Kevin L.
Yelp
Soufflé pancakes were literally the only thing on J's Japan bucket list, so we had to prioritize at least one meal to feature this viral social media phenomenon.
I was forced to place my general life rule of not waiting in line for food on pause during the Tokyo leg of our adventure; it turns out that both travelers and locals love to queue up for things here. We probably waited a solid hour in the February cold, slowly hopscotching our way through the numbered boxes on the sidewalk outside before finally being seated. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Much like witnessing the Times Square NYE ball-drop firsthand, I think I'm a once-and-done for this experience.
You're amply warned in advanced that each order takes about 20-30 minutes to cook. They're not joking, either. The open kitchen prominently features the mixer that's basically working non-stop whipping up fresh meringue for each batch of pancakes. Fortunately, you can order beverages to warm yourself up as you wait for your meal to be impeccably prepared.
We ordered the classic ricotta pancakes, as well as their seasonal strawberry flavor and some lattes. We'd already discovered that Japanese folks take their fruit--and strawberry, in particular--quite seriously. There are whole food vendor stands at markets and train stations that sell only strawberries. Micasadeco is no less exacting with their berries, and each slice of ripe, red fruit was exploding with flavor. You can't go wrong with their standard fluffy pancakes, either. Presented simply with a few pats of butter and a couple mounds of whipped cream on the side, the towering stack was just as jiggly and puffy as you've seen on the 'Gram.
The space isn't spacious. I observed perhaps 20-ish seats in the house. I'd suggest limiting the largest group you go with to four, and be prepared to be split up into two-tops, unless you want to dramatically extend your wait time.
The competing pancake shop appears to be Benitsuru, which we also passed during our explorations. Their waits were even more exorbitant, with an earliest availability time of 4pm when we strolled by before noon. Your mileage may vary. Regardless, I can happily confirm that Micasadeco's pancakes lived up to the hype.