Cafe Aaliya

Indeed Tokyo’s best French toast!! I didn’t believe it when I saw the board outside this shop until I tried this fluffy moist and great taste French toast! Will surely come back!!! Order set with coffee is cheaper than order each of it

A great cafe that specialises in French toast with a variety of toppings. The french toast is soft and rich, and unlike any I’ve had before. The bread is full soaked in a custardy egg mixture and fried till golden brown. Had mine with a matcha latte and it was a great after dinner treat. The cafe is a basement level and the seating is a bit cramped (food makes up for it). The staff were helpful and friendly.

Quick service. Order via QR code. Only sells french toast (and a selection of teas and coffees), but I can guarantee it will be the lightest fluffiest french toast you have ever had. My favorite topping was the apple compot, but there are a range of other toppings to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Great spot to pick up the yummiest French toast. A must visit for breakfast in Shinjuku. We had the French toast and cappuccino (they serve it with a cinnamon stick and whipped cream).

The French toast is a must have - very fluffy and unique. The set breakfast comes with a coffee (hot/iced) which was alright, not particularly good or bad. Great service and short waiting time

This was a great recommendation from a friend! It was a cold, rainy day, so to go down into the cozy, warm cafe was amazing. We arrived a little before 2:00 and were seated straight away, and allowed to store our small luggage. The lunch set was amazing value! Delicious vege soup, hot drink and, of course, the French toast. Everything was delicious, but extra praise has to be given to the French toast. By far the nicest we’ve ever had, with an amazing texture and flavor. Not too sweet, and a generous amount. The staff were friendly and accommodating, and the space is well designed and comfortable. A good stop when in the area, or even worth traveling for. And easy walk from Shinjuku south-east exit. Keep up the great job, team! You’re amazing 🤩

normal food in crowded space. Had seen four to five people finished checking in and leaving, but another ten more minutes let our queueing people in. I don't know if it's because they're too slow to clean up or if they're deliberately trying to create a buzz. The bread is baked from frozen, not as good as the freshly made ones in many stores.

I think it’s worth the hype. When I arrived they were about to open so I got it easily and I set by the bar. The French toast was very good, and the coffee too :)

After a long shopping trip around Shinjuku, we needed a break! Went to Cafe Aailya which was on the second floor level, and there was already a crowd waiting. We got our number and waited about 45 minutes till our table was ready. Unfortunately there wasn't much seating for waiting and there were even some patrons sitting on the stairs. When we got to our table, it was noted there was a time limit of an hour and half. Ordered our desserts which were not too sweet. Nothing to rave about. I don't think it was worth the long wait but at the point we were just glad to have a seat and a snack after a long day of walking.

BEST French toast I've ever eaten in my life. It was thick yet soft and sweet but not too sweet. Honestly don't think there is a better French toast in this world. Can't wait to go again.

2nd time in 4 months, its a must stop every time we are in tokyo. The old location was closed for renovations so we ate at its other location around the coner: Aaliya coffee roaster. The 3 flavor french toast was not on the menu but the other items were still spectacular. The fruit French toast & the pouched egg French toast both hit the spot. They also make top notched hand drip coffee. See video below for more visual details. https://youtu.be/Drl5dJDePFw

French toast was to die for, service was fast, overall 10/10 breakfast spot! No wait time!

SEND HELP! I've died and gone to heaven! Seriously though, no exaggeration, this is the best French toast I've ever had! With every bite my mind just could not understand how something could possibly be this delicious? I've decided it is witchcraft. Anywho seriously this place is a MUST try while in Tokyo. You will NOT be disappointed. The prices are also ridiculously well priced. During the week they have a combo where you can choose a soup or salad, a drink, and French toast all for 1050 YEN. So about $7.50. WHAT?! I'm definitely considering moving close by

Must try while in Tokyo. Always a line so allow yourself plenty of time. Cash only establishment.

Cafe Aaliya does French Toast the right way. 2 perfectly prepared soft pieces of heaven. It's very hard to explain how delicious it is. Think of eating a cloud with a side of caramel sauce my GOODNESS it's so good!!! There are other things on the menu but you are only coming to Aaliya to get the insanely good French Toast trust me!

Food was very unusual and I can always take it again I felt very fresh. I was told by the local store to try it out

This is probably THE BEST FRENCH TOAST I've ever had!!! But it's in Japan! Say what?!?!?! Ok, so supposedly the origin of French toast was not in France, possibly Rome or England. But who cares?! Cross those oceans and get to Cafe Aaliya in Shinjuku! It's located downstairs in a totally unassuming spot. And we've been lucky each time we've visited, there was no wait. I can't recall how I've heard of Cafe Aaliya, but I'm not shy about sharing this hidden gem. Both times we've visited I've ordered the French toast mix plate. It comes with 3 perfect French toast pieces - it has beautiful crust, but the center is perfectly soft, creamy and eggy (is that a word?) and 3 dipping sauces: apple sauce (my favorite), caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream topped with blueberries. And with the iced Cafe au lait - a perfect breakfast meal!

Great French Toast! It's light and fluffy. I haven't eaten here since 2019, pre covid. The line back then to eat here was epic. I was so glad to see that it's still open as so many of my favorite places to eat have closed their doors post covid lockdowns. There was no line at this time and many open seats....service was fast and professional. I definitely recommend here for breakfast, I've never had French toast this good.

I walked by this restaurant a couple of times from JR Shinjuku station to my hotel, and I decided that I had to try this place especially since I'm a french toast person. This restaurant primarily served french toast. How good can french toast be? Trust me, this place is the bomb! I ordered the original french toast and waited for about 10-15 minutes. The french toast came in two pieces with a scoop of whipped cream. OMG, it was the best french toast I've ever tasted. It was very buttery and eggy and literally melts in your mouth! You don't even need any toppings or sauces. It's already full of flavor. This place was so good that I went back a second time with my friends and ordered the french toast mix with three different sauces. A must in Tokyo!

I still miss the fluffy french toast! The caramelized sugar crunch on the surface was everything. It's a small cozy french style cafe with few tables. Talking about the French toast -- their signature! You won't taste any egg, but creamy butter taste. With blueberry cream, the toast was even better. The latte was okay, I guess I still prefer a little more bitterness in the coffee. Overall experience was great, but I wish the speed of service can be a little faster.

Visited here October 16, 2018 at around 10:45 AM. You'll notice most Japanese restaurants do not open for breakfast because they are still at home or getting ready for work. 10-11 AM is the standard for restaurant and stores to open. The cafe doorway can be found street side that opens straight into stairs. I'm not sure how accessible it is to someone who is wheelchair bound by themselves. However, there were two ladies that did roll down their heavy double seating strollers during this visit. We were greeted immediately by the waiter and the baristas behind the bar and offered an English menu. I preferred using our translating app on our phones on the Japanese menu. I saw more options and what I really wanted this way. There is booth seating along the wall as well as regular tables with a pleasant dim lighting. I did not look into the other room so I'm not sure how much more seating or how much light exposure there is. The waiter who was forgetful at times, yet the person in all of Shinjuku who spoke the best English in return of understanding what we were saying was swamped by handling both rooms all by himself so it didn't upset me at all. My fiancé got a breakfast salad which should have been my option since we were going hiking all day but I needed to try this French toast my friends were talking about! You don't need syrup. It's as if it's already cooked inside of it. So sweet by itself and even more delicious with some ice cream. There is also a restroom with a standard flush toilet in case you're too nervous to use the fancy ones. I hope to return for coffee and french toast!

Highly recommend this place. It's worth the hike and the weight. Best French toast we've had - buttery, moist, flavorful. The coffee is excellent as well. Each cup is brewed separately. I had the cafe latte. The unique coffee roast gave it a chocolaty flavor.

This unassuming little cafe in Shinjuku (near Marui/Isetan) has the best french toast I've eaten. You've all heard about Japanese "puru puru" (jiggly) pancakes, and those are amazing. This is sort of the French toast version, not jiggly so much, but the texture is very light and really doesnt taste like the typical french toast found in USA. We ordered ours with the caramel sauce on the side and it complimented the french toast perfectly. Simply amazing! iirc, they have one item on the menu which is a sampler (you get to try the different topping flavors in one order), so that would be the way to go if you're not sure what flavor to try. This cafe is in the basement and while there is a street level sign for it, it's one of those places you tend to walk by if you arent looking for it, thinking it's just "another cafe" but you'd be missing out on the mind blowing japanese style french toast.

I want you to rock the boat... to some of the fluffiest cloud like French toast I've ever had. It was like a soufflé: crispy outside, custardy inside. Love all the French toast options!

Quite simply a fantastic find in the area. Expect to pay 1000-1500 yen for breakfast and be prepared to gush over every bit of it. The French Toast are perfect with a slight crisp on the outside and creamy in the middle. My favorite topping was the caramel sauce and the berries with mascarpone were decadent. The staff were fantanstic and the service impecable. My only complaint is that I left wanting more, but that's my Fatty McFatty appetite talking! Go ahead and try it. You'll be telling your friends about it before you even walk out the door. This place is truly a find in a crowded market.

OMG. This place has amazing fluffy (almost sponge cake like) French toast! It can easily be missed from the sidewalk but please stop by and try their French toast. I definitely recommend this place.

Fluffy clouds of french toast---I've never had such yummy pillows in my mouth before. Tried this goodness with a few different toppings including sorbet, ice cream, and the 3 topping set. Nice for a brunch-ish meal. They have menus in english and offer set specials depending on the time of day. I must say the sketch flag rose a little bit since in order to get to the restaurant had to walk downstairs ---but we found that's a regular thing in tokyo---space is premium so use it well.

I love French Toast and this place had some of the best I have tried. Not a huge fan of the applesauce topping...not the worst but it was part of the special of 3. If this place opened at 8a it would make a killing. Why do all the breakfast places open so late?!?

This place is highly reviewed on some domestic food review sites, so we decided to try it out. I went in thinking it'd be just a typical girly cafe but it wasn't, and it exceeded my expectations. While its entrance is right on the street, easy to miss as it's a small doorway with a narrow staircase down to the basement where the cafe is. Don't be surprised if you have to wait a little bit. We went at around 2PM and had about a 10-15 min wait, but the line was a little longer when we left. The menu is simple, almost all of the food items are French toast centric aside from a panini. There are a variety of drinks to choose from, however. Definitely get the French toast. It is thick but light, extremely soft and pillowy, and one of the best French roasts I've had. It was also perfectly fried with just a thin layer of crisp on the surfaces and no crust. Do keep in mind that they (for some reason) do not have maple syrup or butter, it's not an option. Most of their French roasts come with a whipped cream, fruit or caramel sauce, or ice cream. If you know you want French toast for brunch/lunch, I recommend Cafe Aaliya. There's a high chance I'll be back at some point.

Hands down the best french toast that I've ever had. We came based on the reviews while on vacation and considered returning for a second meal. The place is small with limited seating. We visited around 10 AM on a weekday and were seated immediately without a wait. Serving options are 1, 2, or 3 slices with your choice of toppings. I had the whipped cream and caramel. Other choices included chocolate and fruit flavored syrups. Maple syrup and butter were not offered as with western style french toast. The toast is thick, fluffy, and pillowy. Great for breakfast or dessert. My order of two pieces was an ideal serving size and reasonably priced. A must visit if you're in Shinjuku!

Yummy French toast! No whip cream or sauce needed. They also have panini but mainly French toast with diff sauces. Must try!

Best, fluffiest French toast I've ever had! We went here twice on our trip to Tokyo. Melt-in-your-mouth richness to these French toasts!!!

Not a huge fan of sweets so I got the panini and half French toast with maple syrup. They ended up messing up my order and got my blueberry but I didn't complain because I loved both. First, the panini was amazing. Subtle sharp cheese taste with prosciutto meat taste was perfect with crunchy bread and soft chewy bread on the inside. The brownie to pair was both not sweet and perfect for complimenting the taste. The French toast was the best I've had. Sooooo moist and gooey, yes I said moist. I hate whip cream but the blueberry sauce and whip cream pair to put on top of your French toast to match was the absolute delight! Their coffee is well done. Not too acidic but smooth and soft. If any complaints are too be made, it's that there should have been more! But great things come in small sizes! Just like my.... reviews.

Since nothing is open early in the morning, I stumbled upon this basement cafe and the food was definitely worth it. I was sat right in front of the workers making the food. The french toast was very fresh. I ordered Caramel French toast, and the caramel was perfect with it. Will definitely come back when in Japan!!

This is the best French toast I have ever had it was cooked to perfection soft in the middle with a little crisp on the outside. The flavors were well balanced and delicious. I would definitely be back. The only cons are it's a small place and the drink we ordered just tasted like ice with a hint of pineapple

When people say French toast is delicious, it's hard to imagine how delicious something so simple can be when done right. While this toast looks simple and unassuming, the flavor and texture is anything but. The main item to order here is French toast with all different toppings. The toast set comes with just cream and no syrup. And first it seems necessary to have a maple syrup pair, but due to the custard that wAs mixed with the bread, the flavor of the French toast is great already! Any topping added is there for an additional dimension in texture and flavor. The berries toast combo is also a wonderful combo. Basically, come and eat the TOAST! The entrance is an opening leading downstairs to the restaurant. Can't wait to come back again to enjoy this!

After eating some serious sushi yesterday (including a live abalone - never refuse what a sushi chef gives you, there's a good chance he'll give you something much, much worse!) I thought something a little more familiar may be in order today. Cafe Aalia did not disappoint. The French toast is sublime. Cappuccino maybe not the best, but the French toast more than made up for it.

THE BEST BEST BEST BESTTTTT French toast I've ever had in my damn life!! Found this little gem on a website, and after seeing just one picture, I knew I HAD to go! It's located downstairs, and it's a very small restaurant. Smoking and non-smoking sections available. Luckily, my bf and I got seated right away, and I was pumped. We both ordered (I forgot what it was called) but it comes with 3 French toasts with 3 different things to dip it in. There was caramel whipped cream, vanilla ice cream with berries, and apple sauce. It wasn't apple sauce exactly, but that's what it tasted like. General options for the French toasts are 2 slices with 1 of the 3 different dips. I thought to myself that for sure it wouldn't make me full. It looked like a small meal, but I was wrong. Our plates were handed to us with 3 scrumptious juicy looking French toasts. I dove in! My..lord.. Fluffy, perfectly sweet with that slight crunch on top, moist, sooo much flavor alone! I could not believe how amazing they tasted! The caramel whipped cream was my favorite to eat it with. The ice cream was also really good! Apple sauce..not so much. I still ate it, but I just ate it alone. I was super duper full afterwards, and a little sad that it was already over. I was pretty fascinated with how they made it as well.

FRENCH TOAST GODS! Best french toast to date. Better then hawaiian sweet bread french toast and that's really unbelievable. Everyone has different taste buds and mines fell in love with cafe Aaliya! I came here this morning for breakfast... didn't have to wait to be seated and service was fast. I would love to come back once more this week before I leave the city. I had 3 pieces of french toast with 3 different dipping sides. For the price point... how can you not want to have breakfast here... I was in heaven for under $10... can't get mad at that! Close to the train station, which makes it convenient. Arigato Cafe Aaliya! I'm a fan! - Miss Yelp 2015

Best breakfast ever in Tokyo! Everything I had from waffles to Japanese French toast ...even to the hot chocolate. I'm addicted...highly recommended if you are in Shinjuku and I will be coming back.

Two words: FRENCH TOAST. The fact that I just woke up on the other side of Japan THINKING about this singular piece of toast 2 weeks after the near-spiritual experience of eating at Cafe Aaliya, and that it compelled me to pen some weirdo love letter to some loaf of bread should be testament to how good it is (or maybe it just shows how crazy I am, WHO CARES? lmao). It started when I heard an outrageous statement that claimed this cafe serves the "world's best french toast." Yes -- the world. As ridiculous that sounds, it did pique my curiosity, and I've kept on eye on it since. I of course I ordered the classic French Toast Set, but begrudgingly agreed to share it. I immediately regretted that decision as soon as they brought the slice of heaven to the table. My mouth was watering even before I picked up my fork which must have been too slow because the next thing I know a chunk of the toast was gone. Calming myself I did not want to turn this morning out into a scene between two gaijins -- god forbid disturb the ever-peaceful harmony of this Japanese cafe. I gathered my composure and took a small but healthy bite out of the slice and ohhhhh boy. It was delicious. Delicious doesn't even seem like the right word to use for how good this was. Served without the crust, at one point I even wondered if this was french toast at all. The toast magically defies the laws of thermodynamics by staying pillowy soft despite soaked in a maple-infused cream-butter concoction surely laced with grade IV heroin that I'm also positive the staff out back were partly fixed on because there's no way our waiter could smile and compose himself with such peaceful tranquility -- but I digress. Encased in that beautiful Mallard reaction crisp, it's rich, it's heavy, not too sweet, and so tasty that your beefy shanks will quiver in pleasure. I hope I'm able to convey my enthusiasm to y'all because at this point I'm not even typing with my fingers anymore and am now letting my double chin hit all the keys!! Anyway, the set comes with soup or salad and a drink of choice. My--excuse me--OUR soup was quite delicious too. Nothing fancy. A simple stock seasoned with salt and pepper, packed with cut potatoes and carrots. The saltiness really does compliment the french toast but it will leave you pretty full. Keep in mind that I don't often order french toast, and apparently this city recently experienced a "French Toast" fad, so other places might be just as good. But you best be DAMN sure this was the best french toast I've had. If you're okay with your LDL levels taking a hit, go try it out -- and maybe don't share.

Very good, the French toast is doughie but not uncooked. The blueberry, caramel, and apple sauce were delicious and quite complementary. The cafe is intimate (small) so be understanding if the tables are full there are 5 2-tops, and 2 4-tops. Service was excellent so great yourself.

I came here because I wanted to try fluffy Japanese French toast and the yelp reviews looked good. The restaurant is located underground near some luxury clothing stores in Shinjuku. It's not very hard to find. There is an English menu available, and, like most Japanese restaurants, you can just point at what you want on the menu itself if you don't speak Japanese. I had some kind of cinnamon iced coffee and French toast with three side cups of toppings (caramel and whipped cream, apple sauce with mint, and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and berry sauce). This was easily the best French toast I've ever had, and it may have been the best breakfast I've ever had as well. The texture of the French toast was absolutely perfect. It wasn't mushy or too bready. The sides complimented the dish well. My only problem was that I got a small stomach ache from all the sugar, but that was kind of to be expected with the amount of sugar that I had. Definitely come here for breakfast if you're staying in the shinjuku area.

Best french toast I ever had! Went here 4x while staying in Tokyo and had the mixed berry, blueberry, and caramel toppings. Caramel was my favorite. People seem to like the pancakes in Tokyo, but I prefer the french toast. The negative of this place is the over priced drinks.

I find it odd saying this but these were the best French toast I have ever had, they were tender and creamy. We liked them so much we went twice on our trip, always showing up as they opened. The waiters were nice and accommodating bu were a bit slow at times as it got busier, understandable. My only gripe with the place was the music, it was more boring than relaxing, made me want to hurry up and finish my meal.

I would highly recommend this place if you love French toast. In fact, I would say it's the best French toast I've ever had in my life. And that's from a person who likes French toasts. It's a very small restaurant next to Burberry store in Shinjuku. From the sidewalk, it's a step down to a basement. There's only a few tables so don't be alarmed or discouraged, it's worth the wait. As always, the staff in Japan are courteous and friendly. Their coffee are a little pricey and they don't have refills if you are use to in the states.

I had the French toast side salad and hot tea. This place is known for the best French toast in Tokyo! Be aware there's not much other variety besides FT. My boyfriend had the prosciutto and cheese sandwich with side salad and coffee. He was equally pleased. Both meals were around 2000 yen

Pretty tasty french toast. Obviously better than a Denny's but not better than top breakfast spots in SF. All the french toast here is crustless but I actually like the crust on french toast. It's also weird eating it without butter and maple syrup. You can get whipped cream and some other topping lol fruit or caramel. The French toast is fluffy and soft and just a little crispy outside. I ordered only one small piece to try it and got the blueberry. It was 400 yen.

Went on June 3, 2015. Close to train station exit. Got out of Shinjuku-Sanchome station, followed the arrow signs to "Isetan" to exit the station. Once on the surface, cross the street towards the "Forever 21" building where Cafe Aaliya is located on the same block and it is in the basement. The soft french toast is ok. My daughter ordered the one with berry ice cream topping. I ordered the one with three toppings which were all tasty.

I came here from a friend recommendation, and wow is it good. How do you make French toast like this?!?! It's crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, and the perfect level of sweetness. The 3-piece French toast combo is a bit much for one person but it's doable. The berry/ice cream French toast is the best, followed by the caramel.

November 2017, December 2017 French Toast? Yes, please. In Shinjuku and what other way to start off my meal here than French Toast. -French Toast: One of the best! The french toast on its own is pure deliciousness! Crispy outside and custardy inside. Perfectly sweet and balanced flavor, -French Toast Mix: Comes with blueberry sauce whipped cream, caramel sauce whipped cream and cinnamon apple (apple sauce). I liked the blueberry and apple toppings since they add a bit of tartness which adds another layer of flavor. I feel the caramel sauce makes it too sweet. (2nd Visit) -(Seasonal) Apple and Chocolate French Toast: Yum! The dark chocolate and tartness of the apple keep the flavors exciting, love it! -French Toast with Caramel Sauce: Sort of an accidental order as I thought the Mix came with Maple Syrup, not Caramel Sauce. Again way too sweet. Still the plain french toast with whipped cream was delicious! Conclusion: Super delicious french toast here, yes! Caramel was too sweet for me, but maybe people with a bigger sweet tooth than I will like it. I loved all the other flavors I've tried. People who don't like their french toasts custardy might be disappointed. Would I go back? Definitely! Next time I'm in Japan. Do I recommend this place? Absolutely! Although due to preference, some people may not enjoy the french toast here, but I'd say give it a try.

I just ate the French toast with the three toppings it was absolutely amazing I loved every detail of service too.

Probably the best French toast I've ever tasted in my life! This is place is a must try when in town!

Delicious French toast and iced coffee at a good price for the combo. Staff was friendly and the food was amazing. The French toast was sweet and with just regular cream it was perfect- no syrup needed. The photo menus were very helpful as well!

Fantastic french toast, and delicious royal tea. Came here twice for breakfast on my honeymoon. totally worth it.

French toast was really rich and sweet but yummy! definitely a good spot to visit if you are looking for western style breakfast