dining

Gontran Cherrier – Shinjuku, Tokyo

I’m not going to Tokyo to eat non-Japanese food! – I said firmly to Hubby, when we were planning our trip and I discovered there are many Italian restaurants in Tokyo with great reviews. – I will eat miso, rice, ramen, udon, tempura, onigiri… Everything Japanese. I’m not touching any other kind food.

Fast forward couple of weeks, to our third day in Tokyo. We’re getting the hang of which exit leads where at the Shinjuku station. We have all day of sightseeing behind us, we’re a bit tired  and all we need to make the afternoon better is a cup of coffee. Not much choice around, so I’m guiding us to Starbucks and then we pass THEM. The most beautiful looking croissants and loaves of bread, sitting in the window and looking all alluring and delightful. We take a few steps back. We stop and look at the golden beauties with our jaws dropped. Suddenly the idea of going to Starbucks is not so appealing anymore. WE MUST TRY THE CROISSANTS.

Maybe they just look good, you know like the fake food in Kappabashi? But the smell, the wonderful freshly-out-of-the-oven kind of smell can’t lie. I feel like we hit a jackpot. I’m salivating while we pick a few pastries and put them on our tray. I can’t wait to take that first bite, but I have to be patient as the line to cashiers is quite long. We order coffee, pay, pick up the coffee on the other side of the room, go upstairs, look for any available tables (it does get crowded) and finally! Finally! It’s the moment of truth. Bite. OH. MY. GOODNESS.

Thin, crisp layers of buttery goodness. Soft and light inside, melting in my mouth. I eat at least half of my croissant before I look at my husband – he’s half way through his pastries and looks like he’s floating on that happy cloud in heaven with me.

Coffee is not bad, but wouldn’t hurt if it was done better. But who cares about coffee, when you’re having the best croissant of your life, right?

Now I’m trying to remember if I have ever had better pastries and croissants, even in France – nope, can’t remember. I have a feeling it’s not my last visit to that place.

We’re back the next day. And the next one. And the day after that. Even right before jumping on an airport bus we went to stock up, unfortunately there’s not much to choose from 10 minutes after opening. On the other hand, I don’t need much more than those croissants, so I’m happy regardless. We have a few pastries to enjoy on our trip back home, a little moment of pleasure during the 10 hour flight. I’m going to miss you Gontran Cherrier.

– What about not having any non-Japanese food, huh? – Just eat your pastries Honey, just eat your pastries.

[Update: since mid-2017 Gontran Cherrier shops in Japan have been replaced by Boul’Ange. The pastries, croissants and breads look almost the same and are very similar, if not exactly the same, taste-wise.]

Gontran Cherrier Shinjuku
2-2-1 Yoyogi | 1F・2F Shinjuku Southern Terrace
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 10:00pm /daily

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4 Comments

  • Reply
    Giulia
    February 26, 2015 at 7:20 pm

    we were the same when we went to thailand, but one night we just really needed some italian food so decided to have a pizza and oh my goodness, it was better than the pizza we get here in Oz! Love the photos – can’t wait to see more! Xx

  • Reply
    Eating in Japan – a matter of taste – food & travel blog
    September 13, 2015 at 12:26 pm

    […] highlights for me (besides the wonderful pastries at Gontran Cherrier shops in Tokyo and Nagoya) […]

  • Reply
    2 weeks in Japan with a Rail Pass – our itinerary – a matter of taste – food & travel blog
    January 23, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    […] is 50 minutes (by shinkansen) away from Osaka. We went there that morning just to buy Gontran Cherrier’s croissants & pastries and to do the whole trip again plus more. We were heading to Himeji. The […]

  • Reply
    Bob M
    August 21, 2021 at 8:09 am

    Gontran Cherrier was reincarnated as Boul’ange 2-3 years back. The croissants are just the same – I have been visiting regularly both for years. Tokyo, however, has many bakeries selling croissants of the same level. For example, Rituel or Bake Bread are two just in Shinjuku. Truly wonderful.

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