Tabelog ratingSeki Beya (石部屋) has made abekawa mochi by the old Tokaido road since 1804. The rice cakes are pounded every day and kept in warm water until you order, so they reach the table soft and warm. You eat on red-felt benches or tatami in a relocated period building lined with old photographs. The shop was selected for Tabelog's "Tabelog 100" list of Japanese sweets cafés in 2023 and 2026.
Nearly every review praises the soft, stretchy texture. Many guests prefer the smooth koshian bean paste, which is only mildly sweet. Sugar is scattered over the kinako (roasted soybean flour) or served separately, so you control the sweetness. The other draw is karami mochi, the same mochi dipped in fresh Shizuoka wasabi and soy, which reviewers say they have found nowhere else. The green tea served with it is praised repeatedly.
Service is the recurring complaint. Several reviewers describe staff as cold or lordly. They mention seating instructions barked at guests and queue-jumpers left unchecked. One guest who arrived at 15:30 was turned away abruptly. A few found the mochi less fresh than they expected.
Reviewers in 2024–2026 paid ¥800 for an eat-in serving of abekawa mochi (eight small pieces, half kinako and half bean paste, with tea) and ¥800 for karami mochi. Takeaway cost ¥1,500 for two servings and ¥2,200 for three. Expect to spend under ¥1,000 per person at lunch. There is no dinner service, since the shop closes in the late afternoon. The portions are small, but most reviewers found the price fair or a bargain for fresh mochi and tea in a 200-year-old teahouse.
- Getting there: from the north exit of Shizuoka Station, take the Shizutetsu Bus bound for Tegoshi to the Abekawabashi stop, about 15 minutes, then walk 2 minutes. On foot it is 23 minutes from the north exit. The name is read "Sekibeya", and taxi drivers know it.
- Payment: cash only. Credit cards, electronic money and QR payments are not accepted.
- Booking: not required, so you can walk in. The mochi does sell out, though. Eat-in can end by mid-afternoon and the shop may close around 16:00, so phone ahead (054-252-5698) or arrive before lunch.
- Seats: benches and chairs for about 10, plus a tatami room for about 20. Groups of up to 20 can be accommodated. There are no private rooms.
- Children: welcome, and there is no age restriction.
- Smoking: non-smoking.
- Parking: 6 spaces. Reviewers say the lot is tight and awkward to enter.
- Takeaway: available for abekawa mochi only, not karami mochi. It keeps only until the next day.
- Closures: closed Thursdays, with occasional irregular closures. Check the calendar before you go.
