Bread, Espresso & Ginza Lounge

⭐⭐⭐

☕️ Cafe / 📍 Ginza

📓 Visits: 2

A now enormously successful brand that first opened in Omotesando in 2009 and now has dozens of sites across Japan, and even one in California (other international branches killed off by the pandemic).  The newest location doesn't officially open until July 2025 and they plan to have a membership programme.  For a one time fee of 10,000 JPY and monthly fee of JPY 25,000, members will get 50% off food and drink here and 20% off at all other non-franchise Bread, Espresso & outlets.  Non-members will be able to enter but will pay full price.  But until then they are in pre-open.  And this is a proper pre-open with the entire menu available to everyone at half price.

Tabelog reviews have people moaning they had to wait an hour for the food but one of the reasons restaurants have soft opens is to get up to speed with service.  So I went later in the day when I thought it would be less busy.  It was (only a couple of other tables occupied and around a 15 minute wait after ordering), but unfortunately the later you go the more items have "sold out".

Ran-oh [sic] egg toast with black truffle.  Reasonable quality truffle and plenty of it.  Just too much egg for the amount of bread though and once you'd eaten half of it you were wondering how to make eating the second half interesting.

Salmon and Caviar toast.  Smoked salmon, cream cheese, spinach, asparagus, pesto, poached egg, caviar, fresh Parmesan.  Superb.

Honey toast.  Just sugar and butter and too much of both for me.

Fig and yogurt ganache toast.  Delicious fresh figs and fig jam, sweetened yoghurt.

Italian Pudding.  Texture more like a thick mousse than a pudding, and more creamy than eggy.  Didn't get the difference between this and the "Adult Italian Pudding" as (natch) that was sold out and, funnily enough, removed from a later version of the menu.  Anyway, with an espresso caramel sauce, this one wasn't really suitable for children either.

It's a shame that the egg dishes weren't served warm but at least they weren't fridge cold and the food is actually quite good; the signature "mou" bread is pretty decent.  Coffee less to write home about.

It's a really nice room with double-height ceilings and well-spaced out tables (official picture above).

Service was fine and staff can speak English, though if I was paying a membership fee I'd be looking for something extra.  I'll be surprised if this business model is a success and I'm unlikely to be going back when it's full price.  Certainly worth a trip during the pre-open.  After that, not so much.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1301/A130103/13311006/

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.9

📱 Booking: On all my visits were walk-ins.  10am-5pm during the pre-open, closed Wednesday 25th.

📍 Location: 

3F Nitta Bldg, 8-2-1 Ginza.  Ginza Corridor.  Across the road from Midori Sushi.  5 mins from nearby stations.  Unmarked in the lift and on the outside of the building.
Map data ©2025 Google

📶 Free WiFi? ✅ Yes