Rainbow Pancakes — Restaurant in Tokyo

Please Don’t Cry by The Beaches was playing as we walked into Rainbow Pancake, which felt perfectly fitting — cozy, a little nostalgic, and ready for a treat. We went for the pumpkin pancakes, because even though Halloween had passed, the autumn vibe still felt right. They came out looking gorgeous — soft, fluffy stacks topped with a tiny black cat decoration, so our whole day basically turned into a cat-themed adventure.

I also ordered the Sakura latte — honestly cuter in photos, but still totally charming with its pink cup, pink foam, and tiny flower garnish.

The café sits on the second floor and is easy to find — just about a 10-minute walk (0.5 miles) from the subway. The route felt like Tokyo’s version of Rodeo Drive, lined with Dior, Chanel, Tiffany, and Chloé. Let’s just say, the window-shopping temptation was real — if only I’d hit the lottery first.

The menu describes the pancakes as light and tender, and they absolutely deliver: fluffy pumpkin cakes topped with a luscious sweet pumpkin sauce, matcha whipped cream, black sesame ice cream, caramel glaze, Japanese brown sugar syrup, and a dark cocoa cookie. Everything’s made in-house, and at ¥1,800, it feels worth every yen.

My husband went for the macadamia nut pancakes, super sweet sauce but delicious in every bite (¥1,600), and the Sakura latte was ¥800 — also a great deal for how beautifully everything’s presented.

Go, now for the lightest, most fun pancakes without an hour wait, with a...

Just a word of warning, the staff here does not speak English and they also do not have an English menu. So you would have to either be able to read a tad bit of Japanese or look up pictures and point to it.

The food here is pretty decent though. We got 4 pancakes; the Apple Caramel, Macadamia Nut, Milk Cream and Fruit Pancakes. The Apple Caramel was okay. I feel like it wasn't sweet enough and didn't have a natural Apple flavor. Macadamia Nut, I wouldn't get again since it didn't really taste that special. The highlight was definitely the Milk Cream. It had a sweet milky flavor that I really love. I would come back JUST for this. The fruit was good too, but it wouldn't be great without the whip cream. If you're around the area, come just for the milk cream pancake. You won't regret it...unless you don't like...

I ordered the baked apple and caramel souffle pancakes and it was one of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten. The pancakes were light and surprisingly fluffy, the apples baked to perfection, the caramel sauce full of flavor but not too sweet. The almonds, confectioners sugar and--yes, the small scoop of ice cream--were what made this breakfast over-the-top excellent. Service was quick and attentive and the owner even took time to chat with me. The place is a little hard to find--look for stairs at the L-bend in the road. I was surprised, given the high quality of the food, that the cafe was not packed with the Sunday brunch crowd. The interior is a bit more utilitarian than the usual stylish Japanese cafe, but don't let that fool you--it's an underappreciated gem of a...