Where to Try Japanese Fluffy Pancakes in Tokyo

Fluffy pancakes or soufflé pancakes are an absolute must-try when visiting Japan. These springy, jiggly pancake puffs are such a fun way to start a morning of exploring Japan.

When picking a place to try these delicacies two names will come up time and time again when searching: Flipper’s and A Happy Pancake. Here I’ll share what I think of both places so you can pick and choose where to go!

This post is all about fluffy pancakes!

Flipper’s pancakes

Flipper’s is one of the most popular and world known fluffy pancake places. The restaurant is originally from Japan, but can now be found in NYC, Los Angeles, Toronto, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.

Even though they’ve been able to franchise, that shouldn’t scare you away. I actually think that Flipper’s holds the title of best fluffy pancake in Japan. These fluffy pancakes are truly the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever had and they are incredibly satisfying to eat. I appreciate the fact that they aren’t too sweet and they don’t have an eggy aftertaste.

Getting a table is very location dependent. The Shibuya location is much busier than the Shimokitazawa location, but that is due to the congestion in those two areas. The Shimokitazawa location is actually the flagship store and is surrounded by cool vintage thrift stores – I highly recommend visiting!

A Happy pancake

A Happy Pancake is the other most popular place to get fluffy pancakes. They have four locations around the Tokyo area, with the Ginza location being their most popular. The pancakes are another great option. They are also delicious, and I personally loved being able to see them being made behind the glass window.

The menu is much more extensive than the one at Flipper’s and is more reminiscent of an American diner styled breakfast menu. There are many different flavor iterations and options to order omelets and various breakfast meats.

Fluffy pancakes are in high demand so getting a table may take a while. To get a table you need to scan a QR code outside of the restaurant to join the queue. The restaurant opens at 10:00 AM or 10:30 AM depending on the day, so if you’re jet lagged I highly recommend scanning the QR code while exploring the city so you can be one of the first in line for a table.