What are the hours and closing day?

It is open 11:00 to 18:00 most days, until 20:00 on Saturdays, and closed on Thursdays. It is a popular spot, so it can fill up quickly.

Can I reserve a table?

Reservations are taken only for the opening-time slot. If you want a guaranteed seat, book the 11:00 opening; otherwise arrive early, especially on weekends.

The tarts are the signature, and the Nicoise-style salad plate makes a lovely lunch. It reads like a French cafe but is made with the precision of a good Japanese kitchen.

Cafés & tables · From FUMI

Cafe de Lento: a Yokohama café that reads like Paris, made with Japanese care

Q: Where is Cafe de Lento?

Cafe de Lento is at 5-213 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Yokohama, about a 3-minute walk from JR Ishikawacho Station and an easy stroll from Motomachi.

By FUMI · Tokyo · August 2026

A slice of tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a white plate at Cafe de Lento — The reason to come: Cafe de Lento's tart, with a scoop of vanilla. Photo: Off-Menu Tokyo.

A short walk from Ishikawacho, in the quiet streets behind Motomachi, Cafe de Lento is one of those places that feels like it was lifted out of Paris — and then finished with the precision of a good Japanese kitchen. The menu reads French: tarts, a Niçoise-style salad plate. But the care in it — the plating, the balance, the calm of the room — is unmistakably Japanese. It's the kind of hybrid I love, and a genuinely lovely place for lunch.

Short answer

Cafe de Lento is at 5-213 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Yokohama (~3 min from Ishikawacho Station). Open 11:00–18:00 (Sat to 20:00), closed Thursdays. It's a French-leaning café with the care of a fine Japanese kitchen — come for the tarts and the Niçoise-style salad. It's popular and a listed “top-100” café; reservations are taken only for the opening slot, so book 11:00 or arrive early.

A French menu, Japanese care

What makes Lento special isn't that it copies a Paris café — plenty of places do the look. It's that the food is actually good, and made with the quiet exactness you get in Japan: a tart with properly short pastry and fruit that tastes of itself, a salad plate arranged so every element earns its place. The room is calm and unhurried (the name, lento, is the musical direction for “slow” — and they mean it).

A Nicoise-style salad plate with tuna, egg, potato, tomato, green beans and olives — A Niçoise-style salad plate — the kind of careful lunch this place does well. Photo: Off-Menu Tokyo.

Come for lunch, stay for the tart

Make it lunch: the salad plate is light and complete, exactly right before an afternoon around Motomachi and the harbour. Then don't leave without a tart — it's the thing people come back for — or, if you're in the mood, one of the parfaits. It's the sort of unhurried, quietly excellent hour that's hard to find near the tourist strip.

A tart with vanilla ice cream, and a berry parfait behind, on a wooden table — Another tart and a berry parfait — worth staying for dessert. Photo: Off-Menu Tokyo.

The one booking rule

Reservations are only taken for the opening slot. If you want a guaranteed table, book the 11:00 opening; otherwise get there early, especially on weekends — it's a well-loved, listed café and seats go fast.

How to go

	Details
Where	Cafe de Lento, 5-213 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Yokohama · ~3 min from JR Ishikawacho
Hours	11:00–18:00 · Saturdays to 20:00
Closed	Thursdays
Order	A tart (the signature) · the Niçoise-style salad plate for lunch · parfaits
Booking	Reservations only for the opening slot; otherwise arrive early

Common questions

Where is Cafe de Lento?

5-213 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Yokohama — about 3 minutes from JR Ishikawacho, and an easy stroll from Motomachi.

Hours and closing day?

11:00–18:00 (Saturdays to 20:00), closed Thursdays. It fills up, so go early.

Can I reserve?

Only the opening-time slot can be reserved. Book 11:00 for a guaranteed table, or arrive early.

What should I order?

The tarts are the signature; the Niçoise-style salad is a lovely lunch. French in style, Japanese in care.

Off-Menu Tokyo · a Cafés & tables guide · photos by Off-Menu Tokyo · details verified August 2026 — confirm hours and closing days before you go

Cafés & tables · Yokohama

The Yokohama café that feels French — but is unmistakably Japanese

Café de Lento serves the kind of composed lunch and beautiful tart you might associate with a small French café, with the precision and quiet care of a very good Japanese one.

By FUMI · Tokyo-born designer · updated August 2026

A carefully arranged lunch plate at Café de Lento in Yokohama

A lunch plate at Café de Lento. Photo: FUMI / Off-Menu Tokyo.

Short answer

Go to Café de Lento when you want lunch to feel like part of your Yokohama day, not just a pause between sights. It is small and popular, so reserve the 11:00 opening if you can. Order a lunch plate, but leave room for a tart.

I would not describe Lento as simply “French.” The menu has the shape of a French café — composed plates, tarts, café au lait, food that invites you to slow down — but the execution feels Japanese: precise, restrained and deeply attentive to small details.

Why it works for lunch, not only cake

Many beautiful cafés are better in photographs than at lunchtime. Lento is different. The savoury plates are carefully put together and properly satisfying, so you can make this your actual lunch before walking through Motomachi, Yamate or toward the harbour.

Tart and seasonal parfait at Café de Lento

The dessert decision is difficult for good reason. Photos: FUMI / Off-Menu Tokyo.

The reservation rule you need to know

Book the opening

Seating reservations are accepted only for the 11:00 opening, from two people. The official café account currently says reservations are taken by phone. Later visits are generally walk-in, which can mean waiting because the room is small.

This is one of those rules that sounds inconvenient until you use it correctly. If Lento is a priority, book 11:00 and build the rest of the day around it. If you prefer spontaneity, arrive outside the central lunch rush and be prepared to wait.

How I would plan it

For a calm lunch: reserve 11:00, then walk Motomachi and Yamate afterward.
For dessert: visit later in the afternoon, but check the latest last-order time and expect popular items to sell out.
For a full Yokohama day: pair it with the Western-style houses of Yamate rather than rushing straight back to Minatomirai.

Practical information

Address5-213 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 231-0861AccessAbout 3–5 minutes from JR Ishikawacho Station; roughly 10 minutes from Motomachi-Chūkagai StationCurrent hours11:00–18:00; the official account currently lists last order at 17:00. Check before travelling.Reservations11:00 opening only, from two guests; telephone +81 45-263-6063BudgetApproximately ¥2,000–¥3,000 if you have lunch, a drink and dessert

Common questions

Can you reserve Café de Lento?

Yes, but seating reservations are limited to the 11:00 opening and start from two people. Call the café and confirm the current policy.

Is Café de Lento good for lunch?

Yes. This is not only a cake stop: the thoughtful savoury plates make it a strong lunch destination.

Is it closer to Ishikawacho or Motomachi-Chūkagai?

Ishikawacho is the shorter walk, at roughly three to five minutes. Motomachi-Chūkagai is also usable if you are approaching from the harbour side.

Off-Menu Tokyo · First-hand visit and original photography by FUMI. Reservation rules and hours can change; confirm with the café before travelling.