01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
A wide, steaming bowl of soup alongside firmly shaped onigiri forms the unpretentious core of midday dining at Cafe Nenene, set inside the Cocorone Itabashi welfare support facility in Mukaihara, Itabashi. The signature tonjiru, crafted with house-made miso, is packed with pork belly and chunky seasonal root vegetables, delivering a deeply comforting, mellow broth that makes a meal in itself. Other soups rotate through the kitchen, from a rich salmon cream soup built on a house-made bouillon base with sweet potato and mushrooms, to dairy-free seasonal potages that allow the natural sweetness of simmered vegetables to come forward.
Diners can round out their soup with a side of savory tsukudani preserves and a crisp salad, with the flexibility to choose their preferred number of rice balls to suit their appetite. For a pause after lunch or during tea time, the drinks list naturally extends the community focus with a deep-roast coffee blend roasted at Cocorone Awaji, or Oyako Hojicha, an organic wood-roasted green tea cultivated without agricultural chemicals. Near the entrance, a selection of gently sweet baked goods, including house-made muffins and butter rusks, is available to take home.
Diners with mobility needs have noted the easy wheelchair accessibility, highlighting the sliding entrance doors and generous interior spacing. Outside, a terrace welcomes guests stopping by with pets, offering a pleasant spot to sit amidst greenery on clear days. Cafe Nenene is open on weekdays from 11:30 to 15:00, providing an inviting, unhurried counter or table setting for solo diners seeking a quiet, thoughtfully prepared weekday bowl.
