I have just returned from a super quick trip in Tokyo! This was my first time visiting the city that I’ve always heard of, but never visited (well if you don’t count the short layovers I’ve had at Narita Airport). Unfortunately with two full days and two half days, this wasn’t nearly enough time to experience everything I had wanted to.
Overall my trip was absolutely incredible and I would 100% go back again! But this isn’t a review of the trip itself, but of a couple of standout things we did whilst there.
First up? Aoyama Flower Market Tea House. I’m not exactly sure how I stubbled upon this place, but after seeing photos, I knew I wanted to try it out for myself. I believe there are 3 locations, but I can’t say this for a fact because when I google mapped the name, more than 3 locations showed up and 1 was within walking distance of our hotel. But, for safe measure I didn’t want to show up and it not be what I expected, so I decided to go to the original; the one right outside Omote-Sando station.
The Wait: I had read before that there are typically lines and you have to wait; not extremely long, but you still have to wait. However, I was traveling with my mom, and I wanted it to enjoyable and wait-less, so I decided to get there as soon as it opened to avoid any lines. It was a Sunday, and the store opened at 11:00am, so we didn’t have to get up super early or anything. We were traveling from Ginza station, so it was a direct train ride (on the Ginza line) straight there and on our way to our later destination, Shibuya. Once there (around 10:45am), only one group of 2 girls were standing in line. 15 minutes wasn’t too long, so we waited in line. Perfectly at 11:00am they pulled away the rope fence guarding the entrance.
We followed the group in front of us and worked our way to the back of the flower shop. A girl greeted us and told us to pick a seat. We picked a seat closer to the back wall and quickly the waiter came by to give us our menus.
The Drink: For drinks I chose the rose soda. The rose soda was absolutely delicious! In my experience, rose-flavored things are a bit more subtle on the tongue, but when drinking this, the rose flavor is actually pretty dominant, but not overwhelming. And to make it better, there were a couple of dried up rose leaves sprinkled on top.
The Food: I chose the french toast which I’ve seen in so many of the review photos; one because it looks so pretty, two because the flowers are edible, and three because I love french toast in general. What surprised me was that there were multiple french toast options; from the reviews I had read, most people just say ‘get the french toast’, so I thought there was only one french toast option. But looking through the menu there were two different french toasts. I don’t remember the other option, but it was very similar (think a different fruit) to the one I chose: peach (and again, something that I don’t remember, but peach was the more prominent ingredient). My mom chose a savory french toast; one that included a bit of greens, ham, zucchini, eggplants, an onion soup, and a drizzle of a very interesting savory but sweet sauce on top. My mom’s dish sounds pretty interesting, but I actually enjoyed mine a bit more. On the side we got another one of the popular dishes; a small round glass loaded with granola, berries, jello, mousse, (I think) cake bites, edible flowers, whipped cream, a variety of seeds, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My dish was super good and absolutely beautiful! Pretty edible flowers, which I don’t know if I just ate it with other things, but it didn’t taste like much (but sure as hell looked cute!) The peaches were very fresh, the whipped cream was sweet, but not to the sweetness level of American whipped cream. And the french toast itself was also great; not too soft and drenched in batter like the french toast you get in most American breakfast cafes. My mom loved her’s too; she doesn’t typically like bread, but she ate almost everything (she apparently loved the savory/sweet sauce they used). By the time I finished my dish, I was quite full already, so I slowly ate a bit of the jello/ice cream cup. We didn’t finish it, but it was tasty and something that I would love to recreate back at home. So with that said, the portion size is pretty decent; not too much where I get a food belly after and not too little where I wish I had ordered more.
The Service: The service was pretty good as well. It may be because we arrived as soon as they opened and there wasn’t too many people in the cafe so they could attend to each group a bit more. They were kind and always had a friendly smile on their face.
The Price: Given everything we ordered, I was pleasantly surprised by the price. The presentation is out of this world and the quality was also great (something which I feared might be lacking because of how much effort was put on the surroundings and the presentation). I don’t quite remember the price of my french toast, but it was somewhere in the 1000 – 1200 YEN range (9.38 – 11.26 USD), which is amazing! For that price, in the usual brunch spot near me, I get plain oatmeal with like a couple of berries on top.
The Environment: Besides the presentation of the food, this is another key characteristic of Aoyama Flower Market Tea House. At all of there locations, the decorations are top notch. At this location, there were plants everywhere! Hanging from the ceiling, lining one entire wall, in front of the windows, on the tables, in between tables, under tables. Additionally, they also have a featured seasonal flower that they place around the dining area. I don’t know basically anything about flowers, but it was a pretty orange one (haha! that description!) And there was a whole bouquet right next to us and even one placed on the cutlery tray. To say that they care about the ambiance is an understatement and if you don’t have a temptation to take photos as soon as you walk it, there may be something wrong with you.
The Departure: After we finished our meals, we kinda just sat there and chatted a bit waiting for the bill. One of the staff quickly came by and let us know that we could pay at the counter. We got up, paid for our meal, and as smart businesses do, they conveniently placed some of their products by the check out. The were selling an assortment of teas and tea equipment by the register, which yes we (gullible shoppers) ended up buying. And furthermore, the cafe is placed at the back of the shop, so to enter/exit you have to walk past all the flowers which is also good for the mood because you are entering happy and leaving happy, but it’s also a chance to sell you more things. My mom bought a rose perfume. I’m not saying it was bad, but they are smart with all of their decisions and I’m not mad about it. My take away from this experience: great food and great presentation/ambiance, at a great price. It’s not really traditional Japanese food, but from what I read breakfast is usually more western-oriented. But overall, would I recommend and come back again? Absolutely!
C O N T A C T:
W E B S I T E : english website, japanese website
A D D R E S S : 5-1-2 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
N E A R E S T S T A T I O N : Omote-Sando (on the Ginza, Chiyoda, and Hanzomon line)
P H O N E : +81 3-3486-8787
H O U R S : Monday – Saturday (11:00am – 8:00pm) & Sunday/Holidays (11:00am – 7:00pm)
katatries 