8 best patisseries and dessert cafés in Tokyo

This dessert shop near Ebisu Station specialises in tarts. The glass counter is stocked with over 20 varieties every day, sold by the slice or in single-serve mini size. Flavours can change depending on what fruits are in season but the signature Am Stram Gram Tart is offered year-round, topped with a variety of fruits including strawberries, grapes, raspberries and grapefruit, with custard filling and a buttery pastry crust. The shop prides itself on using high quality fruit sourced from local farmers. 

Aside from the wide range of fruity tarts, you’ll also find decadent chocolate cake, cheesecake and apple tarte tatin on offer, too. The best part of the shop is that you get to watch the tarts being made from start to finish behind the counter.

Ease, a stylish patisserie in Nihonbashi, offers a rare experience where you can dine in and watch the sweets being made. Seven seats run along a counter overlooking the expansive open kitchen, allowing for a full sensory experience. The deft work of the chefs will no doubt impress, and it's a fitting precursor for the finessed pastries that await. 

Expect unique flavour combinations like shiso with mango mousse cake, or strawberry and Amazon cacao millefeuille. Owner-chef Keisuke Oyama is an award-winning pastry chef who has studied in France and worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants.

Come here for parfaits elevated to heavenly levels – each one looks more like a miniature terrarium than a dessert. To help dissect your dessert, your parfait will come with a diagram mapping out the components – as many as 20 – such as gold leaf, pickled kumquat syrup, green tea mochi, micro herbs, kinako (roasted soybean powder) gelato, and fresh seasonal fruit.

The interior of Asako Iwayanagi’s namesake store is a surprisingly modernist setting: floors and walls of sleek grey concrete, with minimal adornments, bar some hanging plants to bring warmth.

This is an upmarket dessert experience in a luxurious setting. The store is spread over two floors, the top floor housing an elegant bar with a long marble bench looking out through large arched windows over Ginza; downstairs, there’s the opulent tea salon. Choose something from the cases of ready-made sweets, such as a gold leaf-topped lemon tart or crisp Napoleon, or order from the menu, where Crêpes Suzette are the signature item, cooked at the table and served with vanilla bean ice cream.

Award-winning pastry chef Sadaharu Aoki blends French pastries with Japanese flavours with exquisite perfection. Aoki left Tokyo for Paris in 1989, working in different patisseries and restaurants before opening his first store there in 2001. In 2005, he opened his Marunouchi store, bringing his refined sweets to his homeland. 

There’s no mistaking the French influences here, from the matcha eclairs and black sesame macarons to the espresso and chocolate-infused opera cake. You can even try special items exclusive to the Marunouchi location, such as a matcha mille-feuille, using local matcha and fermented butter from France.

Daiwa, the famously popular fruit sandwich store in Nakameguro run by a greengrocer from Aichi prefecture, opened its own permanent café in 2021. Da Café Ebisu not only serves the brand’s high-quality seasonal fruit sandwiches, but also offers fruity parfaits, drinks and more. 

Its special premium fruit sando are only for eating in and the fillings change regularly depending what fruits are in season. You’ll usually find two or three different kinds, but its spring options include strawberries (¥2,500) and mixed fruit (¥2,000).

Although the price point here is much steeper than its sister shop’s takeaway versions, what you're getting are premium ingredients. Plus, each order comes with extra fruit and soft-serve ice cream on the side – everything is perfectly cut and beautifully presented.

This long-time neighbourhood favourite specialises in artful sweets and drip coffee. Inside the small store, which seats just 15 people, the atmosphere is calm and the decor reminiscent of a modern kissaten coffee shop, decked out all in timber and moody lighting. 

The signature items are the blueberry tart – a crisp tart filled with a towering mound of airy cream cheese encased by fresh blueberries, and the seasonal shortcakes – layers of soft sponge cake, whipped cream and slices of mango, fig, strawberry, or whatever fruit is in season. Coffee is prepared with a nel drip (a Japanese invention), resulting in rich, concentrated brews.

Immerse yourself in the world of chocolate at Dandelion Chocolate Factory and Cafe in Kuramae. The company, founded in San Francisco, has a bean-to-bar ethos, meaning every step of the process is managed in-house. At the Kuramae location, you can witness the manufacturing process in action – while you indulge in all things chocolate, of course. 

For the true sweet tooth, go for the chef’s tasting plate: a selection of five desserts like a profiterole, cacao fruit gelée and crème brûlée. There’s also a range of chocolate-based drinks like cacao nib cold brew coffee and Kuramae hot chocolate, scented with local green tea leaves; or, if you want to pair your chocolate with something a little stronger, choose from a selection of craft beer and wine.