Factory Cafe

I received an invitation for lunch from someone I had met on Instagram, and I chose the restaurant I am going to introduce here, Factory Cafe, because I thought it would be a good place to put it on my Instagram. At night, it is a “meat Italian restaurant where you can enjoy straw-baked steaks and oven-baked Neapolitan pizza,” but every day during lunch time until 3:00 p.m., it offers an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch with bread and drinks, and is well known as one of the most crowded restaurants in Umeda with a huge line every day.

This time, targeting that all-you-can-eat and drink lunch, I decided to coordinate my schedule with Instagram and meet up in front of the restaurant before opening time on a weekend. It was a weekend, so the number of customers was amazing, but it was even more amazing in many ways…

Surprised by the highest percentage of girls in the history of eating out in Ohori… Factory Cafe is such a restaurant…

I arrived at the Factory Cafe at around 10:30 on a certain weekend. It was raining quite a bit that day, so I was taking it easy, thinking that it would be enough to get there about 30 minutes before the store opened… but I was surprised when I actually arrived at the restaurant! At this point, there were already about 30 people standing in line from the storefront. Well, according to the official website, the Factory Cafe has a total of 130 seats, so it should be a piece of cake for the first 30 people in line to get in.

But what was more surprising was the high percentage of women, probably the highest in the history of eating in Ohori. At this point, 95% of the people in line, and those standing in line behind me, were female customers. No, this place itself is not a fairy tale store at all. As the name “Factory” suggests, it is a woody interior like an old wooden warehouse, and it would not be out of place even if there were male customers. So, to be honest, the atmosphere inside the store was a bit bizarre. For female customers, there may not be a more accessible restaurant, but for male customers, it’s tough, this atmosphere…

It’s actually a social study for the men… How was the bread buffet lunch at Factory Cafe, when I actually tried it?

That aside, let me introduce the all-you-can-eat bread and all-you-can-drink bread buffet lunch I tried at the Factory Cafe this time (note: during busy times, the buffet lasts for two hours). The price of the lunch varies depending on the main dish you choose, and this time I chose the “Margherita with Mozzarella and Chicken” (price: 1,900 yen including tax)…

After 20 minutes of waiting, the main dish arrived in front of me. It contains chicken thigh, mini-tomatoes, zucchini, and potatoes. But for a dish called “Margherita preparation,” I was a little disappointed that there were no basil leaves in the dish. Basil is essential to a margherita, not only for its appearance, but also for its aroma…

Well, with that said, let’s move on to eating the dish… This two-handled skillet looks compact, but the chicken thigh inside is quite hearty. I think it is made from a single thigh. The thick meat is well heated and plump, and is covered with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese…it tastes exactly as you would expect, and it’s not bad, but I think I would like some basil leaves. I think it’s not enough for a “Margherita” unless the basil is also used with gusto.

The bread buffet that accompanies the main course is located right in the middle of the restaurant, with more than 10 different kinds of breads, mostly deli breads, on display at any given time. Just behind this bread buffet space is…

There is also an all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink beverage buffet with more than 10 kinds of beverages. The bread buffet, in particular, seems to have 40 different varieties, and as soon as the bread on display in front of you is gone, another type of bread will be placed in its place. If you stay for two hours, I am sure you will be able to eat quite a variety of bread. Well, it would be difficult to eat all 40 kinds…

Since we both had plans for the next day, we decided to pay the bill after about an hour’s stay. The price of less than 2,000 yen for lunch is a little painful on the wallet, but the all-you-can-eat bread and drinks are included, so even adult men with large appetites can certainly fill up. On the other hand, the space around the bread and drink buffet is very narrow, so it is difficult to move around if there is just a small crowd. I wonder if they could do something more about the flow line in this area….

One last thing…during the bread buffet lunch, I was able to witness an amazing sight that I had not imagined at first. I can’t divulge the details here, but it was probably something we male customers don’t usually get to see. Well, you could say that it is “unique to Osaka”… I think it is interesting to go to a Factory Café alone as a man from the viewpoint of social study.

Other lunch menu items at the Factory Cafe (as of June 2024, prices include tax)

• Homemade special beef hamburger steak with hot spring egg 1900 yen
• Luxury main plate with 3 kinds of meat [roast beef/chicken/cured ham] 2100 yen
• Japanese Wagyu beef meat sauce and mushroom Bolognese gratin ¥1,800
• Hot seasonal vegetable soup and 10 kinds of perfect salad 1900yen
• Luxury Main Plate of 3 Kinds of Seafood [Tuna/Salmon/Prawn] – ¥2000

On weekdays, the bread buffet lunch is even more economical with a 100 yen discount! Access to the Factory Cafe is a 3-minute walk from the nearest station, Osaka Umeda Station on the Hankyu Railway line.

Lunch at the Factory Cafe is even more economical with a 100 yen discount on all bread buffet lunches introduced here. As far as I can see, the length of the line is not that long even on weekdays, but it is still nice to be able to eat this lunch for 100 yen less. The all-you-can-eat bread and all-you-can-drink deal, and the guaranteed stay of up to 2 hours, is well worth the price. The only other thing that bothers me is the unusually high percentage of females, but if you don’t have a problem with that, I can recommend this lunch from a cosmetic point of view.Now, here are the details of the restaurant…

From JR Osaka Station, it is an 8-minute walk.