4 Best Restaurants in Shikoku, Japan

Sandwiches, rice omelets, and Italian dishes are among the eclectic fare served at this café inside a traditional house. This is a good spot for a meal, or just coffee and cake. One of the few restaurants in town open for dinner, Café Salon Nakaoku is about 150 meters south of the Art House Project's Minamidera installation, after going through the crossing and then taking the right-hand fork in the road.

This delightful café-restaurant sits just off the main drag between Harimaya-bashi and the castle. Choose a table by the window and people-watch on the cobbled lane, or head indoors to the quirky third-floor dining area. The cake, incidentally, is excellent.

The chefs at this chic little bistro transform standard Japanese ingredients into extraordinary cuisine. Antique tables and plush chairs create a sedate setting for delicious lunch plates and excellent handmade pastries. Don't worry about the Japanese-only menu—just order the daily lunch set or the best-looking dessert from the glass display case.

Delicious handmade custards and crepes and a two-story dining area with corner views of Matsuyama's busy night scene make this coffee-and-pastry shop a perfect part of any evening out. Extremely popular and open into the wee hours, it's a great place to meet Matsuyamans.