Tsubaki Salon Ginza — Restaurant in Tokyo

Tsubaki Salon is a lovely cafe right in the center of Ginza. But it’s on the 3rd floor of a building, so it’s not very visible and you wouldn’t know to go unless you’d heard about it.

The atmosphere is so calm and time moves very slowly inside the cafe. There is one large table in the middle and tables along the windows and wall, all nicely spread out so you have plenty of space.

I’ve been a couple of times but last week was the first time there was a wait—even though there were open tables inside, we had to wait outside the door by the staircase. They do take reservations, so it may be better to make a reservation if you are planning in advance.

If you’re in a rush, I would not recommend this place, because it takes a considerable amount of time to be served. Efficiency is not something they value. My hot cakes took about 30 min and my drink came even later.

The Hot Cakes are so fluffy and delicious, though! This time, I ordered the Premium Hokkaido Hot Cakes, which are topped with whipped cream and comes with butter, syrup, azuki (red beans) and cheese on the side, all from Hokkaido. In the past, I’ve also tried the seasonal hot cakes.

If you have the time and love fluffy pancakes, I suggest you...

NOT FRIENDLY TO SOLO VISITORS. I asked to seat at a window seat, and I was told no because I am only one person. The waiter then asked other waiters, and after they discussed for a while among themselves, they told me that the seat was “reserved”. However, nobody came for the whole time I was there, even when two window seats became available I was forced in a small table with a very flashy light from the ceiling coming directly in the face. The place was only 1/3 full, and most seats were empty. This is the first time that something like this happens to me in Japan, usually service is exceptional but evidently not here. Thinking about this policy (and the blatant unnecessary lie they told me) made it honestly impossible to enjoy the atmosphere.

The pancakes are fluffy, but they deflate very soon and kind of felt uncooked inside. The behaviour was so unprofessional that I actually complained to the staff about the situation before leaving and all they said was “sorry” (obviously another lie). I will proactively tell people not to visit this...

There's a paper waitlist and you have to be there when your name is called. We waited around 15 min to get seated, and then 30 minutes to get our food after ordering. The cafe is very elegant and modern. There is a minimum of one order per person, but an order can be something like a drink or gelato.

We got the matcha souffle pancake, which wasn't listed on the menu outside, but was an insert on the menu inside. It was a beautiful dessert, but definitely looked fluffier than it tasted. I've had better souffle pancakes. The toppings and matcha gelato were pretty good. Definitely not too sweet.

We also got the Hokkaido gelato, which had good flavor, but had a few ice chunks in it. It was nice to have the extra gelato to supplement the toppings of the pancake.

Overall I would say this place has great ambiance and the food is beautiful, but isn't a must-go for...