I am not a huge fan of cocoa, but I could become one having visited Cocowa in Kawagoe this summer. I had the best cocoa I ever tasted at the cafe, which is run by a true cocoa aficionado. Despite eating out somewhat regularly in Kawagoe, I still have a huge list of places I want to visit in the old town. However, in truth, Cocowa was not high on my list. But serendipity intervened and with few other places on my list open on a Tuesday, my trusted lunch buddy and I ended up there on a hot Tuesday afternoon in early July. Having lived in the Kawagoe area for almost 20 years, I’ve come to know that several cafes and restaurants are closed on Tuesdays in the tourist area. Its good to have a list of places with differing business hours so as not to get caught out on a Tuesday visit to Kawagoe. Moreover, it is also a guesthouse if you are looking for somewhere central to stay in Kawagoe!
Cocowa Kawagoe
My second last lunch outing before I left Japan was to the cleverly named Cocowa. Cocowa is the only cocoa specialty store not just in Kawagoe, but in all of the Kanto region. It was on my aforementioned list of places I want to go in Kawagoe since the cafe opened in 2021. Again not because I am a fan of cocoa, but because I liked the look of the cafe! It is a small space, but it is done really nicely. Moreover, its very comfortable with friendly yet professional staff. It was like hanging out in a friend’s living room. We found it quite easy to get a seat that Tuesday, but we arrived early, just as the small cocoa cafe was opening. Reportedly, it is very busy on the weekends.
I’ve only visited it once, so far, so I am no expert. But I can tell you that the cocoa was amazing. Both my friend and I tried it and were surprised by how good it was. However, in terms of food, on weekdays the menu is very limited. They only had one item for lunch; keema curry, pictured below. But they do have some desserts. And, of course, a wide range of cocoa flavors to choose from. Including cocoa with alcohol in it! They have a slightly larger menu on offer on weekends. They also have limited edition, seasonal, flavors of cocoa available. And they have kakigori (shaved ice) during the summer months. Furthermore, you can buy packets of cocoa to make at home. You can see the menu here. In addition, they have a night cafe too and it operates as a guest house also.
Information
You may see on some reports online that the cafe closed in January 2025. It did, but it reopened in March 2025.
Cafe: A little Cocoa store Cocowa 小さなココア屋さん ここ和
Hours: 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m on Mondays and Tuesdays, closed Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11.30 am to 10 pm on Fridays, noon to 6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Please do check the schedule on their Facebook page though, as its not uncommon for them to change the hours / days off.
Cost: from 700 yen for cocoa and from 1600 yen for lunch. Prices are not publicly available for the guesthouse. You need to email the manager through the Facebook page, linked at the bottom of the post.
Address: 1-10-6 Nakaharacho, Kawagoe, Saitama, 〒350-0042 Japan. View on Google Maps.
Access: its just about a seven minute walk from Hon Kawagoe station. There is no official parking lot, but there are coin parking lots in the area.
Official Facebook account, where you can see the monthly schedule and you can also make a booking for the guesthouse through that page too. They have a website too, with an online store for their cocoa products.