Ginza West Aoyama Garden - Minato City

Nice fancy café with view on Aoyama’s Cemetery (?). You can enjoy some fancy food with some monk’s chants in the background. Pretty unique! Food and drinks are on the expensive side - over ¥1000 for a cup of café au lait. Their famous pancakes are huge. Just half was enough for me. They are sweet and soft, both taste and texture are very pleasant. I also tried the sandwiches with eggs and mixed vegetables, with whole grain bread. Good, but not the best. The fresh ginger ale was amazing!!

Large and fluffy pancakes. Be prepared to line up. I sughest just ordering one pancake since its pretty big. We barely finished all the pancakes. They also have a strawberry syrup aside some maple syrup. Highly recommended!

I was able to relax and have two cappuccinos in the sun with a delicious hot cake. It’s a lovely cafe that reminds me of the good things in life. Ginza West began in the ‘good old days’ in 1947 as a Western restaurant named ‘Grill Westginza’. It’s since transformed into a patisserie institution with outlet shops selling the signature Ginza West cookies throughout Tokyo as well as a flagship cafe salon in Ginza and all-day eateries in Aoyama and Yokahama. If anything, Ginza West is a symbol of Japan’s attachment to the old-world glamour of 20th century Western culture. It’s cosmopolitan and accessible. At the coffee/tea salons, there are delicious finger sandwiches with dainty parsley and lemon wedges, unlimited drink menu refills for the stragglers, golden puffed pancakes for the Instagram generation and a bring-to-table cake set display for the old-fashioned. Oh, and the hot soufflé from the Aoyama store comes with a stoic man dressed head to toe in white garment wheeled to the table on a trolley with a small ramekin of cream. The waitress could have bought it - but the excess of having this pastry chef magically appear every time a souffle is ordered is so entertaining to the point of comical one can’t help but laugh. The best thing about Ginza West is that whilst the tea salons are in fashionable districts, everything still remains homely and delicious. The cappuccino comes with foamed milk and a touch of cinnamon. The butter toast comes crust off, lightly brushed with salted butter. The pancakes are spongy, fragrant and airy - the perfect vehicle for a pat of butter and maple syrup. The Ginza flagship store has these charming seasonal floral arrangements with handwritten name tags and classical music is still played on CDs using a Denon Digital stereo system. So customers dig into fresh cream puffs and puddings while an orchestral version of Schubert is on full volume. Classical music, good food and hotel school service. I suppose the appeal of Ginza West is it’s resounding dedication to preserving a long-lost dining experience we are all nostalgic for. The Aoyama store - famous for it’s pancakes - also has a small book and magazine library at the corner for customers to browse and enjoy. After you finish, there are cookies and fresh cakes for you to purchase as souvenirs at the counter. It’s these small details that makes Ginza West an absolute pleasure. Unlike so many places in Tokyo where people come in and out, Ginza West is a place that welcomes one to stay, relax and experience the flow of time. Eating out can be classy, glamorous and fun. And no one knows that better than Ginza West.

We first came around 11am but there was a huge line so we came back the next day at 5pm. There was still a line so we wrote our name on the list and went to grab dinner somewhere else first. After dinner we came back and waited a further 30 minutes before being seated. Our pancakes then arrived a further 30 minutes after ordering. By this time it was 7:15pm! The pancakes themselves are great but not mind blowing. Turns out there's a local maximum for how good a pancake can get. As someone else wrote, it's basically fancy McDonald's hotcakes. And yes, not enough maple syrup. If you must wait then the line moves at ~15 groups an hour. Yes it's a popular spot but their service is also extremely slow to serve food and set tables. They also don't kick people out who have finished eating and are simply sitting looking at their phone.

You will need to get there really early, it took us a 3hrs of waiting to get seat for 3 people. I am not sure if it was worth the 3hrs waiting but it was the best pancake ever. We got homemade ginger ale, orange juice and those drinks definitely one of the kind. It's on the pricer side but if you eat outside to enjoy nice garden views. Awhile we waited for the seat, I got desert at the counter, omg the tomato jelly is absolutely delicious and I would get it again but best of all you get to keep the glass jar.

The queue on a Saturday afternoon was surprisingly short. I do like the system they use though, all you have to do it leave your name down with your seating preference (outdoor/indoor/both). The tables in the indoor area are nicely spaced out. The famous pancakes comes as a set: one pancake + a drink (1512¥) OR two pancakes + a drink. Wait time for the pancakes was just nice as well. I am also glad to say that the pancakes tastes as good as they look. Slightly warm and fluffy yet adequately dense, they remind me of Taiwanese castella cakes/ a much thicker version of Macs’ hot cakes. Salted butter and maple syrup is also provided. There is no doubt that they maple syrup provided is one of premium quality, has hints of toffee. The pancake, butter and syrup just complement each other so so so well.

The best pancakes I’ve ever had in my life. So much more tasty than the overhyped (in my opinion) fluffy pancake craze that’s all over japan these days. Actually, it’s like the perfect median between the fluffy pancake and the traditional flat pancake. Everything about this pancake is picture perfect. Other reviews say 1 of these bad boys is enough for 2 people but for big eaters like myself and my girlfriend, we could have easily devoured 1 each. Oh, and the quiche was amazing too. One pancake + drink set is about 1500 yen. Get there 30min before opening time to get seated immediately; otherwise you’ll have to wait a while.

Nice restaurant famous for their huge size pancakes. They are really good, crispy outside and fluffy inside, served with real maple syrup. Many people complain about the price being too expensive. The pancake is at 1500¥ but come with a free flow drink (that alone cost 900¥) Be careful this place is very popular. We arrived 20min before opening on a Saturday morning and their were already 10 peoples waiting