As one of Japan’s best highland resorts, Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture has many charms, and one of them is the delicious food and drinks served in the lovely town. The spots with a nice ambiance are the perfect places to stop by after spending a couple of hours exploring. Because cafés and restaurants are almost everywhere in Karuizawa, deciding which one to visit can be hard. Thus, we have compiled the below list of restaurants and cafes. Each has some uniqueness that differentiates itself from other competitors!
- Primo fito (プリモ フィト 軽井沢駅舎店)
- Natural Cafeína (ナチュラル カフェイーナ)
- The Best Cafés on Old Karuizawa Ginza Street
- Café Susu no Ne (旧軽井沢Café涼の音)
- Sajilo Café Forest (サジロカフェ・フォレスト)
- Maruyama Coffee Karuizawa Main Store (丸山珈琲・軽井沢本店)
The spots above are listed according to their distance from Karuizawa Station.
Primo fito (プリモ フィト 軽井沢駅舎店)
A vegan-friendly restaurant conveniently located inside Shinano Railway’s Karuizawa Station is Primo fito. The Italian diner opened in 2021 has a vegan menu you can enjoy without communicating your dietary requirements. The company’s main restaurant, Trattoria Primo (トラットリア プリモ 本店), close to Old Karuizawa Ginza Street, is a stylish restaurant buried in the greens. Trattoria Primo is so popular that a queue is usually expected. Thus, Primo fito is more like a fine dining restaurant with an elegant interior and beautifully presented food, unlike most station-building restaurants that are more casual.
The restaurant has a relaxing and cozy ambiance. Staff are very friendly and provide top-notch service to all customers.
Primo fito is keen on making the dining experience equal for both vegans and meat-eaters, so whether you choose the vegan or regular menu, you will have a set menu with a couple of main pasta dishes to choose from. The five appetizers are placed inside a gift box, and each is unique. The main pasta dish is favorable and has a good portion. As for dessert, it is, again, incredible!
If you are curious about what you can order, refer to their menu HERE!
Tip: If you don’t eat pungent vegetables, such as garlic, let the staff know so they can remove it from your order.
Primo fito’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Primo fito is open from Thursday to Tuesday from:
- 11:30 am to 2 pm (last order)
- 5:30 am to 8 pm (last order)
- Shinano Railway’s Karuizawa Station is just next to JR’s Karuizawa Station.
Natural Cafeína (ナチュラル カフェイーナ)
If you are after a healthy breakfast or lunch, visit Natural Cafeína. This cozy but stylish spot is child-friendly and offers amazing dishes, coffee, and black tea. Opened by Mr Yamanaka and his Brazilian wife, the café is also known as the first café in Japan to serve Acai bowls. Because Natural Cafeína has a few vegan dishes on the menu, it is also a great place to visit if you or your friends are vegan or vegetarian.
The staff here are friendly and helpful, so consult them if you are unsure what to order!
You can also refer to the cafe’s menu HERE beforehand.
Tip: There are terrace seats at the back of the restaurant.
Natural Cafeína’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Natural Cafeína is open daily from
- 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays except for Tuesdays and Wednesdays
- 7 am to 5 pm on weekends and public holidays
- The Café is around a 10-minute walk from Karuizawa Station.
The Top Cafés on Old Karuizawa Gina Street
Old Karuizawa Ginza Street (軽井沢銀座通り) is the must-visit spot when you visit Karuizawa. The 750-meter-long street starts from the Kyū-Karuizawa Bus Stop (旧軽井沢バス停) to Nite Bridge (二手橋). Lined with long-established shops that preserve both traditional and trendy boutique stores, it is the center of Karuizawa for sightseeing. Even if you plan on just window-shopping through the bakeries, cafés, and local speciality shops, we are sure you will still have a lot of fun!
Within the many Cafés on Old Karuizawa Gina Street, there are 4 that we want to bring to your attention. Please refer to our Guide to the Recommended Cafés on Old Karuizawa Gina Street. The article has a good combination of both Japanese and Western Cafés (^_-)-☆.
Café Susu no Ne (旧軽井沢Cafe涼の音)
Walking around Karuizawa, you might start to imagine a life of owning a villa in this wonderful town. While this isn’t practical for most of us, you can visit Café Susu no Ne. The café is surrounded by greenery. The fresh green moss-covered garden is just gorgeous to adorn with a cup of tea. In the warmer months, the sound of wind chimes and bird chirps is the best setting to enjoy summertime in Japan. If you are lucky, you might spot a few wild squirrels!
For more information, refer to our article on Café Susu no Ne.
Sajilo Café Forest (サジロカフェ・フォレスト)
If you like curry or spices, visit Sajilo Café Forest, close to Karuizawa’s best gelato shop, L’ibisco! Following the alley from Old Karuizawa Ginza Street, you will soon see a cute white house in the leafy area. Sajilo means cozy in Nepalese. While it doesn’t have a typical curry house look, you will surely have a pleasant time here! Plus, the food here is phenomenal!
For more information about the Café, refer to our Sajilo Café Forest article!
Maruyama Coffee Karuizawa Main Store (丸山珈琲・軽井沢本店)
Opposite Bon Okawa Karuizawa Chocolate Factory, on the other side of the bullet train track, there is a Café you must visit if you are a coffee person. In fact, you might have already visited one of the coffee chain’s stores in Tokyo! Opened in 1991, Maruyama Coffee (丸山珈琲) is infamous for its high-quality coffee, but that isn’t the only charm at their first and main store in Karuizawa.
The coffee beans carefully selected and purchased from overseas farms are roasted in-house before they are ground for coffee brewing. This is why some find it hard to find another cup of equally good tasted coffee elsewhere. And the main store in Karuizawa is definitely one of the best cafés in the town!
For more information on what to expect on the day, refer to our Maruyama Coffee Karuizawa Main Store!
The Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants in Naka-Karuizawa
Compared to the neighborhood around Karuizawa Station, the Naka-Karuizawa area is less commercialized, so you might be worried about not being able to find vegetarian/vegan food there. Surprisingly, there are a couple of good options in Naka-Karuizawa. Although getting to them requires a degree of effort as they aren’t located close to the train station, the food served in each restaurant is amazing!
For more information, refer to our article on Naka-Karuizawa’s Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants!
Discover Other Fascinating Attractions Karuizawa
After resting at one of Karuizawa’s Cafés or restaurants, it is time to explore only must-visit spots in Japan’s best highland resort, Karuizawa. The town has a couple of amazing natural spots. In addition, the traditional township has several Western-style villas, amazingly designed churches, and unique Cafés and restaurants awaiting your visit.
So refer to our Guide to Karuizawa article for more attractions to include in your itinerary!
