Cafe in the Park (Kita-Shinchi)

Luxury gourmet hotel restaurant buffet with top-tier variety and quality, including an impressive lineup of fancy sweets and playfully themed cuisine days.

The entrance to Cafe in the Park is located on the first floor of the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel © Angelino Donnachaidh

If you or anyone you know has spent much time in any of Japan’s major cities, then you may already know that hotel restaurants are a surprising fixture of (usually upscale) local dining out for certain crowds – not just the hotel guests. The various categories of hotel restaurants – along with their flagship offerings and target demographics – could be a list unto itself. But suffice it to say that Cafe in the Park ticks three distinct boxes, each one with aplomb: Upscale, buffet, and fancy casual.

Kids have everything they need at the buffet, and the more socially aware may draw comfort from not being the only little ones in the dining room © Angelino Donnachaidh

The Space

Cafe in the Park certainly leaves parents bringing small children wanting for nothing, as evidenced by the fact that kids are a fixture in the dining room. On the other hand, it doesn’t do anything particularly unique with the space – which is fair since it is a hotel buffet meant to serve a wide range of clientele, not just families with children. The dining room and buffet areas are comfortable in a standard way that will be immediately familiar to visitors from all around the world.

Families with kids and groups of well-to-do ladies on brunch or lunch dates are both common sights at Cafe in the Park © Angelino Donnachaidh

With a reservation (which is required), a high chair and child cutlery will be waiting for you at your table upon arrival. The dining room is airy and bright, with pleasantly warm decor and lots of natural light.

The Service and Amenities

The roomy well-designed layout of the dining room and buffet area combines with the meticulously-planned reservation-only service to ensure a smooth experience that never feels crowded or uncomfortable.

Weekend buffet dining is limited to 90 minutes, which is standard for most buffets in Japan, albeit on the shorter end. Guests wishing to enjoy some post-meal lounging might prefer more time than this, but thankfully the thoughtfully curated dining experience and prompt refills and replacements of fresh food service ensures the meal itself never feels rushed.

The tasty, varied, and high-quality lineup of food mixes classic standards with more creative themed dishes © Angelino Donnachaidh

Cafe in the Park’s location on the first floor of the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel is especially handy for parents with young children. Should your little one need a diaper change or an emotional cooldown, you can beat an easy retreat to the lobby or its well-serviced bathrooms, including a private accessible bathroom that is also designed for parents with babies.

What is unusual for a hotel buffet is the way Cafe in the Park succeeds at conveying a coherent and even creative culinary vision. Its lunch buffets follow seasonally rotating themes usually based around a single versatile ingredient (strawberry or matcha, to name a few recent examples). It is not afraid to be creative or even challenging with its theme ingredient – in a way that may remind foodies of a certain age group of the old Iron Chef challenges. Your author certainly did not expect to be going back for seconds of strawberry gorgonzola pizza, but expectations are often misleading.

The lineup is very heavy on gourmet sweets © Angelino Donnachaidh

The Food

The great thing about a good buffet is the sheer variety and volume of food available. Cafe in the Park does not disappoint here. Whatever your – and your child’s – dining preferences are, you’re sure to find something suitable. Everything served was delicious and of the quality you’d expect for this price point. Selections were promptly refilled or replaced when they were depleted or had been sitting for too long. In addition to the self-service coffee, tea, and juices, specialties like espresso drinks or decaffeinated coffee are served upon request.

The “healthy veggies surrounded by carbs” approach to getting a child (or a certain parent) to get some nutrition © Angelino Donnachaidh

A solid assortment of child-friendly fare is available, including mini hamburgers, crispy chicken nuggets, various pizzas, two kinds of spaghetti, gnocchi, french fries, onion rings, sausages, tater tots, curry, rice, and naan (regular oven, not tandoor). Healthy salads, roast veggies, and nutritious soups are all also available for the ‘rents, or for any child who will abide them.

The “at least they’re eating something” last resort – or perhaps just a parental guilty pleasure © Angelino Donnachaidh

Cafe in the Park clearly takes its food seriously. If it looks crispy, or sweet, or sour, or creamy, or light, or fluffy, then you can bet that it will be. This is a great thing, and not always the case at buffets.

It’s worth noting that this also means that a certain degree of piquant heat makes an earnest appearance when the dish calls for it. I found the mentaiko cod roe spaghetti and curry both pleasantly spicy, meaning they were a bit too much for my three-year-old. Parents of sensitive eaters are advised to start with a little taste-testing before they dig in.

Cafe in the Park offers a dizzying array of gourmet sweet treats to go with coffee or tea, or use as negotiating leverage © Angelino Donnachaidh

The restaurant leads with its gourmet desserts and tea/coffee accompaniment, and sweet tooths will find themselves so spoiled for choice that it may be hard to try everything even before getting to lunch itself. In fact, the buffet area devoted to sweets is easily three times that devoted to savories, if not more.

About Angelino Donnachaidh
Angelino Donnachaidh is a Mexican-American father, author, Japanese-English translator, and longtime resident of Osaka, Japan. His works include the middle grade (pre-)historical fiction novel Tamiu: A Cat’s Tale (Winner of the North Street Prize and CWA Muse Medallion), the YA post-cyberpunk heist adventure screenplay Brother (Winner of the HollywoodGenre 2025 Scifi Screenplay Competition), and the upcoming samurai scifi-fantasy action-thriller novel The Mayhem Protocols.

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Cafe in the Park Information

Name in English:
Cafe in the Park

Name in Japanese:
カフェ・イン・ザ・パーク

English address:
1 Chome-3-1 Dojimahama, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0004
Ana Crowne Plaza Hotel Osaka 1st Floor

Japanese address:
〒530-0004 大阪市北区堂島浜1-3-1 ANAクラウンプラザホテル大阪 1F

Opening hours:
Breakfast 7:00am-10:00am
Lunch: 11:30am-3:00pm
Note: Reservations required

Non-smoking area: All non-smoking

Price:
¥5800 for adults
¥3100 for kids aged 6-12
¥1600 for kids aged 4-5
Free for 3 and under
Note: On weekdays, one person for every four in a group is free.

Nearest transport:
5-minute walk from Oebashi Station (exit #) on the Keihan Nakanoshima Line
7-minute walk from Kita-Shinchi Station (exit #) on the JR Tozai and JR Gakkentoshi/Katamachi Lines (Though different names are shown at different stations, the JR Tozai/Touzai, JR Gakkentoshi, JR Katamachi, and “JR Tozai-Gakkentoshi” Line are functionally one single line in central Osaka and can be treated interchangeably here)
8-minute walk from Nishi-Umeda Station (exit #) on the Osaka Metro (Subway) Yotsubashi Line
5-minute walk from Yodoyabashi Station (exit #) on the Osaka Metro (Subway) Midosuji Line and Keihan Main Line

Website: Official website (Japanese, English, Chinese)

Customer Reviews:
:: Read customer reviews of Cafe in the Park on TripAdvisor.

Near To Here:
Cafe in the Park is located in Osaka’s Kita and Umeda district. See our complete list of things to do in the Kita and Umeda district, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.

Best Osaka Restaurants
See our list of the best Osaka restaurants for even more ideas about great places to eat in Osaka.

Where Are These Places Located?

See these places on the Inside Osaka Google map:

• Open the Osaka map
• You will see the list of places on the left hand side. (Click the 3-line icon in the top left corner if not). Scroll down or use the map search (the magnifying glass icon) to find the place you want.
• Click the name of the place in the list. Its location pin will be highlighted on the map.
• Map pins are color coded - BLUE: Hotels / Ryokan / Guesthouses | VIOLET: Ryokan | PINK: Places to Eat | GREEN: Shops | YELLOW: Things to See and Do
• If you’re using the map on your phone, open the map and then search for the name of the place. The map will then zoom in on its location.

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