Chichu Cafe — Restaurant in Naoshima

I visited the cafe after visiting the exhibits (one of the best museums I’ve been to, Chichu really is THE gold standard) and was mentally prepared for a subpar lunch based on the past reviews here. So imagine my surprise when I took a bite of the beef olive rice with my traveling companion and we looked at each other in shock — blissful shock. The food was fantastic! The rice was generously and evenly coated with butter which imparted an exquisite aroma. The beef was as tender as it was chewy. And it’s topped with fried sliced onions. I don’t even have a proper photo of the uneaten beef rice because yes, it was that good. We ordered Monet’s madeleines as well and thought ah, cute concept aside, this might be where Chichu would let us down. We were proven wrong again. I would even go so far as to say the dessert is rather Chichu-like; well thought out and considered, with every element on the plate serving a purpose. It was quite the symphony in my mouth. This was a great way to wrap up the visit to the museum, although it being the Setouchi Triennale, it was really hard to get the window-facing seats. I’d imagine that a visit here during the off-peak...

地中美術館の施設内にあるカフェです（基本的にカフェのみの利用は出来ず、必ず美術館に入館するための料金を支払う必要があります）。地中美術館自体にエレベーターがあり、またカフェは美術館との通路続きとなっているため、車椅子等の障碍を持つ方でも気軽に利用できます（但し通路はやや狭く、また暗いことに注意が必要です）。 給仕される料理に、典型的なカフェに見られるような、1つのプレートにピラフやサラダが盛り付けられたもの、サンドウィッチ、ケーキがあります。一部の料理には、香川もしくは直島で生産あるいは採取された食材を利用しており、また数量限定でもあります。ケーキなどは既に出来合いのものが給仕されますが、ピラフやサンドウィッチは注文後に調理されたものが給仕されます。盛り付け・食感・味付けいずれをとっても素晴らしく、展示の鑑賞時、あるいは鑑賞後の休憩等の利用にピッタリなカフェだと思います。 一方で、注文前に席の確保が必要になりますが、（特に休日は）満席の可能性が非常に高く、席が思うように確保できないことがあります。また、カフェの窓は南に面しており、瀬戸内海の絶景を楽しめる一方で、晴れた日は日差しが強く、人によってはかなり眩しいと感じるでしょう（景色を楽しんでもらうため、基本的にブラインドはかけられません）。 注文した食事を持って、カフェの外に出ることが出来ます（出入口はカフェのドアのみ）。天気のいい日にはオープンテラス席が設えられていることがあり、瀬戸内の風を感じながら食事をするのもいいかもしれません。

This cafe is located within the Chichu Art Museum facilities (basically, you cannot use this cafe only; you must pay a fee to enter the museum). The Chichu Art Museum itself has an elevator, and the cafe is connected to the museum by a passageway, making it easily accessible to wheelchair users and other physically challenged visitors (note that the passageway is rather narrow and dark). The dishes served include typical cafe fare, such as pilaf and salad on a single plate, sandwiches, and cakes. Some dishes use ingredients produced or gathered in Kagawa or Naoshima and are available in limited quantities. Cakes and other items are served ready-made, while pilaf and sandwiches are prepared to order. The food is excellent in terms of presentation, texture, and flavor, making it the perfect cafe for viewing the exhibition or taking a break afterwards. On the other hand, you will need to secure a seat before ordering, but the possibility of being full (especially on holidays) is very high, and you may not be able to get a seat as you would like. In addition, the windows of the cafe face south, and while you can enjoy a spectacular view of the Seto Inland Sea, on sunny days the sunshine is strong and can be quite glaring for some people (blinds are generally not hung so that you can enjoy the view). You can go outside the cafe with your dishes (the only entrance and exit is through the cafe door). On fine days, open terrace seating may be set up so that you can enjoy your meal while feeling the breeze of the...

As the food options were limited on this side of the island, it's great that the museum has a cafe unfortunately, they won't let you go in before your reserved time. We went on a Sunday midday but we were disappointed that 2 of the main dishes were sold out. The food came quickly and it was nicely presented. I had the salmon sandwich which was ok, a bit on the drier side but with nice mozzarella balls. I was disappointed by the amount of disposable plastic they use: cups for coffee and cutlery for the food. I ordered the sandwich hoping I could eat it like that but still needed utensils to cut the big...