Takakura Machi

Go for the fluffy ricotta pancakes!

I think of myself as a breakfast connoisseur and have tasted a lot of pancakes during my time in Japan. Takakura Machi is another chain that does early morning breakfasts (as well as other options of course) but my go-to there are the ricotta pancakes. They're light, fluffy, and super reasonably priced. They are served up with a dusting of confectioner's sugar, with créme fraîche and kuromitsu syrup on the side. The coffees here are really good as well - I got a standard cafe au lait and it was topped with whipped cream and more of that kuromitsu syrup - delicious! Best of all, every time we visited here when we lived in the area, other families would be there with their kids too, so it's quite a family friendly establishment. This store in Tokyo's Akiruno area is open from 7am until 11pm 7 days a week, making it a convenient spot to stop at either early in the morning or late at night.