The basement floors of the hulking Osaka Ekimae buildings – four interconnected office blocks built in the 1970s and early ’80s – contain a sprawling cluster of tiny bars, hole-in-the-wall eateries and cafés where Osakans from all walks of life come to hide away from the world for a blissful moment.
Coffee house Spanola is a relative newcomer to the complex, having relocated to the Osaka Ekimae basement in 1992, but encapsulates its nostalgic vibe perfectly. The dark wooden furniture and cream-coloured walls match the hues of the coffee and tea served by the soft-spoken ‘master’, who sure knows his beans and leaves. You’ll find around a dozen varieties of single-origin coffee and even more different types of black tea on the menu, along with kissaten essentials like Vienna coffee (black coffee topped with whipped cream) and various fruit juices.
While staying true to its Showa-era roots, the café has opted to keep up with the times by offering a plentiful and regularly updated selection of Insta-licious sweet eats. The most popular of these is the Mont Blanc toast, a thick slice of shokupan milk bread topped with an artery-clogging amount of chestnut cream.