The Best Bakeries in Tokyo

Tokyo has quietly become one of the most exciting bakery cities on earth. Japanese bakers combine obsessive technique with the best of French tradition, producing bread and pastry that rivals — and often surpasses — what you'll find in Paris.

Centre the Bakery, Ginza

A specialist shokupan bakery that serves just three varieties of Japanese milk bread, toasted to order. The simplicity is the point — each loaf is impossibly soft, with a barely-there sweetness and a pillowy crumb.

Boulangerie Sudo, Setagaya

Hiroshi Sudo trained in France before returning to Tokyo to open one of the city's most respected boulangeries. His baguettes are among the best in Asia — crackly, well-fermented, and deeply flavoured.

Viron, Shibuya

Viron imports its flour directly from Viron in Chartres and bakes some of the most authentic French bread in Tokyo. The retrodor baguette and the croissants are exceptional.

Maison Landemaine, Azabu-Juban

A Franco-Japanese bakery that captures the best of both traditions. The pain au chocolat and the seasonal fruit tarts are consistently outstanding.