Uncle Tetsu

Oh, wow, YUM! The cheesecake might as well be from Tokyo. It has the standard light, fluffy consistency with a touch of sweetness that just melts in your mouth. The tart…ohhhhoho! Loved it. The buttery crust crumbles and made me pick up every crumb with my sloppy fingertip. Don’t waste a crumb! It was just really, really good. Perfect with a coffee or one of their teas. I had a tea with the cheese foam. At the last drip, I was licking the lid. No shame. Thank God for inconspicuous outdoor seating. Save yourself a trip to Japan when you want some Japanese desserts. Uncle Tetsu can meet your craving! It is a steal compared to a flight on Zipair! 😂

I ordered the Original tart and the Cookies & Cream mini cheesecake. Both sooo good! The service, however, was terrible. She didn't seem happy that I was there, she was short, no smile, didn't like that I had questions about the options, she threw my receipt on the counter next to my order. When I asked for forks, she also threw them on the counter.

Very nice cheesecake store. We had 2 cheese tarts, and two cheesecakes, and I found the tarts to be particularly amazing! I think they were short staffed when we visited, as one of the employees was making teas, and working the register at the same time, which meant we were waiting in line for a while. Would recommend, as it is a delicious treat in the mall! THEY DO NOT ACCEPT CASH!!

I’ve eaten everything at this place, but the best is definitely the Ube cheesecake but don’t eat it fresh out of the oven, chill it first! I think it tastes a lot better cold. It also makes for a great gift. The tarts are good if you like a little bit of crunch and a little bit of a crust on your dessert. The standard cheesecake is really fluffy compared to western style cheesecake. It’s a lot lighter and less dense. It’s got a soft and moist chew.

Nice classic Japanese cheesecake shop. Located at the corner of the food court. They give free samples and the egg tarts are based off what they have available. They take apple pay and google pay as well. Definitely recommend if you happen to be in the mall as it is nowhere close to anyone in south bay

Really liked their small crunchy/delicate tart-style cheese cakes! They are perfect size to try several flavors at once. Not too sweet and amazingly delicious when just from oven! Would be cool Uncle Tetsu had also drinks options. For now the best combo is his cheese cakes + coffee at Philz Coffee 😊🤍🤎

Very light and satisfying dessert. We tried the plain cheesecake which was fresh and delicious. Other flavors include matcha, chocolate, strawberry, Oreo, and ube. The cheesecake was $13, enough for four medium-sized slices, so not too expensive but not a bargain either. Love the logo! Worth checking out for sure!

Great customer service! Hillsdale Mall was close due to Covid, but even with their Curbside pick up, their service was excellent! Since we ordered ahead, there wasn't an option for Matcha until the morning of our pickup, my sister called that morning and also requested for the "birthday stamp", Uncle Tetus at this location accommodated everything!!!!! Craving for their Basque Burnt Cheesecake!!! 🎂 😋 𝘜𝘣𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒌𝒆 and 𝓜𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱𝓪 𝓙𝓪𝓹𝓪𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓮 𝓒𝓱𝓮𝓮𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓴𝓮!

I love Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake, and this location is no different. It was my first time seeing the mini cheesecakes, which was perfect for us because we wanted to try multiple flavors. We ended up getting Original, Smores, Strawberry, and Pandan. The original is still my favorite (I just like the more eggy flavor that comes through), but all the other flavors were good too (my boyfriend's favorite was Smores). I thought I'd like the pandan the most, but somehow the fragrance of the pandan doesn't really work as well with the base cheesecake flavor for me. This location is pretty convenient if you just want to grab a cake and go - parking was easy to find in Hillsdale mall and the Uncle Tetsu's is located right by the entrance escalator.

This place has really fluffy cheesecakes with the perfect amount of sweetness and I highly recommend everyone to check it out! I went around the Christmas time and they had the cutest stamps for their cheesecakes.. I highly recommend the Oreo and the Ube flavors! The Ube is my all time favorite, as it's not too sweet and is light and fluffy! Oreo is good too, and is on the sweeter side! In particular, the gigantic Oreo in the cheesecake is a favorite among the kids in my family! My only gripe is that the line can be really really long, and sometimes service is a bit slow! It's also in the middle of a mall food court; so ambience is always pretty loud..

I was doing some shopping in Hillsdale and I saw this bakery in the food court so here I am. I ordered the mini original cheesecake and the mini Oreo cheesecake. The cheesecakes are fluffy, airy, light, moist, and lightly sweetened. It was a pleasant surprise. I'll be back to try more stuff next time forsure. Try it out if you like. :)

The Japanese cheesecake is fluffy but a bit too soft for my taste. I tried the sesame cheese tart this time and loved it!! Would love to come back and try other flavors Customer service was great. Cash not accepted though

My niece and I were waiting for our Boba tea from Sher tea around the corner and I wanted to show her this particular shop since she loves Matcha! Turns out they had a deal with a mini cheesecake and a tart for $10!! Sold!! We got two different daily specials so we could try different flavors and she actually liked my pandan cheesecake and Ube tart better than her Matcha cheesecake and Matcha tart! Lol I will definitely be back here again!! I also liked how the lady physically showed me each pastry as she box them to double check and make sure the order was correct. I knotted my head and said yes, and she smiled and knotted her head as well! I love the overcommunicate!!

Original cheese tart was creamy and delicious. Perfectly made. I haven't tried the other flavors but I really liked the original.

I had this spot bookmarked for a while as I love trying new desserts! We were in the area and decided to finally try it out. They are located in Hillsdale mall on the second floor (in a food court area) so there is ample parking. We asked one of the people there a few questions as it was our first time and they did not seem interested in helping us and/or telling us about the desserts, flavors, etc. We decided to go with a large ube cake to bring home for Father's day as we loved the stamp on it as well as one of the dessert bundles - a mini cake and cheese tart for $10. We went with the matcha mini cake and black sesame cheese tart. The desserts themselves were delicious and not overly sweet which was definitely appreciated. Both of the cakes were very fluffy and you could taste an essence of the flavors. I would suggest having it fresh - we had the mini cake right then and there and it was a bit fluffier than the ube cake we refrigerated overnight and ate the next day. The cheese tart was very creamy and funnily enough the black sesame with the matcha were delicious together. We will definitely be back to try more flavors!

Picked up an original Japanese cheesecake to go. Service was mediocre. Server gave this annoyed vibe by our presence. The cheesecake was light, airy, and delicious! It made up for the unwelcoming service.

Located in Hillsdale Shopping Center, parking is plentiful and easy to find. The shopping center is quite sizeable as it has both an indoor mall and outdoor plaza area. Uncle Tetsu is located in the food court. Original (5/5): really fluffy and so soft. The flavor was perfect as it wasn't overly heavy. The light cream used really brought the fluffy texture together. Overall, Uncle Tetsu continues to be a great place for a delicious dessert. Their Japanese cheesecakes are fluffy and soft without being overwhelmingly heavy.

I love getting the pandan and Oreo flavors! The texture is soft and fluffy and the pandan flavor is pretty strong. You can get a punch card and once you get 10 cakes you can get the 11th for free. There is usually no line and the service is fast. It's right next to the Panda express in the mall so it is easy to find and the shop. It's a cute little shop and you can see the display of all the options in front.

I have now tried most of the Japanese Cheesecake flavors since their opening. Recently, Uncle Tetsu added Oreo and Cheese Tarts. which I have yet to try. My faves to date are Original, Ube, Pandan, and Strawberry. Yesterday, I was craving it so my husband and I took an impromptu trip across the bay after lunch to grab it. Little to my unbeknownst excitement, they now make MINI cheesecakes! You know what that means? I can have a little of everything! Of course, I got Original, Ube & Pandan. Staff are always so polite and nice. Service was quick and efficient.

So excited to come back here after 3 years. Their cheesecake is fluffy and light and delicious. However, their highlight is the matcha with cheese foam! It's strong, dark, bold, and earthy! This is the only location that I know serving matcha and green tea. I even ordered a matcha drink without ice so I can save it in the fridge for my caffeine fix in the next morning. Other locations need to be consistent and serve these drinks as well. Original cheese tart is legit!!! The shell is crispy without being crumbly after the first bite, and it has subtle sweetness. The filling is generous, creamy, light, and perfectly sweet! It pairs perfectly well with my half sweet matcha drink.

There is no other Japanese Cheesecake that can compare to Uncle Tetsu. It's a must! Love the variety of flavors as well. The best: Original, Oreo, and Pandan Coconut. This was not our first time here and won't be our last.

5 stars for the drink, the green tea with cheese foam is awesome. I like it better than the cheesecake. 4 stars for the cheesecakes, they're light, but not fluffy like the normal Japanese cheesecake, it's a bit like a moist cake, which is not my favorite type of cheesecake. I tried ube, original, matcha and pandan. My favorite is the pandan cheesecake, it's rich with the pandan flavor.

Located on the second floor of the mall, elevator available if you don't or can't use the escalator. Cash only ... o_O The cheesecake was light, airy, semi sweet, and spongy. Delicious. The employee was patient and polite. No waiting in a long line was a bonus

I passed my real estate exam and my friend stopped by with the basque burnt cheesecake from uncle tetsu. I've been wanting to try, but always get lazy last minute. The basic cheesecake isn't my favorite (reminds me more of a steamed bun/bread from a Japanese bakery) BUT the basque version - I actually finished this one mostly by myself. No regrets!!

Great place to grab some Japanese cheesecake! I've always wanted to try this place out, and since I was in the area, I decided it was time to grab some cheesecake! I got the Set B, which includes one cheesecake, one cheese tart, and a bag of biscotti. I chose the seasonal cheesecake, which was cherry blossom and it tasted delicious! The floral flavor was prominent and the cheesecake was nice and fluffy. I also chose the seasonal cheese tart, which was strawberry. The cheese tart was a little too sweet (compared to the cheesecake) but the flavor was delicious! The biscotti were ok, I think they are hardened pieces of the usual flavored cheesecake. The staff were all friendly and helpful! It's also nice that this place is in a food court as there's plenty of seating and mall parking! Overall, great place to grab some Japanese cheesecake at the Hillsdale mall!

Super light, sponge cake like cheesecake! Not too sweet and airy. Love that there's this option for East Asian style cakes and that the location is pretty central on the peninsula, but I'm not a fan of the parking situation at this mall ever since the reno happened and the crowdedness of this food court on weekends. No other way to get to this storefront since it's part of the food court without an outside entrance.

Always remains as one the BEST REASONS to visit Hillsdale mall. It is Especially nice to visit in their food court location near where the newly remodeled large outdoor court is located....such a great design by this mall--just wish that this outdoor court was bigger! Uncle Tetsu continues to create really fantastic Japanese style cheesecakes, which are lighter, fluffier and less sweet than traditional cheesecakes. They also are running a promo this 2023 holiday season: $22 for a full-size cheesecake, mini tart (my favorites) AND a sweet tea! This is a great deal. My daughter enjoyed their Jasmine Green Tea drink (see pic)--these are like the modern Chinese/Taiwanese style teas. My favorites are the Basque style cheesecake, ube, and chocolate flavors. But I really like their mini tarts as they have a thin pie-crust on the edge and have a slight liquidity consistency in the middle. My favorite tarts are the ube and regular. Come enjoy these Japanese style cheesecakes--they are a treat and great gifts for family visiting.

The limited edition cake is so good with cherry blossom flower decoration. Cherry blossom smell is so good, it's light but special.

I heard about cheese tarts from my husband after he returned from a trip. I had to try it so I ordered some the week before Christmas so I couldn't brave the mall. It was delivered super quick. Ordering was easy. It came in a cute little box. The cheese tart was really good. I also got a matcha cheese tart. I normally love matcha, I personally did not like this one, but favored the original.

Came here right as it was closing, around 8:45, but was able to snag a cake! It's located inside the Hillsdale Mall, at the dining terrace. I've heard a lot about Uncle Tetsu, but never actually tried it, so wanted to see if it was worth the hype. They had some samples out on the counter too, so it was nice to try the cake before purchasing. Once you order, they pack your cake and hand it to you immediately. Unsure of how the service is when they are super busy, but it was quick when I went! I ordered the original cake, just to keep things simple. I honestly can't complain, it was a great cake. Nice and fluffy, but also creamy in a way. Not too sweet or heavy either like other cheesecakes. I do recommend trying it out if you are in the area!

We've tried their fluffy cheesecakes before. This time we tried the smaller cheese tarts in original, strawberry, matcha, and chocolate We loved each and every flavor and savored each bite. Not too sweet and I don't feel gross after finishing two tarts Very cute boxes too. Will definitely be back!

This Uncle Tetsu is located at the food court in Hillsdale Mall. I ordered the original cheesecake and four cheese tarts. The original Cheesecake was light and fluffy. The classic cheese tarts were ok. However, I was disappointed with the ube and the matcha cheese tarts. Both of them were lacked flavor. I couldn't taste any ube and the only thing that makes it a ube is the purple color. The matcha cheese tart only had a very, very light taste of matcha.

Recently, We ordered original cheese tart, ube tart, lychee rose tart, and yuzu cheesecake. We're satisfied with everything. The pastries and cheesecake were not overly sweet. We like the tart crust, which is thin and easy to bite. The cheese was also soft. The yuzu cheesecake was really delightful and not too cheesy.

Quick take: love their cheesecakes I frequent the Hillsdale Mall location the most. Plenty of parking and I've never had to wait in line. But I do tend to come at the very end of the day. Tried matcha, strawberry, and original. I'm an original fan. Each cake is stamped with a cute character every time. Definitely prefer Uncle T's over American style cheesecake.

Tried this before when a colleague brought some of them to work. Recently went here myself and got the mini ube and original flavor of their Japanese cheese cakes. Love the light springy flavor of these. The ube is probably my favorite. Also at least takes like it doesn't have a ton of sugar. I still also really like the ones you can get at Cheesecake Factory, but if you're looking for a lighter and still very tasty dessert try some of these cheese cakes.

Easily a 5/5, great service, great desert I recommend the strawberry cheesecake. The texture is so good it's so soft and smooth it feels like you don't even need to chew. The workers are nice and the service is so fast you are never waiting more than five minutes for your delicious desert.

Nice classic Japanese cheesecake shop. Located at the corner of the food court. They give free samples and the egg tarts are based off what they have available. They take apple pay and google pay as well. Definitely recommend if you happen to be in the mall as it is nowhere close to anyone in south bay

It was my first time trying Uncle Tetsu's Japanese cheesecake, which I greatly enjoyed. I visited late in the evening, so there was no line. The staff was friendly and welcoming. She was busy baking when I came to the stall but quickly assisted me when I was ready to order. I ordered the original cheesecake. The cheesecake had a cute easter themed stamp. The portion was big and good for about 3-4 people. The cheesecake was fluffy and tasty; it was also light and moist. It was not too sweet, which was a huge plus. I highly recommend Uncle Tetsu for its dessert options. I have only tried the original flavor, so I will return to try their other cheesecakes and tarts.

It's true...these are lighter than the traditional cheesecakes and IMHO subtler and better. Went really well with the white wine and was devoured quickly.

It has been a hot minute since I've been back to Uncle Testu but this time was LIT! I had the mini cheesecakes. You buy 3 and get 1 free. They were $4.50 each so the bill came out to $13.50. Then the best part is if you follow them on Tik Tok or Instagram, you can get a free mini cheesecake. So I had 5 mini cheesecakes for only $13.50. There were 4 different flavors and I'll rank them based on my favorite: 1) Blueberry 2) Strawberry 3) Ube 4) Original Service was excellent and location was in the food court at Hillsdale Mall. It was clean and inviting. Overall a positive experience at Uncle Testu.

Got this as a souvenir to bring back to my family in NY! It was still delicious by the time we ate it. Still soft and fluffy! The packaging was adorable too. My parents loved it!

This is the first Uncle Tetsu I've seen in the United States! I've had their cakes in Taiwan, so I was very excited to see a store here in the Bay Area. My absolute favorite is the Rose & Lychee cake. I could definitely taste the perfect combination of rose and lychee flavors, and it's perfectly fluffy and delicious and not too sweet (the ultimate Asian compliment when it comes to sweets lol). I hope they keep the Rose&Lychee cake!

I love these cheesecakes, their rotating flavors, specialty drinks and those little Burnt Basque Cakes. The online ordering system is very efficient to save time by picking up. They've always had my cakes ready on time. I have not tasted anything here that is anything short of excellent! I am not a fan of very sweet desserts. These have the perfect hint of sweetness and the cakes are light and fluffy like a sponge cake. My mother will have nothing other than Uncle Tetsu cakes for her birthday. She likes the simple tastes that don't weigh you down as I. If you're looking to sample the flavors, the little Burnt Basque Cakes are perfect little cheesecake mini's. They have seasonal flavors also. So the selections are never stale. As for beverages, I have only had the matcha with cheese foam. It looked interesting, and I really enjoyed it. Sweetness levels can be adjusted when ordering. I have more to try. Enjoy a tasty beverage on the go or while you wait for them to get your order together. Love, love Uncle Tetsu and is my "go-to" spot when bringing desserts anywhere.

I know nothing about Japanese cheesecake. I wanted one bc they looked so pretty. They looked like Angel's food cake to me. I would of never guessed cheesecake. I was hoping they sold it by the slice like a traditional bakery would, but they don't. You have to purchase the entire thing hoping that you will like it. I decided to get the Oreo flavor. There was cheesecake biscotti at the register so I grabbed a variety pack of those too. Both totaled less that $20. I tasted the biscotti immediately and saved the cheesecake for home. Biscotti was delicious!!! Light and crispy. The cheesecake was good. It was fluffy, dense, spongy, and not too sweet. Different texture from what I'm used too. I will definitely eat this with a side of iced coffee.

I know this place does not need another review - but their cheesecake is so unusual, springy, light, not too sweet - there is a certain itch that it scratches - I usually like a super creamy heavy lemony cheesecake - but that is a different animal. When you feel like a little happiness, a little sweetness, and have someone to share with, you can sit and smile at each other as you eat this light boingy cake that smells and tastes wonderful - I like the original best - I didn't like the chocolate and the matcha was fine. I keep hearing that there is a pandanus flavor, but I have never seen it when I've visited the food court. I am perfectly happy with my original flavor. I hope you try this place, if not here, then somewhere in the world!

Where have you been all my life? This fluffy but creamy concoction is life changing. It's like a blend of angel food cake with some creaminess. If you like not too sweet desserts, this is the perfect treat. There was no line when we got here and we got help right away. Ambiance is very casual. They have many different flavors and I can't wait to try them all. I got the original and the pandan coconut. It's delicious. I'd love to the bay just to have access to this all the time. It's a must try. Lives up to its name.

If you are fan of Japanese cheesecake, which is smaller and lighter than American cheesecake, this place is for you. THey have a normal, matcha, and taro flavor and occasionally a seasonal flavor. They also have some flavors in smaller sizes. My favorite is the cookies and cream, and the basque cheesecakes cost more as they are baked and slightly larger. I recommend ordering online ahead of time to avoid having to wait and worry about items selling out.

Got the orignal cheesecake for $16 and the cheesecake tarts for $18! The original cheesecake was heavenly! The texture is super soft to chew on and moist as well. It's cute and innovative that they have their mascot imprinted on the cheesecake. I would definitely bring this to a party or potluck. The cheesecake tarts were a must try since they had pretty colors and were displayed so well out in the open. The crust was crunchy and cooked thoroughly, so no raw dough texture! The fillings were great, moist and semi sweet. My favorite was the original and chocolate. I'm not a big fan of matcha or ube flavors, but Uncle Tetsu did those flavors well.

Light, fluffy and filled with flavor, Japanese cheesecakes at uncle Tetsu's are always delicious! Today we had honey walnut and Ube cheesecakes. Definitely would recommend checking this place out!

Food (5/5 stars): Our first time having Japanese cheesecake and definitely not our last! Experience (5/5 stars): * Price: pretty reasonable * Wait Time: minimal on the weekend * Service: good and friendly * Parking: there's a parking lot * Ambiance: it's in the Hillsdale food court, which is much nicer than your average food court

If you haven't tried Japanese cheesecake, Uncle Tetsu bakes them to perfection. Their cheesecake is not too sweet and fluffy. You can watch them bake in different batches and offer different flavors such as chocolate, strawberry, and their original flavor. Among the flavors they offer, my favorite is the Ube cheesecake. Expand your international taste palate with this beloved Filipino staple! Derived from nutritious purple yam, ube is well known for its vibrant purple color and nutty, flavor profile. I can't resist the taste of this Filipino flavor and enjoyed how delicious it was made. Of course, their other flavor is also good. If you come to this place, I recommend trying their original first and then combining it with their other flavors. You will not regret enjoying this delicious cheesecake

Literally the most delicious cheesecake ever. It's so fluffy, light, and not overly sweet nor overwhelming in matcha flavor. It's not bitter or anything like that, but you still get that earthy taste. Service is quick, not much else to say about that. It's nice to have so many options in the Hillsdale Mall Food Court, including this one. I love the little mascot decor they add onto the cheesecake, too!!

My wife is crazy about this, I remember struggling with the huge box and bag through the crowds and rain in Japan and being disappointed with what we ate for the effort. Years later, I wanted to give it a shot again. Instead of being dense, creamy, and slightly tangy like a cheesecake you would think of, its more like an angel food cake. It's light and airy and has almost no flavor, it reminds me of a wedding cake or cupcake without any frosting on it and minimal sugar. Still interesting and worth trying just for the uniqueness and to see if its more your taste than mine. Polar opposite is the cheese tarts, while the cheesecake is light and minimally flavored this is extremely dense and heavy tasting. It was too much for us, overpoweringly sweet and cheesy in every bite and I kept wanting to use it as "frosting" and put it on top of the plainer cheesecake. We only ate 2 of the 6 we got and gave the rest away. Packaging: overly complex. Once we opened the boxes we couldn't get them closed again. All the boxes are coated and not as biodegradable and every cheesecake is wrapped in fabric while the cheesecake themselves are not so flawless they need this level of protection.

I am not a cheese cake fan but this Japanese cheese cake is delish. Not super sweet - the slight sweetness is very tempting. The cake is airy and puffy and tastes really good. Do not miss their signature cheesecake!

Fluffy light not over sweetened cheesecake that makes your mouth water. Forget the Greeks. I think the Japanese invented the cheesecake!

I love Japanese cheesecake! It's so fluffy and not as heavy as regular cheesecake. I also love the cheese tarts, which sell out faster. They come in several different flavors, including original, ube, and chocolate.

Cake Me Home Tonight Happenstance, when it comes to food, is one of my favorite things ever. Take for example our recent visit to Uncle Tetsu (UT): we were dining at the new Refuge here at the mall when after eating I decided to check my Yelp® bookmarks and saw UT show up. For months we'd seen UT all over social media with people extolling the virtues of their fluffy and delicious Japanese Cheesecake. We'd both wanted to try it but had never really wanted to go out of our way to get it--but today was the day! Carpe Cake 'em! The Good: *Surprisingly cheaper than we expected. $12 is kind of a steal, as we expected to pay at least $20 for one of their cheesecakes. *The cake is def fluffy and soft as advertised. *Not sickingly sweet. The Meh: *Flavor was just OK. Tbh I barely tasted the ube, if at all. My mind was trying to convince my taste buds it was there but my taste buds weren't buying it. If it's gonna have ube in it then make sure it slaps me in the face and says, "Here's your ube, fat boy!" The Ugly: *Mall parking. 'Nuff said... Tldr: Very not bad but def not worthy of the hype. But, with that said, I'd def like to try it again but probably a different flavor.