Ginza Bridge — Restaurant in Tokyo

If you ever find yourself wandering the polished streets of Ginza, step off the main path and head downstairs — literally.

Tucked away at the basement of the Nishiginza Department Store, there’s a quiet, old-school Japanese café that feels like a portal back in time. No flashy signage. No trendy gimmicks. Just warm wood panels, and the soft clinking of spoons in porcelain cups.

And here… I discovered something truly special.

The melon pancake.

Now, I know that sounds simple — but this isn’t your average dessert. This is pure kissaten magic. A thick, fluffy pancake with a soft, warm crumb — served with a dollop of glossy green melon custard on top, filled with the sweetest and freshest melon, It looks almost too cute to eat — like something from a Showa-era picture book. That custard? Sweet, smooth, and bursting with that unmistakable Japanese melon flavor. It melts into the pancake with every bite.

And to balance it all out?

A tall glass of iced black coffee — bitter, chilled, and perfectly simple. No sugar. No milk. Just a crisp, bold contrast that cuts right through the sweetness of the pancake. It’s such a classic pairing.

Sitting in that little café, with faint jazz playing and the soft chatter of locals around me, I felt like time had slowed down. Like I was somewhere in the 70s. Maybe even further back.

This place isn’t flashy. It’s not new. But that’s exactly why it’s so special.

If you’re ever in Ginza — go find it. Take the stairs down. Order the melon pancake. And just sit. You’ll understand...

A classic Japanese “kissaten” cafe that serves the famous melon pancakes, which seems to be the attraction to many visitors to Ginza area. I personally love the ham and cheese sandwich with coffee. The sandwich is toasted and comes with excellent pickles (ask for pickles when ordering). Smoking and non-smoking tables are available, but there are no dividers or walls to separate so keep that in mind. Cash only. They will also give you a ¥50-off coupon per person that you can use on your next visit. The line could be long from 2pm especially on weekends, so try to check it out...

Japanese style kissa-ten.

You can spend some relaxing time here with drinks like coffee, tea and some variety of juices. Melon pancake is the famous dish.

In this place you can smoke cigarettes but not pipe and/or cigar. Since the place is a smoking establishment, so people under 20 years of age...