Comme Chinois

One morning, I was searching on my smartphone for a place to have breakfast in Sannomiya, Kobe, and found a place called Comme Chinois. It seemed to be a pretty famous bakery in Kobe, and since it opened at 8:00 a.m., I thought, “Should I go there now?” But as I looked it up online, I found out that this place not only sells bread but also serves lunch. In that case, I thought lunch would be more fun… so I decided to have breakfast at Green House Wald near the north exit of Sannomiya Station that day.

About three months later, I had some business in Sannomiya in the morning, so I decided to go to Comme Chinois for lunch afterwards. I quickly finished my business and arrived at the shop around 11:50. So, what kind of shop was it?

Boulangerie + Pâtisserie + Honest Cafe—isn’t that business model a bit much? This is the kind of shop Comme Chinois is.

This shop, Comme Chinois, operates as a boulangerie + pâtisserie + honest cafe. The interior is broadly divided into two sections: the front area, which is the boulangerie + pâtisserie space displaying and selling various breads, baked goods, and cakes, and the café space further back. Frankly, I thought trying to run these three distinct styles of shop in one space was pretty unrealistic. Especially the front boulangerie + pâtisserie area is cramped and packed tight. With customers pouring in to buy bread in that cramped space, it was impossible to move around at all. Well, that’s the price of being a popular shop…

The cafe space in the back has 28 seats, but when I arrived, it was completely full. I had to write my name in the sign-up book and wait outside until my name was called. I would have loved to spend that time browsing the displayed bread, baked goods, and cakes, but there was just so little room to move around… So, for about 15 minutes until the staff called my name, I spent it feeling a bit disappointed. Well, if it hadn’t been the peak of lunchtime, maybe it wouldn’t have been like this…

Every lunch menu item is priced beyond what you’d expect at a cafe… How was the special Caesar salad I ordered at Comme Chinois?

So, let me introduce the lunch menu I ordered at Comme Chinois this time… No, before that, shall we talk about the lunch menu for that day? The lunch menu that day was…

• Seafood and Mushroom Bouillon Stew ~With Matsutake Mushroom Aroma~ (with salad and bread)　¥2,860
• Sautéed Young Chicken with Special Sauce, Served with Swiss Potato Gratin (with salad and bread)　¥2,750
• Hachis Parmentier (with salad and bread)　¥2,200
• Special Caesar Salad (with soup and bread)　¥1,760
• Salted Mackerel and Zucchini Pasta in Tomato Sauce (with salad and bread)　¥1,760
• Two Sandwiches of Your Choice (with Salad and Soup) 1650 yen
• Potage with 8 Kinds of Vegetables 880 yen

Looking at this menu, I was surprised to see prices far exceeding what you’d expect from a cafe attached to a bakery. Even with bread and soup included, some dishes are priced like a hotel restaurant. Well, this probably ties into the shop’s history, having operated as a French restaurant in the past. Personally, if I were paying these prices, I’d rather have lunch at a place with a bit more sophistication than a bakery-attached cafe…

Anyway, from the menu above, I chose the Special Caesar Salad that day. After waiting just over 10 minutes after ordering, the lunch brought to my table looked like this…

A flat plate piled high with colorful vegetables, two types of bread, and a tomato-flavored vegetable soup. The bread was thoroughly warmed, with olive oil drizzled on the cut surface. You can get one free refill of this bread. However, it takes about 10 minutes from ordering the refill to when it arrives, so you might need to manage your timing carefully.

Now, the main Caesar Salad. This single plate contained well over 10 different ingredients, including lettuce, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, and more. This single dish provides about half of the recommended daily intake of 30 different ingredients. While it contains chicken breast, making it not strictly vegan, it certainly includes a solid protein source and is undeniably healthy. For days when you’re not feeling well or want a lighter meal, a salad-centered lunch like this could be a good option.

The bread served with this lunch included a baguette and another type (a different one was served when I requested a second helping). It was nice to enjoy three different types of bread with distinct flavors—some with a toasty aroma, others with a fluffy texture. At Comme Chinois, you can bring bread purchased elsewhere into this cafe space to eat (unlike the lunch menu, bread is reasonably priced), so this is a recommended option when you want to keep costs down. Just remember, in that case, there’s a one-drink minimum, so don’t forget to factor in the drink cost…

Bakery gift sets are available at Namba Takashimaya… Access to Comme Chinois is a 1-minute walk from the nearest station, Sannomiya/Hanatokei-mae Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway Wangan Line.

Comme Chinois has a store at Namba Takashimaya in Osaka, where they sell original baked goods and other gift items. Just the fact that they have a store in Takashimaya gives them incredible brand prestige, right? By the way, these items are also available on Takashimaya’s online store. If any of their Western-style sweets catch your eye, why not give them a try?

Now, here are the shop details…

P.S. If you are looking for a cozy cafe in Hyogo, please stop by this article below…