{  Hoshino Coffee — 星乃珈琲店  }

Hoshino Coffee -- 星乃珈琲店
Hoshino Coffee -- 星乃珈琲店
Hoshino Coffee -- 星乃珈琲店
Hoshino Coffee -- 星乃珈琲店
Hoshino Coffee -- 星乃珈琲店

Hand-drip coffee shop Hoshino is located throughout Japan but one of their stores is located directly above the Shibuya Scramble. If you sit by the window, you get a view of the cross-walk while sipping on some delicious hand-drip coffee. Visit between 11am – 3pm and you can get your drink for 300yen if you order any food along with it.

The Souffle Double Pancakes are 680yen (a single pancake is 530yen) and it comes with your choice of maple, honey or black syrup. The souffle pancakes were so fluffy, thick, yet tasty. (The pancake takes about twenty minutes to be made). I really enjoyed their hand-drip coffee as well. If you are looking for a place to take a break right by Shibuya Station, this may be a good option. The coffee shop is separated into smoking and non-smoking sections which was nice.

Address // Shibuya 109 Men’s 2F, 1-23-10, Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (map)
Phone Number // 03-3477-8038
Website // http://www.hoshinocoffee.com/

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{  Clinton St. Baking Company  }

Clinton St. Baking Company
Clinton St. Baking Company
Clinton St. Baking Company
Clinton St. Baking Company
Clinton St. Baking Company

I have been searching for a hearty delicious breakfast joint for a while and I finally found one. Clinton Street Baking Co. came from NY and made it’s opening debut at the end of August 2013. This place has a long line out the door as almost every popular Japanese pancake place does, but since it’s in a slightly random location there could be days that you will get lucky to have a shorter line. The first time we came here was during the opening week and the lines weren’t too long so it only took about an hour to be seated. The second time we visited was around 11:30am and the line was ridiculously long so we gave up. The third time was a little earlier around 10AM on a rainy day and we only had to wait about 15min. I think this place became such a popular spot so quickly due to it’s delicious pancakes.

Pictured above are their Blueberry Pancakes + Banana Walnut Pancakes with warm maple butter for 1500yen each. Also pictured are the Huevos Rancheros (1500yen) as well as the Eggs Benedict (1600yen). We’ve also tried their chocolate scone (250yen) as well as the corn bread (250yen). Everything was so good with the single exception of the Eggs Benedict. Sadly I was very disappointed with the uber dry scone under the eggs (instead of the usual english muffin). However, their pancakes and Huevos Rancheros were both absolutely delicious. We also noticed that compared to the first time we visited, their service and kitchen flow got so much smoother which was an improvement. Come here if you want a hearty breakfast and some seriously delicious pancakes.

Their online menu: Link

Address // 5-17-1, Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6450-5944
Website // http://clintonstreetbaking.co.jp/

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{  San Francisco Peaks  }

San Francisco Peaks
San Francisco Peaks
San Francisco Peaks
San Francisco Peaks

San Francisco Peaks serves American-style breakfast/brunch food such as pancakes, omelets and burgers but it doesn’t really have much to do with San Francisco in my opinion. The restaurant is very nicely designed and we enjoyed the ambiance. Seems like most people order the pancakes here but the burgers are tasty too. Since the building is 2 stories high, we didn’t have to wait much in line when we got there even though it was 1pm on a Sunday.

We ordered the Avocado Mozzarella Burger for 1350yen and the Buttermilk Pancake with homemade sausage (we chose the ‘Pork Mexicano Chipotle & Smoked Cheese’ Sausage) for 1200yen. Everything was tasty and we enjoyed our meal but the portions were rather small and not exactly “Californian size”.

The restaurant is located in a great area, with easy access to Harajuku/Omotesando/Meijijingumae so you can enjoy shopping and cafe hopping in the area. When we went, it was filled with families, couples and some single guests so it’s a really easy and casual place that anyone can enjoy.

Address // 3-28-7, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5775-5707
Website // http://sf-peaks.com/

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{  Rainbow Pancake  }

Rainbow Pancake
Rainbow Pancake
Rainbow Pancake
Rainbow Pancake

I stumbled upon this pancake shop after having coffee at Identity Coffee as it’s in the same plaza!

Rainbow Pancake is located in the back-alleys of Harajuku/Meijijingumae so the line is not as long as other popular pancake shops in the area. In total we waited about 30~40min which wasn’t too bad since they take your order while you’re standing in line so you get your pancakes pretty quickly after you get seated.

Their pancakes taste exactly how they look. Fluffy, soft, and yummy. With all the whipped cream and sauces, you might think these pancakes would taste too sweet but they were flavored perfectly and they are snack-sized so it’s easy to finish the entire dish by yourself. I personally enjoyed the ‘Seasonal Fruit Pancake’ (1300yen) which has a ton of delicious whipped cream. The other pancake pictured above is their most popular item + the chef’s recommendation: the ‘Macadamia nut sauce Pancake’ (1200yen). It comes with a small sugared fork and knife pancake cookie(?) that was such a cute touch. They do have savory pancakes too but I would definitely go for the sweet ones here.

Address // 2F, 4-28-4, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6434-0466
Website // http://www.rainbowpancake.net/

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{  Number A  }

Number A
Number A
Number A
Number A

Number A is a cool hip cafe located in the alleys of Omotesando. It has a pretty diverse crowd and it was a nice chill place where you could sit down for hours and they don’t mind it.

The best thing about this cafe is they serve lunch from 11:30 to 17:00. You could come here for a late lunch and still get a great lunch deal, which is a bit unusual in Tokyo. The food is not bad either. The pasta was ‘Spaghettini cream sauce with corned beef, mushroom and cabbage’ + soup + drink for 1000yen. The savory pancakes were ‘Cheddar cheese + spinach’ with a soup and drink for 1100yen. For this open space, ambiance, food quality, and price, what a deal. We saw many people just having a beer while chit chatting to pass the time as well.

If you’re looking for a slightly hidden spot with a cool vibe to hang out at, check this place out.

Address // 3-12-2, Kitaaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-6427-4038
Website // http://www.theroundtable.jp/number_a.html

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