maZe nishihorie — Restaurant in Osaka

⭐️⭐️ 2/5 — Skip This Place, Overhyped and Underwhelming

Maze Café in Osaka looked like the perfect spot for my last breakfast in the city, but the reality didn’t match the hype. My Eggs Benedict arrived completely cold after a 20–25 minute wait and was deeply unsatisfying despite being presented nicely.

I also paid extra for a premium siphon coffee, expecting it to arrive before the food. Instead, it never came and I had to follow up after the food arrived. I was then told it takes 7 minutes to brew, which left me wondering if it had even been started during the 20+ minutes I was waiting. In the end, I asked for a quicker coffee just to wash down the cold eggs, which actually left me out of pocket as it was a cheaper faster option with no refund having paid upfront.

Adding to the experience, the café filled with a strong bathroom deodorising spray smell during breakfast following someone using the toilet, which overpowered the cafe atmosphere. I noticed mix-ups with orders at other tables nearby. At nearly 3,000 yen (about $30 AUD), the overall value felt poor.

To be fair, the server was very kind and perhaps this was just an off day. Still, for a venue that promotes itself as a premium coffee and breakfast spot in Osaka, my experience was underwhelming. There are far better cafés nearby if you’re after good coffee, reliable service, and a breakfast that arrives hot. I went Nobo down...

The best espresso drink I've ever had. The flat white they brought to me was perfect in texture, flavor, aroma, and appearance. I'm at a loss as to where I can find coffee this good in my hometown, and there's plenty of good coffee here. There was a flat white I had in Singapore pre-pandemic that competes, but they delivered for me was the platonic ideal of an espresso milk drink. Plus my spouse's drink had a swan on it.

There was a line to get in on the Saturday morning we were there. List out front, put your name on and wait. The wait took a bit, maybe 30 minutes. The cafe owner came out and offered to have us driven to another cafe where the wait would be minimal, but we were checking out of our hotel right after brunch, so just waited the additional 10 minutes to be seated. We happily crammed 4 of us on a table.

Brunch food was great - Really the only western food we had during our trip. I had the avocado poached egg thing, against all my better instincts. Saw it on someone else's plate and changed my order to it. Great bread, all around good tastes and textures. Great last breakfast in Japan. Really tough to stand out against the meals we had on our trip, but this did....

I am a tourist from Singapore and I came here twice during my 1-week Osaka trip because the brunch was just so good. It was actually a random find on Google but the recommendation was so on point. The waiting time is usually around 15-30 minutes, and sometimes close to an hour during peak hours. It’s a small space equipped with amazing service and food. I felt that the croissant sandwich was better than the eggs benedict but today’s salad and yogurt were better. The food can be a bit heavy on the seasoning sometimes but it does not affect the overall food quality and taste. Coffee wise I’d recommend flavoured lattes like the hazelnut latte in pic 3 instead. The flat white I had on my first visit was simply too acidic and not the smoothest.

By the way, just look at the food presentation and portion. So stunning! Overall I’d recommend this cafe to anyone who’s in Osaka. This place literally gathers foreigners from all around the world. If you’re around the area and not sure what to have, you’re in for a treat in maZe...