原っぱカフェ Harappa Cafe — Restaurant in Yufu

We were in a panic, hangry, and weary. We had just arrived in town and perhaps waited too late to dine. We had selected a restaurant near our hotel for dinner and google said it was open - it wasn't. We raced to another restaurant that was open - but even the cheapest item on the menu was way (and I mean wayyyyy) outside of our price range. Another restaurant nearby - closed. A takeaway chicken place - locked and dark. We desperately walked around trying to find somewhere to eat, everything in the town seemed closed! We decided to make a run for the grocery store hoping it would still be open. As our pace quickened, and our blissful contentment turned to hunger fueled edgyness, we turned a corner and saw an open sign like an oasis hanging near an arched doorway- "Slow Cafe and Community Restaurant". We approached with caution thinking the open sign might be another false promise on the trail of google inaccuracies. We stood outside the door trying to decide if what we were seeing was real or a mirage -"Buffet, pay what you want". Inside was a small crowd of cozy revelers dining at tables. A warm and welcoming "Hajimemashite" erupted from inside the open door. We were in a state of shock as we gingerly stepped inside. We felt like Peter Pan staring at the Lost Boys feast - a beautiful spread of homemade dishes as far as the eyes could see! We had an amazing meal with fresh yummy ingredients that were prepared with community and care. We left full and happy, and still in a bit of a state of shock that this perfect establishment appeared on our path right when we...

The appeal of this place is that it's organic and has vegetarian options. It's smoke-free inside, so that's a plus too.

We came for lunch and there were lots of kids and families eating there, so kids are no problem.

Lunch is served buffet style, but is not heated correctly (only two heat lamps for the whole table), so everything is quickly cold.

The food is good, and the options change quite often, depending on what they are making in the back at that time. So, we had mostly typical Japanese dishes, like pickles, oden, etc.

When we arrived, they had one piece of cold vegetarian lasagna, which was good, but not enough, and, when we were done, they brought out chicken katsu, but we were too full to have any.

So, your experience with this place will vary greatly, depending on when you arrive and what they happen...

An unassuming simple no fuss cafe that serves organic food. The policy is pay after you eat what you think is fair! It is buffet style . After being in Japan for a week it is a change to try food that tastes more like home meals. I took a bit of everything served on the buffet except pizza! Italian in Japan ?....no thank you! I saw some of the workers in the kitchen looks like back packers on holiday visa. We were the only foreigners and was there when the cafe opened at 11.50am! A welcome change after eating restaurant food. Food was delicious and good spread. Owner could speak English and was friendly asking us where we got to know of his...