FFF Coffee Osaka — As Seen In Japan

Jun 19

Jun 19 FFF Coffee Osaka

I’m in Osaka this week, and I’m exploring the city’s coffee shops. For whatever reason, Shinsaibashi has been a tough place to work. Many cafes are more restaurants than coffee shops, and the ones that are coffee-focused often have no Wi-Fi and little seating. Thankfully, I found a place with plenty of tables, delicious coffee, and something called a croiffle. The name is pretty easy to remember too.

FFF Coffee Osaka Shinsaibashi

FFF is located in what I would call the northeast tip of Shinsaibashi, in fact probably too far to technically be considered Shinsaibashi but whatever. It’s a clean, white, modern-looking place with a nice big espresso machine on the counter. I’ve been here twice now (currently sitting near the back), and there are always tons of seats available. That’s a worrying sign, but it may be because it’s tucked down a side street where there’s construction going on, so people don’t pass by on foot, only going in if they spot it on Google Maps.

Signs tell you to get a seat first, then go up and order your coffee, same procedure as Blue Bottle where I live. They have several different roasts, and gave me the option of light or dark to go with my iced oat milk latte. They also advertise something called a croiffle, which is a croissant pressed down into a waffle and topped with various sweet and savory combinations. In the interest of science, I ordered the cookie version. I was given a buzzer to take to my seat. There’s free water that you get yourself. My order didn’t take too long to be ready.

Oat milk latte and cookie waffle at FFF

First, the coffee: it is delicious. I could really taste the coffee, an "East Timor” that wasn’t diluted by too much milk. Really good. Under normal circumstances, I’d be happy to sit for a long time and work and sip this thing. However, when I logged on to the Wi-Fi, I found that you only get one hour of Wi-Fi for free. Why do this? It’s not like they’re full. I frantically worked as fast as I could to get my stuff done before my hour ran out.

The croiffle looked a lot like a regular waffle to me. The toppings were a dark whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and Oreo. I bit into this thing, and folks, I am now a croiffle guy. It was delicious. Light whipped cream, sweet but not too sweet, and the waffle was airy and fresh. Loved it. Devoured it. Professed my undying service. If I weren’t concerned about my health, I’d eat ten of these every day until I die.

Bathroom adventure at FFF

One weird component of FFF is the bathroom. You go through a door at the back and into the attached office building, where another door leads to a single-customer bathroom. Inside, there are a lot of signs. And I mean a lot. Don’t pee standing up. Don’t leave the toilet seat up. Clean up after yourself. And especially, the many signs say, don’t throw away trash. I guess a lot of people come into this building and use it to dump their excess garbage. Probably tourists, who aren’t used to the lack of public waste bins in Japan. I peed standing up because I’m a rebel who can’t be tamed.

Verdict: is FFF Coffee worth visiting on a trip to Osaka?

As I said, there are a ton of coffee shops in this neighborhood, but none was what I was looking for. If you want lunch, you could go healthier or find a place with a fuller menu. If you want to sip espresso with fancypants people, you could go to one of the local specialty stores. And if you want unlimited free Wi-Fi, you could go to a big chain. But FFF is an ideal middle ground.

The next day, I wanted a place to work, and had some stuff to do that didn’t require Wi-Fi, so I went back. I got another iced oat milk latte. I used all my strength to avoid eating another waffle. I sat and worked in a nice cool atmosphere and enjoyed a delicious latte. If I lived around here, this would be my spot on days when I didn’t need Wi-Fi. So yes, it’s worth going to. The croiffle may not be a must-try on its own, but with nice air conditioning, delicious coffee, and a welcoming staff, FFF is now my favorite cafe in this part of Osaka, perhaps all of Osaka (we’ll see how the rest of this week goes).