This shop is Wagashi (Japanese sweetie) HEAVEN! One of the best things about working for a Japanese organisation (even in the UK) is the Japanese concept of omiyage. Whenever Japanese people visit our office, (or when any member of staff goes on holiday, or a business trip) they always bring back some edible gifts for the rest of the staff to munch. Our office has so much that we started an omiyage blog: http://iloveomiyage.tumblr.com/archive I have tried loads and loads of these sweets as lovely visitors bring them to our office...but I hardly ever remember to visit the shop to buy them myself. One of my colleagues is leaving, so yesterday I popped by to buy him some treats. The shop is lovely (and tempting...) with lots of seasonal wagashi along with the constant best sellers. You can take a teeny basket and fill it up with mochi, cake-like sweets and anko-flavoured deliciousness. I love: - If they have them, the Sakura mochi are simply divine. (Mochi filled with a sweet cherry blossom flavour) - Fukuwatashi senbei (A sweet senbei sandwich with creamy stuff in the middle...Nom nom nom) - Tsuya (gorgeous dorayaki, like mini pancakes, filled with anko) - Ayashirabe (white anko-filled manju) - Castella (I think spelled Kasutera here, it's quite nice Japanese version of BOS - boring old sponge) - Maccha mochi (all the best things in one sweet! Anko paste covered in mochi, then dusted with maccha powder...) I'm not so keen on the youkan (blocks of jelly-like stuff)...but all my colleagues love it. *At the moment they have a beautiful display of dolls for Hina-matsuri (girls day), so even if you don't want the sweets, it's worth visiting to see the window display. read more

Minamoto Kitchoan - Sakura display for springtime - Desserts Near Me - London, XGL

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We walked past and there were people standing outside and our friend said they sold Japanese sweets and desserts. I wanted to go in!! Firstly I took photos then looked at what they actually sold and thought I want some!! They sell individual sweets/Mochi/ pancakes etc also boxes. Then I found box sets and went for the £16 one! I was thinking they are expensive sweets so I hope I like them! These are fresh dessert type sweets not like boiled sweets! It is a nice shop, with a couple of seats if you do want to eat in. I've not yet eaten the sweets but I asked how long they last for, and was told they expire that month. So I would say eat them sooner rather than later. read more

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A rather unusual store I happened to come across on my travels the other day. This is a Japanese store offering 'wagashi', a type of traditional Japanese confection, or rather sweet dessert made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits. Here you can sample the brightly coloured sweets with some tea. A lovely and unusual gift at a dinner party and as you can imagine from the Japanese they are wonderfully crafted and beautifully presented. Try the fluffy sweet potato cake or the chestnut baked in pie crust. read more

Minamoto Kitchoan - Desserts Near Me - London, XGL

I discovered Minamoto Kitchoan near Rockefeller Center in New York years and years ago, and it promptly became one of my indispensable stops each time I was visiting the Big Apple. There was just nothing quite like it.... all the sweets were so perfectly formed... so delicately wrapped... and so unique in taste and texture - you did't find anything reminiscent of the Western confection imperatives chocolate, cream, or caramel. Here, every single description sounded intriguing and exotic. Plus, the way they're wrapped up make them tiny parcels of art. Then, about a year ago, I saw that there was Minamoto Kitchoan right here in Piccadilly! I have to say, having it so accessible sucked a bit of the magic out of it (why is it that something becomes so much grander when there's a pilgrimage involved?)... but it's still a marvelous wonder of a store... definitely worth at least one visit in your lifetime just to marvel at how different everything is. I'm partial to anything filled with either red or white bean paste... my favourite perhaps being the one that looks like a miniature Chinese Mooncake - golden brown with a decorative top and filled with red bean paste and a chestnut - yum! I'm sure it all depends on your palette, and I really thing there's something for everyone at this shop, but not *everything* I've tried has been fab - I can't do anything wrapped in their "rice cake" which is rather gelatinous.... Oy, I never could do that texture. read more

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I bumped into this shop while wandering up Piccadilly today. The sign outside advertised Japanese confectionery and being a sucker for new foods, I wandered in. Well, I'm not sure confectionery is the right term for the perfectly formed delicate creations on the counter. They were more like cakes rather than sweets. It was a bit frustrating being unfamiliar with the food before me but there are detailed descriptions written on all the items. There are some freshly made goods as well as wrapped goods. They looked perfect, like most facets of Japanese food but also attracted a Japanese level of cost. A sign proclaims that Japanese confectionery is healthier than western sweets as the Japanese version are low fat, making use of things like bean paste. In the end, I settled for a chestnut and red bean creation, which was nice but particularly distinctive. I must return with a friend who has more experience with Japanese confectionery. read more

We stumbled upon this shop accidentially. My eyes grew big - I'm a Japanese food lover. As there are only few shops selling Japanese food back home we decided to give it a try. The price, to be fair, is high. We chose 5 wagashis to try out. Really - I am lucky it were only these and we did not buy more. The only two who tasted good were Tsuyaguri (whole chestnut in chestnut paste) and Suikanshuku (Sweet white bean paste covered with dried persimmon). The jelly one was totally fluid and spread over my hands while carefully opening it (it should have been able to overturn it onto a plate...). The other two tasted too unnatural. I can recommend to have a look at the ingredients before buying. I ate many wagashis in the past, but these are definitely not on my favourite list. There is such a gap between these and really fresh made wagashis who do not have a storage life of several weeks. Another drawback for us was also the packaging: most of the wagashis were wrapped in plastic more than just once. read more

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It's wonderful, that a japanese sweets shop exist in London. Sadly this great shop isn't in Berlin : ( we also really need that kind of shop. Minamoto Kitchoan is located near the tube station Picadilly Circus. From there the way to walk is not long anymore. The sweets shop was a bit smaller than expected, but still very interesting for me! I love Japan and japanese things so much, and I believe that it's also for other Europeans interesting and tasty. The sweets offered here are japanese style sweets. You can find new versions of the german "Baumkuchen" for example. I saw they offer them here with Matcha and also strawberry. Also you can find the typical japanese food Dorayaki, which is like a cake but filled with sweet red bean paste, some really amazing cute rabbit sweets (but their price is amazing expensive aswell), a kind of Pudding, and more. Actually this time I didn't get anything, but I'll save up and then I'll come and buy the amazing cute rabbit shaped sweets. The price is around 20 Euro I guess for a pack of 10. Not really cheap, but therefore you get a unique sweet that even looks like a piece of art. Definately this shop is on my to do list in my next London travel again. read more

I've been looking everywhere for a particular Japanese dessert after seeing it in Rachael Ray magazine. She is one of my food heroes! Anyway I was delighted to see an authentic looking Japanese shop. I entered and was transported to a place that was no longer London but seemingly very Japanese. It's the real deal with delightful shop assistants speaking almost broken English. I found the dessert I was looking for. It was not cheap like all the other products sold here. Quite an interesting selection with little notes attached to each display explaining what each item contained. Most useful to a first time shopper here. However I cannot get over the bizarre obession with displaying plastic models to portray their wares. I've seen it in Asia and frankly it looks bizarre. read more

The only specialist japanese confectionary place in London and part of a world wide chain. Located opposite fortnum and mason and laduree, it's got prime location because both places do specialist foods. Great place to buy your food gifts for people. Minamoto Kitchen specialises in perfumed delectable mochis, it has an amazing selection in store to choose from, from sakura mochi to red bean and their newest offering white peach which i bought as a gift to someone and it wasn't cheap either. £16 for 12 pieces. I asked whether they do normal mochi with matcha powder/sesame powder encased, like they do in many dango shops in Japan but unfortunately they don't which is a massive fail for me because they're the most basic pieces right?! I expected they would do something so normal as well as seasonal selections and pretty quirky ones! If you want to try something different/gift something other than chocolate, this is the perfect gift, assuming the receiver loves mochi and trying new things. read more

This is the London pilgrimage destination for wagashi lovers. Although I had been told they are pricey, I found the prices to be standard for the quality and assortment they offer. Just a few pieces can be had reasonably, but if you intend to cater a party with what they make, be prepared to spend and you'll completely get your money's worth. I went back two days in a row so I could sample many varieties, making a couple of fun and funky breakfasts from my finds. read more

Adorable shop. This is actually a chain I used to frequent in San Francisco. Always a friendly staff working and very knowledgeable and willing to answer questions you may have. Most of the sweets I buy don't last (shelf life wise) but usually works out because they are so delicious, they wouldn't last anyways. I tend to always go for the mochi's rather than the wafer crackers. For my birthday I was given a box of their wafer crackers (sorry if that's not what they are really called) and an assortment of mochi's. I would recommend the mochi's if you're looking for dessert and the wafer crackers for snacks with tea. read more

this place is to die for! Be careful going though, or you might find yourself at least £50 poorer being unable to resist all those lovely mochis!! read more

Authentic in taste and presentation. Delicacies each had written descriptions in Japanese with limited or omitted English translations. That made it feel just like Japan. The selection of sweets was quite broad. There's something for everyone. Must visit for those who want to save paying the airfare to Tokyo. read more

After biking and walking all morning in the cold winter, we noted but walked right past this place. Then 5 steps later something made me turn around and walk inside. Having grown up on Asian desserts, my bar is pretty high, and I didn't believe that pre-packaged sweets would be able to compete. Nevertheless, my friend (local Londoner who had never been) and I decided to sit for green tea and sample a variety. I must say that I was blown away - maybe not by every selection, but overall it was a damn pleasant experience. If I lived locally, I could see myself visiting on a weekly basis and pretending that the walk to the store was enough to burn off the extra calories. Until I return to either London (or NYC), I will be visiting virtually. While the options are limited because of expiration dates, they do ship some goodies online! Stop in, you won't regret it. As my dear friend said perfectly, "lovely". read more

Delicious japanese luxury pastry shop in Piccadilly. Go for extra fresh Matcha dorayaki or any other traditional japanese sweets and a perfect service. Top class, also serves tea and cakes in a small table. A super treat! read more

For such a small store I managed to spend 35 minutes studying, looking at everything as a museum and then deciding what I really wanted. There aren't Asian chocolate candy stores in Vancouver like these, therefore, it was a cultural and culinary fascination. Prices were reasonable. Customer service was neutral. I bought a few matcha white chocolates singles. read more

Nice sweets and cookies from Japan. One of the best part us the attention paid by shop staff in wrapping the purchases

This place is fairly expensive but it's definitely worth it (if you're a fan of Japanese desserts). My friend and I wandered in here on a Sunday afternoon and it was practically empty - I found out why when I looked at some of the prices, which were definitely on the high side. I was kind of skeptical at first but I really wanted to try something, so I decided to get something small and ended up going for the usagi (bunny pastry) after much deliberation (everything looked so yummy!). I was pretty impatient to try it - especially since it looked so cute - so I tried it right away. It was REALLY good. Not too sweet, perfect bun to paste ratio, and an incredibly soft texture. After trying it, I had no regrets. 1.60 pounds for a bite size pastry? No problem, Minamoto. My friend got a peach jelly dessert for 12 pounds - definitely on the pricey side - but she said it was possibly the best jelly she's ever had. Basically, if you're in the area, you should definitely drop in and try something - you likely won't regret it! read more

Minamoto Kitchoan - Usagi - Desserts Near Me - London, XGL

How unbelievably decadent Japanese cakes and mochi - edible art to be sure. This is a chain store you may find in large cities throughout the world. They are the best. read more

I went to this shop in New York and I loved I so much. I'm going to London for spring break with my family and I'm so excited to see if this shop has the same effect as the New York location! read more

A few years ago I stumbled into this store having never tried Japanese sweets. I was instantly intrigued and loved the mocha filled with bean paste. Then I branched out and discovered the rice paste covered in beans and a little treat that has beans in the middle of a small green gelatinous tortilla (really wish I knew what all of these were called, but they are staples and if you go to the shop you'll see what I mean). I've since been to Japan and now I love the store even more. It's one of the only places you can find such an incredible array of Japanese sweets. Most shops you can find a mocha ball, but these are incredibly fresh and of a very high quality. You will definitely pay a bit of a premium for this, but it's completely worth it if you're looking for high quality Japanese treats. My new favorite item is the fukuwatashisenbei, which actually get cheaper the more you purchase at Minamoto. There are descriptions written in English about each of the items so you know exactly what you're getting. The staff are always incredibly polite and helpful, but do make sure you check the expiration date when you purchase items because some will expire the day you bought them. Some others may last a week or 2, but always better to be aware. read more

Lovely Japanese kochi and sweets. Very authentic and fresh. It's a beautifully wrapped and make unique and special gifts. There are unusual flavors and something for everyone. The ladies who work there are kind and helpful. read more

The only place to enjoy traditional Japanese sweets- Wagashi in London. You will be surprised by its shop window, it introduces cultural events in Japan, and also features their beautifully made sweets. When I say beautiful, I mean it, you will never find a better gift to surprise your friends, as they change their products every season. This is another Japanese virtue, as the changing season and nature inspire them the most. The packaging is impeccable, almost like art. For some people, they might not be used to the taste, but the ones they imported are mostly the ones English people can accept. Do not eat without drinking green tea, the sweets are designed to accompany green tea, eating the sweets along is still an option, but won't be as nice. Only complaint is that they are not environmental friendly, as they use a lot of materials to pack. But look at the bright side, they use paper only for packaging. Try their sorbet in summer, especially the white peach flavour, and ask the staff for this season's recommendation if you are not familiar with wagashi. And as Japanese, the staff are always VERY VERY polite. read more

I passed by Minamoto Kitchoan when visiting Royal Academy in Piccadilly - it was the shop window dressing, shop layout and atmosphere that drew me in, to revitalise my memories of Japan. Upon entering I was transported back in time to feel the uniqueness of Japan which I had discovered in earlier years. The lighting, counters, colours and atmosphere was 100% authentic as was the staff, manners and service. I could not resist picking up a box of Maccha Mochi, practising a few words of Japanese and rushing home to enjoy my own mini green tea ceremony. This experience is one of absolute perfection. read more