Avan — Restaurant in Tokyo

Been living in Japan for 9 years and GF for about 5 years. Been to many GF cafes but most have served dessert and coffee, or just meals (ex. ramen). Used to go all the way to Yotogi to enjoy Littlebird Cafe because it served all the GF stuff people miss (gyoza, karage, ramen, desserts), but it permanently closed during pandemic. Glad this cafe serves both filling meals and scrumptious dessert.

It is in the less crowded side of Shibuya. Was supposed to visit RiceHack after time at Takeshita Dori, unfortunately, they were "unexpectedly closed" (wish they would put a note on by night when people confirm their plans) 😓 Good thing, Miyashita Park was an easy walk and Hachiko Bus stopped in front of the mall. The bus takes you to about 10 meters away from the storefront.

Anyway, glad for this redirection to Avan. Soooo miss Korean Fried Chicken so was delighted they had one. Have a default liking for anything Choco Orange, so automatically ordered it. They have those pretty bended churros, but opted for the stick ones for variety (milk, strawberry, plain). Was gluten glutton before intolerance and would go to Spanish restos for churros. Was soooooo happy that churros had the crunch, taste, and texture like the gluten ones.

But what was most pleasing was their "above and beyond service." Japan is very rule-abiding; requests for something not standard is usually not welcome (and sorry, if you're a Karen, but if you're entitled, you'd be disappointed 😅). It can be usually frustrating this way in Japan (ex. please don't serve with bread, but they won't because it's not standard).

But was elated that the staff accommodated. Asked if shop sold a dollop of choco syrup in a small container (like extra 50 or 100yen for it), to recreate pre-gluten life. No such thing but staff found a way, and even made it pretty 😭😭😭

Churros were perfect, but made a mistake of ordering it with choco orange drink which was too sweet personally (it would be ideal as a stand-alone drink). Churros would possibly have been better with just drip coffee. 😉

Hope they had pre-determined one-day a week special Japanese special menu additions (ex. soba with tempura, Japanese neapolitan, Japanese tamago sando, ramen/gyoza) so that there would be more reasons for repeaters...

Possibly one of the best places to go in Shibuya! Wanting to escape the crowds, my partner and I came here seeing they advertised as gluten free ( I have Celiac but my partner is able to eat gluten).

The atmosphere is quiet and quant, which is exactly our speed. You walk in and its filled with plants, dim lighting, and Tom & Jerry playing lightly on the wall.

They have an English menu and Japanese menu and the staff are VERY welcoming! They even exude calm and relaxation.

We were so excited at seeing so many GF options, that we got: Honey Mustard Karage (I think this is the best thing I ate in Japan! It was nearly impossible to tell it was gluten free; my partner who isn't GF ordered more for himself when we came back the second time) Cinnamon Sugar Churro (The epitome of a churro! Tastes exactly how you expect to get it from a streetcar - perfect) Regular Sugar Churro (same as above) Chocolate Sugar Churro (same as above) Chocolate Churro Sundae (This was great! I loved the chocolate cereal and drizzle on the ice cream and the regular churro on the side. I will say that the amount of chocolate cereal at the bottom was a LOT and wished there was less, but that may be because we ate so much already!) Chocolate Drink (Like chocolate milk - Nestle if you know what that is... No complaints) Pink Lemonade (This was probably my least favorite item, and that says a lot since I actually liked this drink! It is just not what my American brain thought when I heard Pink Lemonade, but that was totally on me and it was a great drink, just not loaded with sugar)

We came back to Avan 2 times during our Japan trip, and we were staying nowhere near the area of Shibuya, so it required a commute, that I say was 100% worth it!

Gluten free or not, I say EVERYONE should give...

Delicious churros. Love the cinnamon ones - sooo cinnamony! First time I bought 2, next time 5! I’ll warm them up the next day if need be (although not as good as scoffing them on the day 😆). Hard to find (even second time round). You need to be inside the station gates (so need to pay Y150 or if you’ve just got off a train, head train there). If you are coming from the Ginza subway line. Head into Ueno station on the escalator that flattens out half way through. Then turn Right and head through the gates as if going on a platform. Look for the Park Gate sign & the escalator direct to the 3F. From the top you are very close! Turn left & walk straight ahead to the wall at the other end. Then turn right and it will be a short way down on your right, set back a bit next to Ben’s Cookies (it’s the back end of Uniqlo). Enjoy!! Really crispy & bit chewy. If you’ve made all that effort to get there, don’t waste it. Buy more than one. You...