yim coffee&crafts

This entry is one of those lovely cafes that you’d wish you had found much earlier.

‘Yim coffee&crafts’ opened in October of 2021 in the Gamou district on a five minute walk from Nagahori Tsurumi-Ryokuchi line’s Gamo-4-Chome station also nicknamed ‘gamoyon’ and is run by a friendly husband and wife. The café sits in a 50 year old renovated nagaya located in a sidestreet in a quiet neighborhood and has a brown brick exterior, a corrugated sheet for a window and a small blue flag with the YIM logo hanging outside so you can’t miss it.

The café has a South-East Asian concept as the owners spent some time there. It’s name ‘Yim’ meaning ‘to smile’ and ‘im’ stands for ‘a full belly’ in the Thai language which together have the deeper meaning to make people smile with a full belly.

The interior renovation was mainly done by the couple and has a retro style mixed with South-East Asian elements. The center piece of the café is the large round table with above it a Thai bamboo pendant light hanging from the atrium that goes up to the second floor. The whole café has a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The walls and shelving have been treated with kakishibu which is fermented persimmon juice. Kakishibu is a special coating that when soaking in sunlight the color will change in to a darker shade over time.

Yim’s menu consists of a food ( croque monsieur, tuna melt sandwich and Khao Chi pate (which I’m not sure is a sandwich with liver pate) and sweets ( coffee jelly, baked cheesecake and scones) but it’s signature dish is Nam Wan, a delicious Laotian dessert which consists of a bowl of coconut milk filled with odango, azuki, sweet potato and tapioca. Served warm it makes for an absolutely delicious treat, especially for the colder months.

On the second floor of the café is a small shopping area with various South-East Asian items for sale including various ceramics, bamboo baskets, bags, embraided wallets and lots of other lovely goods.

Yim coffee & crafts is a lovely café with charming owners where you can really spend a relaxing time enjoying a South-East Asian atmosphere and delicious food.