Tomiz Cafe is on the 2nd floor of Kinokuniya with some views of Bryant Park and a small, casual eating space. I came to pick up some bread a few minutes before opening today. It was supposed to open at 11am, which it said on the website and on the sign in the store. But even after 11am, the 2 staff were lining up items at their leisurely pace, with no attention to customers waiting outside the cafe. I waited a couple of more minutes and then, got the attention of one of the staff wearing earphones, to ask when they were opening. They went over to the other staff, who came over and told me it'd be another 15-20 minutes. They didn't seem to be in a rush at all to open up and I wasn't going to wait another 15+ minutes, so I unfortunately wasn't able to buy any bread. The bread here is very good, so it's unfortunate and was very disappointing the staff doesn't care at all about their customers. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Food displayed, unavailable for purchase - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Ate in 2022: I got their onigiri but I don't remember what filling I got. All I remember was that it was dry and barely had any filling.

***Disclaimer: I wrote this review originally back in 2021. I didn't realize I never posted it until tonight...4 years later. *** I'll probably update this review when I've had more than their drinks. Well, in particular, one drink , but I thought what the hell? Let me set the mood: it's a dark and stormy night. Okay, I'm being dramatic. It's gray and rainy. It's humid. Or it's chilly. Honestly, I've been here multiple times, and the weather has been all of the above and then some, but I digress. If some are unfamiliar, this Café Zaiya is located on the second floor of Kinokuniya, a very popular Bookstore specializing all things Japanese especially Manga. The Second floor happens to be the Mecca of Manga. Of course, with pins, Keychains, and figures, and Funko Pops. Now, if you can get past that and go straight to the Café, you'll see it full of many pastries, full loaves of bread, ready-made meals snacks, and soft drinks and water. I have a bunch of favorites: Sandwiches: The Japanese milk white bread is so soft. Mmm! * Egg Sandwich: So simple but so damn delicious. * Spicy Chicken Sandwich: Not the spicy I'm used to, of course, but very good. The slaw and the sauce work together quite nicely. Ready-made Foods: * Pork Katsu: This is a big plate with pork, rice, pickled cabbage, potato salad, and a melody of vegetables. This is freaking fantastic and so filling. Onigiri: These are rice balls, well, in this case, triangles with a particular filling wrapped with seaweed. It's hella delicious and handheld. It's the perfect snack on the go. My favorite is the spicy Tuna. Almost made me glad I was working. I'm just kidding. Ain't nothing in this world with that kind of power. Next time, I'm around, I'll definitely try one of those options... along with a drink. Interior wise, there is a sign that says if you want to eat in, in the limited space, you should be vaccinated. That wasn't applicable to me since I was going. It's on the the Manga floor so it was nice to see the merchandise before my drink was done. All in all, it was a nice experience. read more

Neat little bookstore cafe, nice place to hang out and catch up with a friend over a matcha or green tea latte. The actual coffee isn't as good though. Seating can be limited during peak times and some people hang out at the tables for a fairly long time. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Green Tea Latte - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

I stopped by during my lunch break to pick up a meal to eat. My aunt had told me about this place and mentioned how affordable and filling the meals here were. She also mentioned the desserts and quick snacks you can order here. She was not wrong. Cafe Zaiya is located upstairs on the 2nd floor of Kinokuniya book store so it's hard to find if you were simply walking around midtown. I would've never known about it if my aunt did not suggest it. The seating is decent, but not a ton of seating. The staff was friendly. There is an assortment of snacks (onigiri (rice ball), pastries, mixed fruit/strawberry sandwiches, pudding), bento boxes, coffee, latte, and many other drinks. The prices are very reasonable. It was such a bargain. I ended up choosing the chicken katsu bento box. It came out to less than $12 (including tax). The bento box had well-seasoned, fresh, and filling food. The chicken katsu was crispy, well-seasoned, and very well battered. Some katsu spots have chicken katsu that fall apart easily or are not seasoned/fried well. That was not the case here. The potato salad was perfect in texture and temperature. The pickled radish -- very well pickled. The rice was fluffy and the vegetables were well portioned and fresh. I will be back!! read more

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I always stop by here for lunch because it's a quick grab-and-go style small Japanese bakery in a store. I love how quick it is to choose my food and pay when I'm on the run. I got the beef bowl today and heated it up afterwards. Considering the price, I thought it was pretty good. They have a wide selection of onigiris and baked goods that are extremely cheap. I love stopping by here, especially when I'm craving Asian food. Not really any service going on besides the fact that the cashier is really nice. Will be back to try their other items. Food: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 read more

Cafe Zaiya - Beef Bowl - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Cafe Zaiya is my peaceful, homey go-to spot when I'm near Bryant Park, Grand Central, after my Eye Doctor appointment, meeting a friend centrally who lives on the UWS. I guess it can feel like a little cafeteria, but I think that it's a simple casual cafe, with dependable, healthy lunch options, snacks, pastries, and drinks. Bonus points that it's a Japanese Cafe tucked away on the 2nd floor of a gorgeous Japanese Bookstore. There's a steady stream of students, small families, Midtown workers, and shoppers that stop in (maybe more than half non-Japanese). I've seen some individual study sessions there, with Japanese tutors. You can't go wrong with the food! There's vegetarian options, sweet, savory, and some gluten free. The SECRET and I might have to say - one of the tastiest cookies in NYC - are up near the counter... when you're waiting in line... there's plastic containers of fresh cookies... keep looking...for the super thin, black sesame crispy cookies. They are not-too-sweet, with a lovely sesame flavor, great crumpled on top of ice cream, and TOTALLY addicting. They are worth the price, maybe around $4-6. My other go-to, are the Rice Balls ($2-3 each). Go early for the best selection of hot foods by the company TOMIZ. I like the Salmon Rice Balls, two are a good meal. SO much good stuff there. Sometimes it's a little overwhelming: -3-Pack Japanese Sandwiches (egg salad, ham, Turkey) about $10-12. It's deceivingly simple looking! And actually I don't care for sandwiches that remind me of High School lunch, but these are lovely fresh light tea sandwiches. -May have picked up a fried chicken or beef rice bowl for dinner once, under $15. NOTE: The only way to heat up food and dine-in there is at their self-serve microwave. -Croquettes look great, but I wasn't too impressed. It's something that probably should be eaten fresh. Wouldn't mind heating one up in my air fryer, -The pastries are fresh and tasty. I usually go for a custard-filled one. Things that are matcha bread & red bean flavor fall a little flat, like the Matcha & Red Bean Swiss Roll. Not a lot of matcha flavor, Red bean usually overpowers everything. -The other SECRET is the Strawberry Bread. WHAT is this? Why did was I seeing this recipe by so many people, like little CrunchBro Jordan on Instagram, making this bread. It's a sandwich...with Japanese milk bread...mascarpone...giant HALVES of strawberries. Literally cake in sandwich format. It was better than cake! I mulled over it because it was pricey for a 1/2 sandwich, maybe $9? But it was WORTH it, and I had to remind myself to not eat the whole thing, after 2 rice balls, probably equaling 1.5 cups of rice. - I don't know if they still have matcha soft serve, but have always wanted to try it. Sometimes the machine is broken when I've gone. - Probably had a Matcha Latte from there, which I probably enjoyed, but somehow can't remember it. - Love Ito En plain green tea drinks. Refreshing, without sugar, and simple. There's about 6-8 small tables (not sure if there's less because of pandemic spacing). And a larger communal table, that probably has 6 chairs. There's a small counter that over looks Bryant Park, but I think it's out of use these days/ used for storage. Turnover isn't too bad for a seat, but I'd probably avoid busy hours. The foods sell out quickly by mid-afternoon. The cash wrap area is so futuristic. The workers are hidden behind this giant wall of menus and display of case of sweets and pastries. I imagine them back there rolling Swiss rolls. Stop by this hidden gem! read more

Cafe Zaiya - $5.50 Japanese egg salad, ham & tuna sandwich combo. Ito En unsweetened matcha tea - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

I stopped here to het some onigiri's and saw on their online menu that they served them in midtown. I went after work around 4:45pm. I was a little upset to come by and see that they had nothing of their warm menu items. I saw that they had some almond crisp cookies so i went ahead and bought it. Upon biting into one of the cookies it wasn't as crispy. It was a bit stale not so much that i didnt est the whole box but enough not to purchase their from here again. Hoping to return when they have onigiris again. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Almond cookies - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Sandwhich box ($10) was a meal and a half--egg and tuna salad sandos were fire, but the chicken katsu was kind of bland and had a strong poultry flavor (not in a good way). We had fun browsing through the Japanese bookshop afterwards--highly recommend for manga lovers! read more

Cafe Zaiya - Sandwhich box - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Bento master of midtown, thy name is Cafe Zaiya. Located on the second floor of Kinokuniya book store, this is a little refuge with drinks, pastries, onigiri and of course bento boxes. The chicken karaage bento box cannot be beaten in terms of quality/value. Huge chunks of well fried chicken. Rice is perfectly cooked. You get the usual bento box sides which has been mac and cheese and potato salad from what I can tell. It is an absolute full portion of a meal for $12 (before tax) and I think it would be hard for you to find better food with better portions at that price in this area of Manhattan. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Chicken Kaarage Bento Box - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Tucked upstairs among all the manga, Cafe Zaiya serves ready made food at a fair price. It's a good place to pop into if you're hungry from all the book browsing (or ice skating in nearby Bryant Park) -- but not special enough to seek out in a city that's full of good eats. All the food seems to be sourced, ready-made, from a provider called Tomiz, and is not made on premises or served hot. Cafe Zaiya does provide a small microwave in the seating area for you to reheat food if you wish. It's not my favorite treatment for fried items -- and that's all that were available in bento box form on my recent visit. On offer were chicken katsu curry, chicken or pork katsu, and chicken karaage. Onigiri do come with nori and rice wrapped separately, Japanese convenience store style, in these well-designed wrappers where you can just slip the rice into the nori. The nori was reasonably crisp, rice well made, and fillings present in just the right ratio, so no complaints there. Spicy fillings all include a copious amount of mayonnaise, which isn't my thing, personally. The chicken katsu curry was fine, very filling and generously portioned for the price, by NYC standards. If one were to nitpick, though, the curry sauce was made with too much flour, which made it difficult to spoon over the katsu even after warming. I could see myself loving this place as a college or grad student looking for bang-for-the-buck calories. Given more advanced age, a waning metabolism, and more disposable income, there are quite a few other lovely Japanese cafes and restaurants in the area I would prefer to frequent. read more

This cafe is nestled inside the corner of a bookstore right across the street from Bryant Park. Of all the years I've passed by this area, I never knew of this cafe until yesterday. This cafe is a good option for a quick bite. However, don't expect gourmet or top notch dining. I decided to get a white peach jelly, a chocolate mochi donut, and a strawberry sandwich. The seating area was a bit cramped and it looked like the table tops weren't clean, so I didn't stay in the seating area for too long. I'll probably stop by again. read more

Didn't expect to find sesame and matcha soft serve in this area but here we are! When you walk in, it may not look like much but you can get the most affordable meals here. They have rice balls, bento boxes and much more. Although everything looked really good, we ended up just getting ice cream because we were having a sweet tooth. The sesame flavor is strong and definitely overpowered the matcha but it was still delicious. I would definitely come back here as the portion size is huge and it is essy on the wallet! read more

Cafe Zaiya - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

What is the purpose of being "open til 7:00" if no made-to-order drinks are served at 6:20? I can't review the quality of the drinks because they were no longer being served over 40 minutes before closing time. It's unfortunate because it looks like a cute cafe spot. A hidden gem if you will. It was difficult to find because on a map, it appears in the spot of another coffee shop on the first floor, but this on cafe is on the second floor of a book shop. read more

This review is just for their ice cream, which they're serving in frozen cups right now. The black sesame is rich and full of black sesame flavor! The purchase experience was easy and fast, picking your flavor in the freezer, bring over to the cash register, and done. I was glad to find Tomis ice cream here because the standalone Tomis down the corner didn't have it. read more

Cafe Zaiya - a person holding a container of ice cream - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

This is the only place I have ever seen a grab-and-go hot chawanmushi so that in itself is thrilling. This Cafe Zaiya outpost is on the top floor of the Kinokuniya bookstore. When I first went upstairs to check it out, it seemed like a Taiwanese bakery as there were shelves of unique pastries and breads and trays to pile on what one wanted. However, upon closer inspection, I saw bentos, bowls, side dishes, chawanmushi cold and hot, onigiri, and Japanese pastries. The drink menu included bubble tea and other teas and coffees. I first grabbed the cold chawanmushi but then saw a hot shelf. This reminded me so much of Japan. I had cold chawanmushi in a grocery store in Kutchan over winter break, and the heated shelves reminded me of Japanese convenience stores (like 7-11) which have hot and cold beverages depending on the case. I immediately switched to the hot chawanmushi, though both would be delicious. I also grabbed the one remaining bag of green tea melon pan. I had not seen melon pan like that before. I also went to the ito en case and found yet another type of ito en tea bottle I had ever seen, a cold brew matcha! I paid and sat at a table, enjoying first the chawanmushi and then one of the melon pan. Right when I was leaving, carts full of new breads and pastries showed up. I was a bit bummed, since I could have purchased a single green tea melon pan rather than a bag of them. However, as I carried them in my hand/backpack on flights to Chicago and then back home, it smelled comforting like sugar cookies, and I am now able to enjoy them at home. Itadakimasu! read more

Cafe Zaiya - Cold brew matcha, matcha melon pan, hot chawanmushi - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Quick Summary: - Don't eat here if you're in the process of purchasing books, or carrying books around (It's located within a bookstore) - Once you enter and eat here, you can't leave the cafe until you finish eating everything (It's located within a bookstore) - Lots of different breads and sandwiches to choose from - Tables are full during lunchtime hour, but dissipated after 1:30pm - Recommended to wait near the cashier area to receive drinks (tea, coffee, etc.) - Past experience with ordering milk tea, this cafe took the longest to prepare I entered solely because I wanted to visit the bookstore, but when I climbed to the second floor, I discovered there was a cafe. Just in time because I didn't have anything in my stomach this morning other than coffee. There were open display cases where it was lined up with different kinds of bread, sandwiches, and desserts. I ordered my tea and a sandwich at the cashier and managed to find a seat in the corner of the cafe. I entered at lunchtime, so majority of the seats were occupied. I did needed to leave my stuff at my desk because I wasn't sure how my drink was going to be delivered (I didn't leave them my name). However, the cafe is small enough that I can glance over my stuff as I waited near the checkout area. The milk tea took a really long time to arrive. I can say I have ordered over a dozen milk teas, but this cafe took the longest to prepare and receive. Other than that, the sandwich and the tea were very good and helped calm the hunger. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Pork Cutlet Sandwich and Milk Tea with boba - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Worst Customer Service ever! Hurry up and fire the dumb cashier who only checks her phone and does her nail. It's sad that she represents the kind people behind the scenes that make all the delicious food. Dumb young girl! You get paid to do your job, if you don't want to be there! Hurry up and quit. Your terrible customer service doesn't help any one of your guests. read more

Miss having the original cafe zaiya on 41st St but it has since closed down and this little cafe is all that's left but it's very comforting to find certain items here. The lunch bentos are very affordable. read more

My search for the perfect matcha ice cream continues. I tried the black sesame flavor for the first time and absolutely loved it with matcha . Both were creamy and rich in flavor. If you're hanging out by Bryant park, then definitely stop by this bakery!! read more

Cafe Zaiya - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Café Zaiya is conveniently located across the street from Bryant Park on the second floor of Kinokuniya Bookstore, a Japanese book and novelty store. Prices are fair, but there's a $10 credit card minimum. I ordered the black sesame frappe, and my boyfriend ordered the green tea frappe and a green tea crème puff. I wanted to add tapioca ("bubbles", they call them), but they ran out even though I visited earlier in the day around 12:30 pm. My black sesame frappe tasted extremely overwhelming and strong - almost as if the black sesame was burnt. The taste gradually improved, but I've tried many delicious black sesame products (ice cream, shakes, hot tea, and bubble teas) and none of them have tasted burnt like this frappe initially did. However, my boyfriend's green tea frappe was much better with a potent matcha taste but without the bitterness. The green tea crème in the cream puff tasted very good, but the pastry dough tasted a bit stale - like it's been sitting in the display for a day or two. If I come back to Bryant Park, I may return to Café Zaiya and try something else on the menu, but my first experience didn't seem too promising. read more

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Was a fan of the original location on E 41st St on the other side of Bryant Park/NY Public Library, so decided to give this location a try. This location is in an awkward location on the 2nd floor of a bookstore. Not only that, there are signs throughout the bookstore stating that there are no food or drinks allowed in the the bookstore...go figure! on top of that, the service here is terrible. I arrived at 7:15pm and they close at 8pm. After looking at the empty shelves for a few seconds, they told me that I had 5 mins and they were cleaning up. I asked them what time they close and they said 8pm but they typically start cleaning up by 7:45pm. After I bought some items, I figured I could sit with my family and eat the items, but they wouldn't allow me to sit, saying the cafe was closed. Sorry, but please correct your advertised store hours!! If your staff at this cafe want to be out early, do not misrepresented your store hours as being open until 8pm. Extremely disappointed with their staff, will not be back here! read more

BLACK SESAME FRAPPE along w/ a little bit of studying in this cafe hidden on the 2nd floor of the Kinokuniya Bookstore? wonderful combo!! the OTHER Cafe Zaiya is known for their black sesame ice cream & green tea soft serve, plus the other location has more food/baked goods, BUT THIS KIOSK/cafe is convenient too!! they've got breads, cakes, premade sushi & katsu lunches, sandwiches, tea & coffee drinks, great for a quick snack! NOT TO MENTION that black sesame frappe which had a really good subtle black sesame flavor that paired well with a hint of coffee taste!! ----one thing, the frappe is made w/ half & half and they don't allow substitutions, so indulge!! read more

Cafe Zaiya - black sesame frappe - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

I visited based on recommendations from Yelp and the close proximity to where I was staying. This bakery location was upstairs on the second floor of Kinokuniya Bookstore. I like Japanese breads and pastries, though there's not much of it when I live. Here, the dorayaki was fine, though a little bit dry and bland. There was a good amount of red bean. The breads (white loaf and others) were quite fresh and weren't all that expensive. For the most part, all the breads and pastries looked attractive and I wish I could've tried them all. The view of Bryant Park is lovely and if I were in the area, I'd come here to do some remote work. Service was polite and patient. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

If Cafe Zaiya was a person, we'd be best friends. She hangs out in bookstores, loves cute little deserts, speaks Japanese, is super polite, and is really low maintenance. We'd fan-girl over our favorite mangas together and people watch overlooking Bryant Park. She knows the proper way to unfold the onigiri wrappers without ripping the nori and is charitable too! :happy sigh: I love this particular Zaiya because its quiet, not as crowded, and brightly lit. I can get a sandwich for $3.50, an onigiri (rice ball) for $2, plus tea for a complete meal under $8. They also have bento boxes, some sushi rolls. and tons of pastries. They carry food from Fuji (which is really good!) that also helps feed kids abroad. I'm here multiple times a week. I've convinced my coworkers that onigiri is in fact, part of the food pyramid in Asia, which is why I have them constantly. A pet peeve I have at this location is the microwave - when you get the food that should be reheated (ie mapo tofu), the microwave is slow and inefficient, meaning a line starts forming behind you and you try and will the microwave to spin faster, and then you rush off realizing your food is still lukewarm. Also, seating is hard to come by in winter or rainy days, so make sure you have a Plan B. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

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I'd been going to the other Cafe Zaiya location and just realized that this one is even closer to my office! They have significantly fewer options, but there's still a great selection of sandwiches and bowls and other food that's easy to grab and go. I like that all of the foods are in one place so you can just pick something out and stand in line, whereas at the other location you have to wander around to eat of the cold food areas to pick something out and then get into one of two possible lines. The cold food itself is good and affordable! I also finally tried the Black Sesame Frappe and it was delicious!!! Over five dollars is a bit much for a frappe (for some reason it's pricier here than it is at the other location), but it's one of those things you have to try...and will continue to buy on the rough days that you want to treat yourself at work. I'll be back! read more

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Went in today after shopping for books. How things have changed ... My latte was very bland; I could barely taste any espresso and I did not order a misto. The Pudding a la Mode was 'meh' as well; I was disappointed to have wasted my calories on this. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Mediocre coffee and creme caramel - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Relatively cheap foods for a cafe in midtown area. I came in around 5 and was sad to see that there was only 1 riceball left, but I'll be back to try the other onigiri with more substantial filling than seaweed :3. I had a latte here, as well as a melon bread, teriyaki chicken rice bowl, and matcha steamed muffin. The latte had a nice amount of foam to it, and the melon bread can't quite compare to an Asian bakery's pineapple bread (as well as its price). I really enjoyed the chicken teriyaki bowl as I heated up at work and tasted the nice flavors of the bowl mesh together. There was spicy mayo, seaweed, and Japanese rice in a bowl that contains more than it looks! For a cafe, it should have free wifi, but the cute Japanese book store compensated for its lack of free internet. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Yummy ingredients comprising the chicken teriyaki bowl - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

Got a regular green tea matcha latte. Tastes like grass. Really, really, ~really~ don't recommend.

This place is a nice hidden gem! You won't find Japanese convenience store food anywhere else in the city for less located in an adorable manga/trinket shop. The sandwiches were surprisingly very filling I had to give half my meal to the guy next to me. It came with egg salad, tuna salad, and ham/lettuce/tomato. All were fresh and moist. The roll cake is surprisingly cheap and nice quality. The spicy tuna onigiri is with cooked tuna. Large variety of foods and drinks in such a small cafe. Also, seating is very limited and compact read more

Cafe Zaiya - Selection of bento - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

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This place is located across Bryant Park and is upstairs in a Japanese book store called Kinokuniya. The space is very small but they do have seating. I had spicy tuna and a shrimp onigiri (Japanese triangle rice balls) here and they were delicious! I liked that the rice was still warm. I also tried a green cake with red filling. I thought it was matcha with strawberry but it just tasted like bland butter. The red didn't taste like berry either. The cake was definitely not something I'd get again. I tried a lemon kumquat iced tea that was a bit too sweet and a long bread filled with custard. The custard tasted more like just butter however. I'd come back just for the onigiri. You cannot bring merchandise into the cafe, as signs will tell you. They sell ready-to-grab bento boxes with fish too. I saw others who got it and it looked like they were enjoying themselves. I've never been to their actual larger store so I do not know how this compares to it. The cafe definitely inspired me to want to go to Japan. read more

Sadly Cafe Zaiya was out of Black Sesame Frappe.....................so I ended up with a Green Tea Frappe. Great space for a time out inside Kinokuniya Bookstore! Green Tea Frappe is smooth and a great matcha taste. Another good choice as a liquid dessert. Looking at all the cute and well presented baked goods, this kind of feel like I am in Tokyo?! read more

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This cafe supposed open 11am but they always kept customer outside and open around 11:10 -11:15am. It's so annoying.

Love their $4.5 green tea / black sesame ice cream. A great place to take a rest around Bryant Park. read more

Cafe Zaiya - Desserts Near Me - New York, New York

This is such a cute little cafe on the second floor of the bookstore. The staff there are very polite and sweet. The selection of goods is wonderful, fresh, and tasty. However it can be very limited due to the small space so try to get there and shop around noon and early afternoon as many of the best treats can be gone later in the day. I enjoy their katsu curry which they have in pork and chicken. Their ham sandwich is good and has a generous amount of ham but isn't too too much. Their big fried chicken sandwich isn't very flavorful but is decent-ish. They have a good selection of hot teas and they have soy milk if you want a warm milk tea. Their desserts are very good and I enjoy their Japanese bread selections. Seating is limited and some sitting areas are communal. There is a microwave for you to heat up your hot meal selection as everything is in a cool display. The pricing is good and you can have a decent filling meal, dessert, and drink for under $20. Overall it's a great place to stop for a lunch or quick snack. read more

Bought the sandwiches set with the tuna salad/ egg salad/ chicken cutlet and the egg salad was spoiled with a sour smell. I ended up throwing out the egg ones which was 1/3 of the food in order to avoid the risk of getting sick. Freshness and quality control is lacking. read more

The CS is so rude for a " Japanese" cafe. I came up to the counter and the worker with shaved eyebrows did not say hi or greet me, she seem mad I interrupted her during her cleaning. Here is the exchange verbiage: Me: hi Worker:....(not looking at me) (Ring up order)... $6.19 Me( cash in hand) Worker ( yank the $10)... Need receipt!? Me: no Worker : ( hands changes to me) Me: ( struggling to place money in pocket) Worker see me still standing there) did u need a receipt? Me: no read more

Cafe Zaiya is supposed to open at 11 am. We went there at 11:15 am to take out food and they still hadn't opened. There was a small line of customers. The woman in charge showed up and said she wouldn't open for another 5 minutes. No apologies for being late and she told the customers she would open when she was ready even though all of the food was set out and ready. She began arguing with a customer and was impolite, unapologetic and hostile. Saying if they didn't like the service they could work there. This is the second bad experience we have had here and we won't go back again. read more

The tiramisu here is really good, with lady fingers super soaked in espresso! The mascarpone cheese cream is super light and fluffy. My only quips are that the service was really shoddy (i.e. They were annoyed to be packing my slice of cake neatly)...and that the slice was super small for $4. Other than that, this location is fun to visit as it is less busy than the main one, and is above Kinnokuya bookstore (where they sell a ton of cute little goodies). read more

This is a decent and fine cafe. Its located inside the Kinokuniya bookstore so its basically the bookstores food court. They don't want you to bring drinks or food outside the cafe where the books are so I understand that. The place is small and seating can be limited but they offer good bubble tea and Japanese treats. They have a wide variety of decently priced and cheap food. If you like Chinese bakery buns you will love this place. As for the bubble tea its one of the better places I have had and they offer hot bubble tea as well. Pretty good place if you work around the neighborhood. read more

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