Japan has some tasty foods and treats but one of the most delicious desserts has to be ‘Happy Pancakes’ – these are fluffy pancakes which are wonderfully wobbly topped with sweet or savory sides.
One of the best known Japanese pancake restaurants is A Happy Pancake, with locations in big Japanese cities like Ginza and Ikebukuro in Tokyo, plus Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.
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All of the A Happy Pancake Restaurants usually have huge queues outside and it can take a couple of hours to get served during peak periods – but it is so worth it (and reservations can be made online).
From fluffy pancake flavours to how they make them so wobbly and joyfully jiggly, here is our guide to Happy Pancakes in Japan.
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What are Happy Pancakes?
In essence, they are wobbly Japanese pancakes that make you smile!
Also known as ‘Fuwa Fuwa’ pancakes (‘Fuwa’ means ‘fluffy’ in Japanese), they are souffle style pancakes with no additives or preservatives.
They are usually steamed (not baked) retaining moisture, which creates their unique fluffy pancake texture and jelly-like wobble.
One of the most famous chains of fluffy pancake stores in Japan is A Happy Pancake (幸せのパンケーキ) also known as “Shiawase no Pancake”. And as you likely already guessed, ‘Shiawase’ in Japanese means ‘Happiness’ – so all hail the Happy Pancakes, as it will bring out good thoughts and big smiles!
As of summer 2024, ‘A Happy Pancake’ has almost 23 branches across Japan, with most of those located in Tokyo (plus one Happy Pancake Hong Kong store).
The other big fluffy pancake chain in Japan is Flippers with around 12 locations, most of which are in Tokyo, including the hipster neighbourhood Shimokitazawa – more on Flippers later.
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A Happy Pancakes experience
We’ve been to three of the ‘Happy Pancakes’ restaurants in Japan – Sapporo, Yokohama and Osaka.
Each time we’ve had some truly fluffy ‘fuwa fuwa’ pancakes topped with sweet treats like strawberries and cream, or savoury wholemeal fluffy pancakes. The latter is served with egg-cellent sides like omelettes – kind of like breakfast pancakes in the USA but much softer and wobblier.
A Happy Pancake uses no baking powder in its souffle pancakes and the freshest ingredients, combined with whipped egg whites. All pancakes are cooked fresh to order so you might have a little wait during busy periods.
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Get-up close to fluffy pancakes
Apart from the the incredible food and watching the pancakes wobble as you eat, most A Happy Pancake / Shiawase no Pancake shops let you look into the kitchen (via a glass partition) so you can see the pancakes made and steamed to order.
This is your very own Happy Pancakes chef’s table where you get up close and watch them whipped up before your very eyes.
One of the most Instagrammable foods in Japan, photography is also allowed but you may want to ask for the chef’s permission if you go up to the kitchen window, out of courtesy – but get snap happy (pancakes)!
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Eating Happy Pancakes / Fuwa Fuwa Pancakes
Each Happy Pancake dish comes with 3 fluffy pancakes, available in sweet or savoury (wholewheat) flavours. Personally, we preferred the sweet Happy Pancakes over the savoury fuwa-fuwa pancakes.
The sweet ones also seem a lot wobblier and as such, are more satisfying to eat.
All the sweet Happy Pancakes are topped with Manuka Honey from New Zealand and served with whipped butter made from fermented butter.
Easily our favourite pancake (you could say ‘happiest pancake’) was the seasonal fresh fruit pancakes – sensational.
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Pancake Prices
As of summer 2024, A Happy Pancake’s prices range from 1,255 Yen for the basic 3 Happy Pancakes with whipped butter, through to 1,680 Yen + tax for the more extravagant pancakes like Mont Blanc whipped pancakes made with Japanese chestnuts.
Sample A Happy Pancake items and prices include:
- Salted caramel pancakes made with Sicilian rock salt – 1,480 Yen
- Green tea ice cream and citrus pancakes with lemongrass jelly – 1,419 Yen
- Thick-sliced bacon and scrambled egg pancakes – 1,419 Yen
- Salmon and avocado cheese mousse pancakes – 1,528 Yen
If you don’t like pancakes (what! seriously?), some A Happy Pancake restaurants also serve pizzas, pasta, salad or fries.
You can add a drink to your pancake (soft drinks, tea and coffee) for just 330 Yen extra.
Based on our 3 ‘A Happy Pancake’ experiences across Japan, you can opt for an English language menu and then a member of staff will take your order. Tablet ordering wasn’t available in any of the pancake restaurants we visited.
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A Happy Pancake reservations
The official ‘A Happy Pancake’ booking site can be found here and is in English too >
A Happy Pancake Reservations can be made up to 2 weeks in advance but same day reservations are NOT available. So if you are travelling soon, maybe put a reminder in your phone or diary to book a few days before. You’re welcome!
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Flipper Pancakes
Still hungry for more pancakes? We like your style! One of the other major fluffy pancake chains in Japan is Flipper Pancakes, with around 12 stores. We ate at the Shimokitazawa branch.
See that big queue on one of Shimokitazawa’s side streets? That likely be the flipping massive Flipper Pancake queue (luckily there is also a takeout area).
Flipper Pancakes is one of Japan’s best known fluffy pancake chains, renowned for their wonderfully wobbly and pretty as a picture pancakes. We liked their smaller bite-size fluffy pancakes, a nice reward after exploring the streets of Tokyo all day.
Check out our Tokyo Shimokitazawa area guide here >
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