Zao Onsen

This week’s restaurant review is a Zao Onsen staple, Shibamama Cafe. With an emphasis on local vegetables and their specialty bamboo shoots, the menu is full of healthy and flavorful choices. They aim for a variety of around 30 vegetables in one meal!

Shibamama Cafe is located on the main street running through Zao Onsen, situated near the Zao Chuo Ropeway.

Shiba Ski originated more than 50 years ago as a ski and snowboard rental shop. The son and wife took over the shop in 1997. The locals and customers gradually started calling the owner’s wife “Shibamama” and the brand was born.

The cafe itself opened in 2000 with the delightful and loud ShibaMama at the head. If you pass their shop while she’s outside, she’ll be sure to call a friendly greeting. She’s also mother to Japanese Olympic snowboarder and current national snowboard team member, Masaki Shiba. He grew up on the slopes of Zao and spends his winters competing overseas, so summers are his time at home. 

The popular cafe underwent renovations two years ago, to give it a more modern feel. Huge glass windows cover most of 3 walls, giving you a peaceful view of the town. The interior design itself is a cool neutral black and wood theme, every detail chosen by Masaki himself. It certainly doesn’t look like a shop that’s been around for almost 30 years. 

The menu isn’t huge but it’s set up to give you the ability to customize your meal, so there was definitely some indecisiveness when trying to decide. All the choices looked good to me, and the flavors will change a little with each season and vegetable availability.

The main meals are a set lunch with rice (brown or white), a choice of regular or tofu patty, a vegetable miso soup, and seasonal fruit; a choice of normal curry or green curry with brown or white rice; vegetable noodle soup- soy sauce broth or green curry, with a choice of ramen noodles, udon, or pho; or a salad bowl with choice of noodles, white rice, or brown rice. See? The menu might look small but there are so many choices!

There’s also a selection of a daily fresh baked dessert, which you can order as a drink set as well if you want a light snack. They offer Yamagata fruit juices, and other health focused beverages.

For lunch, I went with the green curry and brown rice set. It comes out with an impressive bamboo shoot (takenoko) laid delicately across the dish, which the waitress tells us comes from their own personal field. The vegetables are all supplied by a local farm in Yamagata and cooked expertly. 

The green curry leans spicy but not overly so, with a good depth of flavor. It’s not a kid friendly curry though, and maybe not for those who prefer mild curry. The vegetables are a seasonal mix and provide pops of freshness with each bite.

The soup was unexpectedly hearty and full of bean sprouts, cabbage, and mushrooms. It’s a nice, soothing compliment to the spice of the curry. Brown rice is having a moment in Japan and you can find it in more and more shops in Tokyo, but it’s a delightful find in the rural areas. This was one of the best I’ve had, with a lightly chewy mochi-like texture. 

My husbands plate consisted of the regular hamburg set which was equally packed full of vegetables and he had no complaints. The freshly picked flowers that accompany your meal are a sweet touch on the tray.

I’ll confess, being in a Japanese town with restaurants that lean towards traditional Japanese meals and comfort food for cold winters, sometimes I miss brighter takes on food. I love a good fresh salad and roasted vegetables without dashi, and while I love Japanese curry, I admittedly prefer something like a green curry. Shibamama is perfect on the days I want something that pushes the flavor profile but retains the integrity and purity of Japanese cooking. 

Yamagata is renowned for having delicious fresh produce, but it’s hard to see that showcased in some of the Zao restaurants as they’re a little more remote. This helps Shibamama Cafe really stand out. All of the dishes can also be made vegetarian friendly, another rarity in rural Japan. Even if you’re not vegetarian, you won’t feel like you’re missing out if you choose the vegetable options. In fact, I encourage it because they’re that delicious!

Also note that the shop is dog friendly and your furry companions are welcome! They even have organic dog treats made locally.

The current hours are as follows-

Open Sunday, Monday, Thursday- Saturday from 11:30am – 4:00pm. Closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The schedule can vary on some days, so check their instagram @shibamama_cafekitchen for the most accurate information.

You can also find more information on their website HERE.

Enjoy your meal!