect for creating travel memories!

The cafe often starts to get crowded around 11 am, and lunchtime can often be fully booked, so if you want to use a cafe for lunch, try to get in early.

The signature menus are "Rice Flour Curry Donuts" and "Hakone"! You can also enjoy seasonal bread unique to Japan

The charm of Bakery&Table Hakone is, above all, the bread! From here, we will introduce the breads we compared during our coverage.

"Rice Flour Curry Donuts" and "Hakone" are the signature products

The most popular item is the "Rice Flour Curry Donut" (米粉のカレードーナツ / Komeko no Curry Donuts). The dough made with rice flour has a crispy outside and a chewy inside, and it goes perfectly with the spicy curry. Surprisingly, there is a whole boiled egg in the curry, and when you cut it in half, the yolk oozes out. It's filling, making it perfect for lunchtime.

The other popular product, "Hakone" (箱ね), is inspired by Hakone's traditional craft, Yosegi-zaiku. The Danish dough is packed with square-cut burdock and carrots, and the difference in texture between the dough and the ingredients is also noteworthy. However, it contains bacon, so vegetarians and those who do not eat meat for religious reasons should be aware.

Mount Fuji-shaped, and even stuffed with red bean paste⁉ Keep an eye out for the uniquely Japanese shapes and carefully selected ingredients of the bread

In addition to their signature products, they also offer unique Japanese bakery items such as the 'Mount Fuji Bread' (富士山パン / Fujisan-pan), which is shaped like Mount Fuji, Japan's symbol, and the 'An Butter Walnut' (あんバターくるみ / An Butter Kurumi), which is a perfect combination of red bean paste (anko) and butter. The Mount Fuji Bread is particularly noteworthy, with white chocolate on top, strawberry-flavored dough, and filled with red bean paste, making it an irresistible treat for those with a sweet tooth.

The "An Butter Walnut" is also addictive, with the salty taste of butter and the elegant sweetness of red bean paste in walnut bread. Be sure to TRY this Japanese-style "※sweet and salty" pastry.

※Amajoppai (甘じょっぱい) - A Japanese neologism expressing the sensation of saltiness along with sweetness

Enjoy seasonal ingredients in bread! Seasonal limited bread is a must-buy!

One of the charms of Japanese bakeries is the many breads that are sold in limited quantities using seasonal ingredients. At Bakery&Table Hakone, they also offer seasonal breads, and when we visited for an interview, they were selling a "Warm Vegetable Bagna Cauda Dog" (温野菜のバーニャカウダドッグ / Onyasai no Bagna Cauda Dog) filled with plenty of vegetables such as carrots and broccoli. By the way, there is also a toaster in the store, so it's nice to be able to buy a deli bread and warm it up and eat it on the spot.

Enjoy Hakone sightseeing even more at the 1F Hakone souvenir corner and footbath terrace!

On the 1F bakery, in addition to bread, they sell original items such as tote bags with logos and foot bath towels that can be used on the foot bath terrace. There is also a corner where you can buy souvenirs of processed goods such as original jams and sauces. If you buy Hakone souvenirs along with bread and warm up on the foot bath terrace while looking at Lake Ashi, you will be able to experience the goodness of Hakone more.

Shop information

• Address: 9-1, Motohakone, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa
• Access: Lakeside of Lake Ashi / Immediately at Hakone Pirate Ship Motohakone Port
• Business hours:
• Bakery 9:00～17:00, Parlor 10:00～17:00
• Cafe 9:00～17:00 (L.O.16:30)
• Restaurant 11:00～18:00 (L.O.17:00)
• Closed: None
• Official URL: https://www.bthjapan.com/index.php

【Hakone】Popular bakery & cafe: Enjoy the famous breads and a cafe with a panoramic view of Lake Ashi!